Harsha Parmar, MRPharmS, PFHEA, PGCert, IPres

With over 17 years of experience in pharmacy education at The University of Manchester, I am passionate about delivering high-quality and up-to-date education to the future pharmacists. I have extensive expertise in designing and teaching various pharmacy-related topics, such as public health, law and ethics, dispensing, minor ailments, pharmaceutical care, and advanced consultation skills, both in the classroom and online.

I am co-lead of the Prescribing Curriculum on the MPharm programme and General Practice placements lead, where I have successfully enhanced the MPharm programme and the employability of the graduates. Additionally, I chair the National Pharmacy Education Conference, which provides a platform for all pharmacy professionals to share best practices and collaborate. My teaching is informed by my own practice as a pharmacist in a busy community pharmacy, where I delivered advanced services and provided leadership. I hold a Master of Philosophy in Pharmacy Education, a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Professional Practice, and a Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing. I have been recognised as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, the highest level of fellowship in the UK.

My vision and strategy for teaching and learning is to provide a supportive learning environment for students to enable them to reach their full potential as graduates who are highly employable, and, are able to apply the skills of crticial-thinking as a healthcare professional and maintain a patient-centred focus. 

I am an enthusiastic and engaging teacher which has been evidenced by both staff and student feedback and a sustained student evaluation score well above school and faculty level. This has been formerly recognised through being awarded the 'Univeristy of Manchester Student Union's Inclusive teaching Practice award' in 2022 and 'University of Manchester Distinguished achievement medal - Teacher of the year 2014'. 

I thoroughly value all opportunites to enhance the programme by working with the professional body to maintain its currency and inform curriculum development. My areas of research interest include preparation for practice and cultural competency.

My experience and contribution to teaching, learning and academic mentorship in higher education, has formerly being recognised through being awarded the status of Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I supervise undergraduate final year Masters level projects in Pharmacy Practice, with a special interest in Health Promotion and Public Engagements, and those focussing on Pharmacy Education. My role has been to develop in each student the skills of hypothesis formulation and testing, data acquisition and analysis, experimental design, literature retrieval, report writing and oral presentation. 

Within the school, I have led on a peer assessment project. An assessment tool was formulated, drawing upon key literature and is now being used for a number of coursework assessments to assess professionalism across the entire degree. I have previously been involved in a research project commissioned by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) to investigate the effectiveness of the Pre-Registration Assessment. My expertise was called for as an experienced Pharmacist to map the examination according to the examination syllabus and collate, analyse and present data on the areas in the examination in which Pre-Registration Trainees are most likely to fail. This was presented at a national health services research and pharmacy practice conference in 2011 and informed professional pharmacy education policy in two documents submitted to the RPSGB.

I have also successfully been a a co-applicant on an educational research project (funded by the Centre for Higher Education Research, Innovation and Learning), which investigated the effect of learning styles on pharmacy undergraduate drivers for acheievment on the MPharm Course at the University of Manchester. This project has culminated in the design and roll out of a supportive tool for pharmacy undergradates to use in their approach to learning of different areas of the curriculum. 

National contributions with regulators and NHS Education

• Editorial Board Member: NHSE and Pharmacy Schools Council Indiciative Curricula for MPharm and Foundation Training Year Pharmacy Schools Council representative: National undergradaute e-portfolio development with Health Education England
• Pharmacy Schools Council representative: Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the King’s Fund – A New Vision for Pharmacy
• Educational Pharmacist Panel Member: General Medical Council’s Professional and Linguistics Assessment Board (PLAB) , Test of Competence and Revalidation Panel
• Educational Pharmacist Associate: General Pharmaceutical Council
• Academic developer: National Higher Scientific Specialist Traning Assessment and Feedback online learning module

University and Faculty contributions

• Academic co-lead Assessment and Feedback: New Academics staff development programme (ended 2019)
• Academic lead PGCert in Higher Education, Assessment and Feedback (ended 2019)

Division of Pharmacy and Optometry contributions

• MPharm General Practice placements lead
• MPharm e-portfolio lead
• MPharm prescribing skills co-lead
• MPharm Programme Lead Public Health (ended 2022)
• MPharm Programme Lead Healthcare Leadership
• Educational Supervisor ACPP Programme (2017-2020)
• Academic lead Module 2 National CPPE Training Pathway for GP Practice Pharmacists (2017-2019)
• Academic lead for International Pharmacy Summer School (2017-2019)

MPharm teaching:

• Year 3: Endocrine and Musculoskeletal Systems
• Year 3: Brain and Neurotransmission
• Year 1: The Public: Public health and pharmacy practice, The Pharmacist: Introduction to Consultation skills (ended 2021)
• Year 3: The Pharmacist: Minor ailments, Healthcare Leadership: Leadership in the workplace (ended 2020)
• Year 4: The Pharmacist: Law and Dispensing, The Patient: Advanced consultation skills in pharmaceutical care, Integrated Undergraduate Masters Project
• All years: Prescribing Skills

General Pharmaceutical Council

Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Royal Pharmaceutical Society

UK Clinical Pharmacy Assocication

• 2021 Independent Prescribing
• 2016 Masters in Philosophy
• 2014 Senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• 2013 PGCert  Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Professional Practice
• 2011 Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• 2004 MRPharmS
• 2003 MPharm University of Nottingham

Role of the pharmacist in public health, Youtube videos

• 2023 - present: I co-designed, developed and supervise Year 3 pharmacy student-led health screening clinics across the campus open to all staff and students
• 2013 -2021: I co-ordinated and moderated first year student-produced YouTube videos which promote the role of the pharmacist in public health. This has highlighted the duty of care that students have even before becoming a registered pharmacist, and has provided key information on contemporary pharmacy practice. These videos have received over 500 hits since being published and are an ongoing component of social responsibilty within the curriculum.

Health promotion campaigns

• I have also been involved in the planning and execution of final year MPharm student-led public health campaigns in the areas of smoking cessation, chlamydia screening and heart disease across Greater Manchester. These campaigns have been in partnership with Asthma UK, RUClear and the British Heart Foundation and have been highlighted in the Faculty blog. 

Manchester Access Programme Tutor

• Since 2015 I have been an academic tutor on widening-paricipation programme, supporting students to develop academic writing skills in scientific practice.

• Faculty and Divisional teaching-focussed mentor for the New Academics Programme and LEAP
• Lead for Pharmacy Education Group
• Assessor Panel Member: Leadership in Education Awards (LEAP)
• Internal Examination Moderator
• Link lecturer Community Pharmacy Placements
• External examiner Keele University (2016-2020)
• 4th year SWAPS tutor (2011-2020)
• Deupty MPharm Programme Director (ended 2018-2020)
• University-wide PGCert in Higher Education Committee and Steering Group Member (2017-2019)