The newest school in the Faculty of Medical Science welcomed the first students in September and is responsible for delivering the new Master of Pharmacy (MPharm). 

Sir Michael Rawlins, the chair of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency who was also the Ruth and Lionel Jacobsen Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and general physician, at the University of Newcastle from 1973 until 2006, performed the ceremony and delivered a keynote address.

He met several of the Pharmacy students who demonstrated many of the latest techniques including for pill testing and chromatography in the bespoke laboratories.

A natural step

Sir Michael said: “Medicine and pharmacy have become closer and closer in the last 20 years. It is a natural thing that the School of Pharmacy should be located with a great Medical School and with superb links with chemistry. This is why I am so delighted that pharmacy has arrived at last.”

Professor Andy Husband, Head of the School of Pharmacy paid tribute to the people who have transformed the King George VI Building  where Medicine and its related courses have been taught since 1834. He also thanked those who ensured the smooth set up of the facilities saying: “This is a historic moment for us, putting medical health back into this building. This is a starting point with our students joining a faculty with an international reputation for quality.”