Attendees of the 2024 ‘Collaboration for Success’ School of Pharmacy Research Symposium at St Margaret’s College.
Collaboration for success was the key theme of this year’s School of Pharmacy Research Symposium.
Key organiser and Associate Dean Research (School of Pharmacy) Professor Shyamal Das says the theme of the event, held last week, came from the School’s academics identifying that real world problems are most efficiently solved when a variety of researchers, each with their own unique set of expertise, work together to achieve tangible objectives.
He says it’s challenging for one person to do all aspects of research that are necessary to achieve an outcome that will impact people’s lives.
“Collaboration is the way to solving problems efficiently, effectively, and ensures diverse perspectives are taken into consideration,” Shyamal says.
“I’m talking about research alliances that extend past just working with academics based in the School of Pharmacy, through to academics outside of the School, and outside the wider University.”
Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Health Sciences, Associate Professor Megan Gibbons, opened the event.
This sentiment was shared by Dean of the School of Pharmacy, Professor Bruce Russell, who says the symposium was a great demonstration of the high calibre of staff Otago has on offer to support partnership initiatives.
Some of the topics discussed included: collaboration between academia and industry, academia with clinicians, government and philanthropic organizations (both nationally and internationally), research opportunities with Māori and for Māori, inhalers of cannabidiol and microRNA, wildlife therapeutics like collaboration opportunities between pharmaceutical science and vets and linking chemistry with collaborators.
Each topic centred around what makes for effective and successful cross disciplinary collaborations in clinical trials.
From left to right in the foreground: Dr Ian Liddle, Professor Shyamal Das, and Professor Bruce Russell at the Research Symposium which acknowledged the impact of Otago staff’s research collaborations.
Division of Health Sciences Pro-Vice Chancellor Associate Professor Megan Gibbons opened the event.
She says the School of Pharmacy has been a leader in pharmacy and pharmaceutical science in New Zealand and Australia, producing internationally renowned academics and a symposium like this shows how they are continuing to put in the mahi to contribute tangibly towards both human and animal health.
Kōrero by the Division of Health Sciences Communications Adviser, Kelsey Swart