The Pharmacists’ Support Service (PSS) and Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL) are pleased to announce the 2025 winner of the John Coppock Pharmacist Wellbeing Award. Announcing the winner of the Award, PSS President Curtis Ruhnau said “The standard was very high again this year, with some outstanding nominations, but there can be only one winner, and the judging panel were unanimous in their decision, that the Award go to Maria Cooper for her work on a peer support program for early career pharmacists.” Curtis noted “At a time when some pharmacists are feeling lonely and isolated, Maria is seeking to provide connection and support to the future of our profession.”
Maria Cooper is a PhD candidate at the University of South Australia and a community pharmacist. Maria has drawn directly from her frontline experience working in a fast-paced suburban pharmacy through the COVID-19 pandemic to develop a peer support network, in partnership with the registered charity Hand-N-Hand Peer Support, for early career community pharmacists. The initiative enables pharmacists from different workplaces to engage in regular, confidential group sessions beyond the boundaries of their daily practice. These sessions provide a safe and structured space to debrief, share experiences, and develop practical coping strategies — fostering a unique sense of camaraderie and belonging in a profession where high-stress and isolation are common. The peer support program has supported three active groups of early career pharmacists. The study outcomes indicate that participants experience reduced isolation, increased confidence, and a strengthened sense of professional purpose. The initiative has fostered authentic connections and camaraderie, with participants reporting lasting benefits that extend beyond the program’s sessions into their daily practice.
When discussing the wide range of nominations, Curtis and John Coppock both noted that the unifying feature of the nominations was their focus on the wellbeing of team members and the team as a whole. John said, “This warms people, and brings them together”. Curtis and John agreed that it seems truer now than ever, that none of us can be as good as all of us together.
Curtis noted the high calibre of the 19 nominations received and said, “It is so pleasing to hear about the various initiatives being undertaken in every state and territory across Australia, from remote rural community pharmacies to major metropolitan hospital pharmacy departments to improve the wellbeing of pharmacists and pharmacy staff.”
Curtis advised that three other projects are deserving of an honourable mention. They are:
- How to make a Specialist in Poisons Information pharmacist happy? – Genevieve Adamo and team, NSW Poisons Information Centre.
- Rx: A Dose of Togetherness – Fatima Small and team, Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital Pharmacy Department.
- Embedding Leader Rounding to Enhance Staff Engagement and Wellbeing – Kelly Beswick and team, Statewide Hospital Pharmacy Tasmania.
The judging panel comprised representatives from PSS and PDL and John Coppock. On behalf of the judging panel, Curtis expressed congratulations to all those nominated for the work they are doing to improve the wellbeing of their colleagues and the pharmacy profession.
PDL Professional Officer Gary West, who sat on the judging panel along with PDL CEO David Brown, supported the comments of Curtis Ruhnau and John Coppock. “All the nominations were outstanding examples of pharmacists seeking to assist their colleagues and make their workplaces supportive and resilient. The PDL Professional Officers believe an empathetic and supportive pharmacy team creates a better working environment for staff as well as an organisation that is likely to have good communications and systems in place to prevent incidents,” said Gary.
The Award aims to honour the significant contribution of John Coppock to the wellbeing of pharmacists and will be awarded annually, during October which is Mental Health Month in Australia, to a pharmacist or a pharmacy team who contribute significantly to the wellbeing of members of the pharmacy profession. The Award is made possible through generous sponsorship by PDL.
