Speakers

Cathy Harrison is the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Northern Ireland, working at the Department of Health. In this role Cathy is head of profession and the most senior professional advisor to the Minister of Health on pharmaceutical and medicines issues. She was appointed as Chief Pharmaceutical Officer in January 2020. Cathy leads a wide-ranging work programme involving pharmacy and medicines policy and legislation, including the implementation of a strategy to improve the safety and benefits of medicines titled ‘The Medicines Optimisation Quality Framework’, supported by a Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre (MOIC). This involves collaborative working with stakeholders from academia, industry, community development and health and social care. Cathy has an interest in the integration of multi-skilled pharmacy teams across health and social care sectors, combining professional and technical skills with redesigned services and new technologies. Cathy is committed to realising pharmacy’s greater contribution to better health outcomes for patients and more effective utilisation of health resources.