Penny Lewis is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry at the University of Manchester and Academic Lead Pharmacist for Research, Manchester University Foundation Trust. Penny is internationally recognised for her expertise and experience in medication safety research and the effective delivery of pharmacy services to improve patient care. Penny actively promotes research engagement and fosters the research ambitions of healthcare professionals, including clinical pharmacists, through her role as Academic Career Development Lead for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (NIHR ARC_GM). Penny is also committed to improving research inclusion and diversity and is currently EDI Lead for the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Collaboration.

Penny is registered pharmacist and Senior Clinical Lecturer. Penny undertook her PhD within the Drug Usage and Pharmacy Practice Group within the Pharmacy School at Manchester and then went on to work as a postdoctoral researcher on the EQUIP study prior to her appointment as Clinical Lecturer in 2010. Penny has extensive practice experience in both hospital and community pharmacy and maintains links with both sectors through her honorary post at Manchester Foundation Trust and her work with the Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Collaborative. As well her pharmacy interests, Penny is passionate about widening participation and has been involved in various school projects as well as being admissions tutor for the foundation year which provides access to the MPharm course to disadvantaged outstanding students.

Penny is currently principal investigator (PI) on an NIHR SPCR funded study 'Collaborative and co-Ordinated action for Medication Safety (COMS): improving General Practice and Community Pharmacy collaboration'. 

Recent work Penny has led on includes the development of a pharmaceutical care complexity screening tool to target the delivery of hospital clinical pharmacy services.

Penny is also co-applicant on a research project entitled 'Realist evaluation of collaborative practice in primary care: the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service for urgent, low acuity conditions as an exemplar of general practice, community pharmacy and patients working together.'

Penny was previously PI on a project exploring the causes of errors made by doctors in their second year of foundation training. This work leads on from her previous work on the EQUIP study- this project was commissioned by the General Medical Council and investigated the prevalence and causes of prescribing errors made by FY1 doctors, concentrating on the interplay between doctors’ educational backgrounds and factors in the practice environment.

• MPharm: Unit lead 4th year 'The Pharmacist'
• MPharm: 3rd year Health care policy and governance lecture series
• MPharm: Undergraduate projects
• Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy and Health Services Pharmacy: Deputy unit lead for Foundations of Clinical Pharmacy
• Masters in Clinical Pharmacy: Project supervisor

Professor Darren Ashcroft

Dr Doug Steinke

Dr Richard Keers

Dr Denham Phipps

Dr Lisa Riste

• NHSE/NIHR Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship Selection Committee member
• Member of Scientific Committee Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE)
• Member of the Scientific Committee of the International Social Pharmacy Workshop 2024
• Invited member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ‘Ensuring the safe use of medicines working group’
• General Pharmaceutical Council

2023 -Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy 

2019 - Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education 

2015 - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

2007 - PhD in Pharmacy Practice, University of Manchester

2002 - MPharm, Aston University, Birmingham

Penny received a Commended Award from the Associate Vice-President for Social Responsibility for my work with the Greater Manchester Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Collaborative. The Collaborative was set up to identify patient safety priorities, develop solutions and test their impact. Participation by members of the collaborative has resulted in numerous improvements in their community pharmacies some of which have directly improved patient care.

Penny has also received OFFA funding (£1000) to supervise an undergraduate student in developing an in-house activity for Looked After Children and their carers. This project resulted in the delivery of a workshop aimed at introducing higher education and pharmacy as a professional and attainable career option for looked after children.