Ellen is Professor of Pharmacy Policy and Practice, Director of the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies (CPWS), and Head of Drug Usage and Pharmacy Practice (DUPP).

Ellen has over 25 years experience as a health services and pharmacy practice researcher and has a particular interest in pharmacy policy.  Building on her experience researching the impact of prescription charges and providing evidence to government reviews, more recently her research interests have focussed on professional regulation, pharmacy policy, workforce and education.  In 2014, Ellen won the 2014 Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s prestigious Pharmacy Research UK award.

Ellen has a strong publication record, ensuring timely dissemination at academic and professional conferences, and effective engagement with various stakeholders.  To date, she has published over 90 full peer reviewed journal papers.

Ellen is responsible for the teaching of pharmacy law and professional regulation to our undergraduate MPharm students and leads this through all four years of our new curriculum.  Ellen also supervises undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy student projects, most of which are published at conferences and some as full academic papers.  Between 2016 and 2021, Ellen was Director of Postgraduate Teaching and Learning, overseeing a programme of Postgraduate degrees and CPD in pharmacy and optometry.  

Ellen supervises a number of PhD and MPhil/ MClinRes students (11 to completion); she has acted as external examiner for PhD, DPharm and EdD awards.

Ellen Schafheutle is a pharmacist, originally qualified in Germany and registered in the UK since 1994.  Following an MSc in clinical pharmacy and a PhD in pharmacy practice in the University of Manchester's Drug Usage and Pharmacy Practice Group (DUPPG), Ellen became a member of staff in 1998.  In 2002, she secured one of only three National NHS Primary Care R&D Post Doctoral Awards, as the first pharmacist from an open field of health services researchers.  As part of this Ellen completed an MRes in Health and Community (Policy & Management pathway) thus extending her formal training in research methods and broadening her understanding of policy and management issues.  Ellen joined the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies (CPWS), which is part of DUPPG, in 2007, and she became its Director in 2014.

Following a career as a research associate and then research fellow, Ellen became a lecturer in 2009, senior lecturer in 2013, and professor in 2018.

In 2014, Ellen received the RPS Pharmacy Research UK award, which ‘recognises an individual who has made a significant contribution to the field of pharmacy practice research and has the potential to become a leader in the field.’ Ellen delivered her award lecture entitled 'Research informed pharmacy policy & practice: Answers to big questions – getting the detail right,' at the RPS conference in Birmingham in September 2014. (www.pharmacyresearchuk.org/winner-2014-royal-pharmaceutical-societys-pharmacy-research-uk-award-announced/)

Ellen's research interest is grounded in policy, and informing policy change.  Since joining CPWS, she has become increasingly interested in workforce and professional regulation.  Ellen has an interest in pharmacy education at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and has collaborated with the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) over many years.  She has led projects informing revalidation in pharmacy, supervision in community pharmacy, novel services and quality in community pharmacy, and quality of pharmacy and healthcare professional education and training.  Funding has been mainly from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Pharmacy Research UK, NIHR, NHS England, and Health Education England.

Ellen’s early research interests had centred upon the cost of prescription charges and their influence on GP prescribing and particularly patient behaviour.  The research project she undertook as part of her MSc effectively launched her interest in medication cost and its impact on health and access to medicines.  It represented important work for herself as well as the DUPPG, as it laid the foundation for further research, including a three-year six nation European collaboration.  Ellen secured a highly competitive NHS Post Doctoral award entitled "Is the prescription charge a barrier to meeting primary health care goals?  Ellen provided both written and oral evidence to the Health Committee enquiry into NHS Charges in England.

Postgraduate Research Supervision

for completed theses, please see ’theses’ tab

Current PhD supervision

Helingzi Gong: ‘Use of technology and online resources in community pharmacy’ - Apr 2021 start (joined as co-supervisor in May 2024)

Natasha Burns: ‘Working across boundaries: new models of integration and collaboration across the pharmacy workforce in Greater Manchester' (joined as co-supervisor in Oct 2024)

Undergradute teaching

Ellen's main teaching expertise and contribution on the MPharm is pharmacy law and professional regulation which she has led since July 2009.

In August 2011, Ellen became Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), in 2017 she was awarded Senior Fellow (SFHEA), and in 2019 she became Principal Fellow (PFHEA).

Ellen has been supervising final year MPharm projects since 2005.  Many of these have been published at conferences, some have been published as full peer-reviewed journal articles.

Postgraduate teaching

Between 2016 and 2021, Ellen was Director of Postgraduate Teaching and Learning, where she oversaw a number of PGT and CPD programmes in pharmacy and optometry.

MSc supervision

Current projects

‘Pharmacists’ confidence and perceptions of community prescribing in relation to Pharmacy First’  MSc Clinical Pharmacy 2024/25

‘A comparison of experiences with clinical trial sponsors versus contract research organisations from the perspective of the vendor organisation: is there a difference?’ MSc PIAT 2024/25

‘How is the Practical Effectiveness of Continuing Training Assessed in NHS Aseptic Manufacturing and Preparation Services?’ MSc PTQA 2024/25

Past projects

‘Trending and analysing factors causing frequently-encountered Quality deficiencies in Decentralised Registration Dossier’ Esther Cutajar MSc PIAT 2022/23

‘Comparative Study between European Medicines Agency and US FDA in Authorizing Clinical Trials and Granting Emergency Use Marketing Authorizations for Covid-19 Medicines’ Marina Ghadanian. MSc PIAT 2021/22

‘Regulatory processes associated with licensing seasonal influenza vaccines in the US and EU’ Calvin Cook. MSc PIAT 2019/20

'Black and ethnic minority students’ progress and support needs’ Victoria Tavares (MClinRes - PRUK funded) 2017-2019; co-supervisor Dr Sarah Willis

'Comparison of Proof-of-Concept-Funding in the UK and Germany'  Jürgen Walkenhort. MSc PIAT 2017/18

'What support do COPD patients feel primary care professionals provide following discharge from hospital?' Tom Fegan (MClinRes – NIHR funded) - 2015/2016; co-supervisor Prof Darren Ashcroft

Dr Esnath Magola

Dr Imelda McDermott

Dr Sarah Willis

Member on CPPE Operations and Advisory Board (OAB), which recommends CPPE’s costed plan and organisational strategy to the Contract Management Board, and offers expert and professional opinion on CPPE’s strategic development plans - since 2014

Pharmacy Schools Council (PhSC) representative on the Department of Health policy advisory group Rebalancing of Medicines Legislation and Pharmacy Regulation - Partners’ Forum - 2013 - 2023

PhSC representative on Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Revalidation Advisory Group - 2014 - 2018

Appointed member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Practice Research Conference Panel (contribute to content and organisation of practice research stream at annual RPS Conference and peer reviews of practice research submissions -  2013 - 2018

Invited member of advisory panel for Medicines, Ethics & Practice (MEP), an annual RPS publication and key professional support text underpinning pharmacists’ professional and legal practice - 2010 - 2023

Ellen has been a health services and pharmacy practice researcher for over 25 years.  Her particular expertise is in qualitative methodologies - interviews, focus groups, critical incident technique.  She has also used the nominal group technique, and has considerable experience in designing questionnaires and conducting surveys.

• 2005 - MRes - University of Manchester
• 1999 - PhD - University of Manchester
• 1994 - MSc - University of Manchester
• 1992 - 4 year Pharmacy degree (MPharm) - University of Bonn, German

• FFRPS - Faculty Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, since 2014

• FRPharmS - Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society - since 2017

• Pharmacist, GPhC registered, since 1994
• MRPharmS - Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society - since 1994
• Approbierte Apothekerin (Registered pharmacist in Germany), 1993

• PFHEA - Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy - since 2019
• SFHEA - Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy - since 2017
• FHEA - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy - since 2011

I used to be a 'big sister' in an organisation called 'Girls Out Loud' (http://girlsoutloud.org.uk).  They have a number of programmes to support girls aged 13 to 18 through their teenage years and times of big changes and important decisions.  They provide discovery days, role model relays and a mentoring programme (big sisters) which are all about inspiring teenage girls to raise their aspirations and become confident, rounded young women.