Who is the most influential person in pharmacy? Time to vote
C+D has launched a new online initiative to find the most influential person in community pharmacy – and it needs your help.
To create the final ‘Pharmacy 50’ ranking of the most influential individuals in 2017, the C+D team and readers have compiled a shortlist of 123 candidates from all areas of community pharmacy – as well as relevant sectors in politics and healthcare.
An app – available on both the C+D homepage and on a dedicated Pharmacy 50 webpage – generates pairs of these 122 individuals at random, allowing readers to vote for which of the two they think is the most influential.
Voting launched today (March 28) and will remain open for a month, after which the votes will be counted and the top 50 highest-ranking individuals announced on the C+D site.
The previous – and only – Pharmacy 50 took place in 2013, when more than 37,700 reader votes resulted in England’s chief pharmaceutical officer Keith Ridge being named the most influential figure in community pharmacy.
Pharmacy 50 explained
How was the shortlist compiled?
The C+D team created an initial list, and then opened up suggestions to readers on the website and on Twitter in December 2016.
Is the app cheat-proof?
Effectively, yes. By randomly selecting pairings from the shortlist, the app prevents users from voting multiple times for themselves or any other preferred individual.
How do you define "influential"?
This is up to you. The definition of "influence" is "the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of something". It can therefore be positive (eg a pharmacist who inspires their peers) or negative (eg an influential policy maker who does not prioritise community pharmacy). C+D's clinical editor Kristoffer Stewart has also written a blog on how "influence" on pharmacy can be decided.
Who topped the Pharmacy 50 in 2013?
The number one spot was taken by England's chief pharmaceutical officer Keith Ridge, followed by Pharmacy Voice chief executive Rob Darracott, General Pharmaceutical Council chief executive Duncan Rudkin, Royal Pharmaceutical Society chief executive* Helen Gordon, and National Pharmacy Association chief executive* Mike Holden.
*Titles have changed since 2013
Join the Pharmacy 50 debate by commenting beneath this article or tweeting with #Pharmacy50
Who do you think has the most influence on community pharmacy?