Professor Andrew McLachlan appointed Dean of Pharmacy

Professor Andrew McLachlan has been appointed Head of School and Dean of Pharmacy, starting on 5 February 2018.

A pharmacist and researcher experienced in clinical and experimental pharmacology and research on the quality use of medicines, Professor McLachlan will bring to his new role a strong record of academic achievement, as well as a significant record of leadership in the broader health sector and community.

“We’re delighted to have made an internal appointment to this role from an international pool of exceptional candidates,” said Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Garton.

“Andrew’s success is testament to his ability and to the strength of Pharmacy at Sydney.”

Having completed a first-class honours degree (with the University Medal) in Pharmacy and PhD in Pharmacy at Sydney, Professor McLachlan has built a significant record of research achievement, acted as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry and international universities, served on the editorial boards of international peer-reviewed journals and been appointed to expert committees of Australian governments related to medicine evaluation and policy and anti-doping. 

Andrew will be moving from his current role as Professor of Pharmacy (Aged Care) based at Concord Hospital. He is currently the Program Director of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Medicines and Ageing, and is particularly interested in translating clinical pharmacology research into real-world practice.

“My current research portfolio includes key research collaborations related to generating evidence to inform optimal management of low back pain, optimal medicines use in older people, understanding drug interactions, ethnic differences in drug response and innovations in practice,” said Andrew, whose research has led to more than 230 scholarly publications, many in high-impact journals.

“I’m also very proud of the achievements of the many pharmacists I have trained over the past two decades, and of the more than 20 PhD graduates I have supervised to completion,” added Andrew, a former Associate Dean (Postgraduate) and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Pharmacy. 

Andrew was recognised as the Pharmacist of the Year by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia in 2006 and is a past president of the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association (APSA). In 2013 he was awarded the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association Medal for his contribution and service to pharmacy and pharmaceutical science in Australia and New Zealand. 

“As Head of School and Dean, Andrew’s initial priority will be to complete the transition of Pharmacy into the new Faculty of Medicine and Health in 2018,” the Provost said.

“He will be part of the new faculty’s leadership team, and his experience as a member of the University’s existing multidisciplinary initiatives, including the Charles Perkins Centre, will be particularly important in helping us to realise the vision for the new faculty and foster new collaborations among the broader University community.”

Professor McLachlan will take up his new role in February, replacing Professor Iqbal Ramzan who indicated his desire to step down a year ago to ensure that we had time to secure an excellent replacement.

“Iqbal has made a significant contribution to Pharmacy and to the University over many years,” the Provost added.

“As Dean he has overseen sustained financial performance, major curriculum reform, improved philanthropic support and improvements in teaching and research outcomes. The flagship degree programs in Pharmacy have been widely praised by accreditation bodies.

“He also served two terms as a staff-elected Fellow of Senate, contributing many hours of service to support the broader governance and financial wellbeing of the University.”