Stories of STEM Q

Joining James in this episode of STEM Q is PhD student here at UNE, Anna Barwick; to talk about her new business and how it will help shape the future of community pharmacies. She also talks about graduating with a degree in pharmacy and the career paths available to graduates.

Show Notes

Anna Barwick is an award-winning pharmacist and entrepreneur. Her innovative new business PharmOnline was brought to life at the beginning of the COVID lockdowns to help people remotely access the advice and services of pharmacists. As well as running the business, she is also conducting research into how telehealth services such as PharmOnline are accessed by communities, which forms part of her PhD research being conducted at the University of New England.

She was just announced as one of this year’s Superstars of STEM; a role in which she will engage with communities and encourage more young people from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM. In this interview we chat about what the role of a pharmacist is, how it fits in to the health care industry, and what the future of pharmacy in Australia looks like. We also talk about the different career paths available to Pharmacy graduates, and how this is changing with advances in technology and the growing demands on the health care industry.

What is Stories of STEM Q?

The University of New England’s STEM Quarter (STEM Q) is a platform for regional partnerships. It seeks to become an engine of innovation by connecting industry & investment with research & education through mutually beneficial projects. By providing local industries and communities with a pathway to engage in research specifically focused on local challenges, the New England and North West region of New South Wales, Australia, is headed for incredible success.

Focused on the four key pillars – agribusiness, health and wellbeing, digital intelligence and enabling infrastructure, Stories of STEM_Q will introduce the brilliant people and projects in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, contributing to the progressive and innovative change occurring across the region.