Keywords
Fields of Research (FoR)
Clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice, Health services and systems, Public health, Community and primary careBiography
Prior to my current role at UNSW I was Professor of Pharmacy Education and Practice and formerly Academic Strategic Lead (Clinical Practice) at the School of Pharmacy, Applied Sciences and Public Health, Robert Gordon University (RGU), Aberdeen, Scotland. I am a UK registered pharmacist having graduated BSc (Hons) Pharmacy from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (1989) before completing my training in hospitals in NHS Tayside and Glasgow. I...view more
Prior to my current role at UNSW I was Professor of Pharmacy Education and Practice and formerly Academic Strategic Lead (Clinical Practice) at the School of Pharmacy, Applied Sciences and Public Health, Robert Gordon University (RGU), Aberdeen, Scotland. I am a UK registered pharmacist having graduated BSc (Hons) Pharmacy from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (1989) before completing my training in hospitals in NHS Tayside and Glasgow. I progressed to Senior Clinical Pharmacist positions in Tayside and in 1994 took up a role as Lecturer / Practitioner in Clinical Pharmacy at RGU and NHS Grampian. After completing a part-time PhD (2001) I became a full-time academic pharmacist focussing on pharmacy practice research, teaching and course development of the Master of Pharmacy and postgraduate course portfolio including pharmacist prescribing.
In my role as Academic Strategic Lead, I had responsibility for all aspects of strategic development within the discipline of pharmacy. This included oversight of clinical teaching, pharmacy research and developments within the profession of Pharmacy. I led the overall team and supported course leaders in multiple regulatory body accreditations for the undergraduate MPharm course and the postgraduate Independent Prescribing courses. I have also served as External Examiner at institutions both nationally and internationally.
In the past I have been the inaugural Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Faculty Accreditation Quality Panel and was awarded Fellowship of RPS Faculty (2014) in recognition for my professional competencies and peer nominated as a RPS Fellow (2016) in recognition of my wider professional contributions. I have been an active member of several national pharmaceutical forums and advised on pharmacy education, policy and practice. Most recently I have been an invited member of the UK Chief Pharmaceutical Officers Pharmacy Research Advisory Group and Chair of the Workforce sub-group and the Scottish National Pharmacy Workforce Advisory Group.
I have expertise in review methodology, qualitative and quantitative approaches within pharmacy education and practice-based research. I have over 80 peer reviewed publications, 13 PhD completions and a consistent record in grant income. I have extensive international links and have sustained collaborations around the world with opportunities to visit countries on research and course delivery projects.
My Grants
Last five years:
Cunningham S (Principal Investigator), Karim L, McIntosh T. Exploring the integration of pharmacist independent prescribing for common clinical conditions within community pharmacy. Pharmacy Research UK, Galen Award. £30000. 2023 to 2025.
Power A, Maxwell S, Cunningham S (Co-investigator), Boyter A, Stewart F, Roberts S, Souter C and Jebara T. Investigating the use of the ‘UK Prescribing Safety Assessment’ for Pharmacists in the NES Post-registration Foundation programme: preparing for General Pharmaceutical Council regulation changes for Non-medical Prescribing training. Scottish Medical Education research Consortium (SMERC), Phase 3 Funding Opportunities £60000. 2020/2021.
Cunningham S (Principal Investigator), Watson A. Extension to NES Contract No: C001806. Development of Clinical Academics in Pharmacy in Scotland. (£225000) 2021.
Cunningham S (Principal Investigator), Watson A, Power A. NES Contract No: C001806. Project B. Pharmacy Additional Cost of Training (ACTp) Evaluation Project. (£25000) 2020.
Cunningham S (Principal Investigator), Watson A, Power A, Strath A, Rudd I, Rushworth R. NES Contract No: C001806. Project E Steering Group. Remote and Rural Workforce development – Pharmacy Longitudinal Clerkship (£80000) 2020/2021.
Cunningham S (Principal Investigator), Watson A, Stewart F. NES Contract No: C001806. Project F. Pharmacy Practice Development Project. (£15000) 2020.
Cunningham S (Principal Investigator), Watson A, Stewart F. NES Contract No: C001806. Project G. Pharmacy Education Development Project. (£15000) 2020.
Talkhan, H., Cunningham, S., Stewart, D., McIntosh, T., Al Hail, M., Abdul Rouf, P. and Ziglam, H A mixed methods study to identify, quantify and explore determinants of antimicrobial prescribing behaviours among clinicians based in Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar. HMC Research. Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar. (£20676) 2020.
Douglas F, Grant A, Kennedy C, Torrance N, Cunningham S, Kydd A. An investigation of health and social care (HSC) early entrant experiences and coping strategies during rapid transition into professional practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Scientist’s Office. (£56000). June 2020. Budget HN452.
Cunningham S (Principal Investigator), Stewart D, Cairns D. To establish the economic value & benefits that community pharmacies contribute to Scotland’s health and wellbeing. Community Pharmacy Scotland (£56000) pending 2021.
My Qualifications
- 1995 to 2001 - The Robert Gordon University Aberdeen, United Kingdom. PhD entitled ‘Rationalisation of antibiotic prescribing for URTI in primary health care’
- 1992 to 1994 - The Robert Gordon University Aberdeen, United Kingdom. Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy
- 1985 to 1989 - University of Strathclyde Glasgow, United Kingdom. B.Sc. (Hons) in Pharmacy, upper second classification
My Awards
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain: 2014 Faculty Fellow (FFRPS) and 2016 Fellow (FRPharmS)
My Research Activities
I am an active researcher with research interests spanning many aspects of pharmacy practice and education. I have supervised numerous undergraduate and masters level projects and have 14 PhD completions. Current areas of interest for PhD projects / research collaboration include:
Pharmacy practice within sustainable models of Integrated multidisciplinary care:
- Independent prescribing and pharmaceutical care, encompassing models targeting specific populations and conditions to generic models across care settings. Research focuses on aspects of structures, processes and outcomes. Examples include multi-morbid, older people; those residing in remote and rural areas; and characteristics of effective and efficient workforce planning and utilisation including eProfessionalism.
- Inter-professional learning, ensuring undergraduate and postgraduate inter-professional learning develops healthcare professionals aware of their own specific role(s) and have a collaborative model of practice underpinned by shared values. Research focuses on the design, development and delivery of more effective undergraduate and postgraduate inter-professional learning programmes.
- Self-care, understanding behaviours, models and outcomes of self-care in general and in targeted specific diverse populations such as homeless individuals and those working offshore.
Medicines use, effectiveness and safety:
- Specific populations, focusing on those with particular medicines related needs such as older people, those with multi-morbidities at risk of inappropriate polypharmacy, those receiving multi-compartment compliance aids
- Specific medicine groups and individual medicines, concentrating on medicines introduced recently to clinical practice, medicines highlighted as being issues of national concern such as antimicrobials, under-researched areas such as dermatological products and complementary and alternative medicines.
- Specific processes and procedures relating to the safe and effective use of medicines. This includes the spectrum of patient safety, medication errors pharmacovigilance, access to medicines, medicines information, adherence and burden, eHealth, medication waste.
International collaborations in the areas above are welcomed.
Location
Room 220, Level 2, Wallace Wurth
UNSW SYDNEY 2052