I joined Pharmacy at Aston in February 2012, having spent the previous 25 years as a practicing pharmacist. I have worked within community, industry, acute hospital and particularly within old age and adult psychiatry where I worked for 18 years; with 9 years at a senior level. 

I am an experienced researcher, manager and clinician with a broad research background including working within multi-disciplinary international teams. I am experienced in aspects of management including strategic planning, knowledge management, team development, change management and administration, from both a public sector and commercial environment.

Also in practice, I taught and developed teaching material for a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses including developing a Psychopharmacology course for non-medical prescribers and educational material for the College for Postgraduate Pharmacy Education.

1. MEDIATE (funded by the NIHR): currently investigating MEDIcation optimisATion in severE mental illness. The protocol is available here.

2. RESOLVE (funded by the NIHR): studying non-pharmacological management of anti-psychotic weight gain. For the protocol please check this link.

3. PERISCOPE (funded by UKRI): A realist review that aimed to understand the role of community pharmacy in delivering the public health agenda in COVID funded by UKRI/NIHR. From this guidance recommendations were produced for policy-makers on the policy framework required.

4. MEMORABLE (funded by NIHR HS&DR): Developing a framework for a novel multi-disciplinary, multi-agency intervention(s), to improve medication management in community-dwelling older people on complex medication regimens (MEMORABLE): a realist synthesis.

Currently MEMORABLE has resulted in three publications:

The 50,000 word full NIHR Report.

A summary academic paper.

The initial protocol.

In addition:

The NIHR have published a blog about MEMORABLE.

BBC Breakfast Time TV featured MEMORABLE.

5. MEDREV (funded by NIHR [Research for Patient Benefit]): Improving the Management of Behaviour that Challenges associated with dementia in Care Homes: protocol for pharmacy-health psychology intervention feasibility study.

MEDREV resulted in four publications:

A mixed methods evaluation on Preparing care home staff to manage challenging behaviours among residents living with dementia.

A paper on the feasibility of measuring clinical outcomes and costs of the intervention.

The main paper – focussed on the feasibility of the intervention.

The protocol for MEDREV.

6. Pharmacy Research UK study - A qualitative scoping study exploring the role of the community pharmacist in medication management in people with dementia dwelling in the community.

The full report is available on the PRUK web-site. Other outputs include:

A qualitative paper interviewing family carers, people living with dementia and care staff.

A systematic literature review.

• Medication optimisation in older people on complex regimens. For more information see the MEMORABLE project, which uses an innovative research method; realism.
• Medication errors in mental health and dementia – widely published in this field and undertaken qualitative and quantitative research. This includes an analysis of all medication errors reported by Mental Health Trusts to the NPSA in a single year, which was part of Themed Review of Medication Safety Incidents (Safety in Doses; NPSA, 2009 – available on
  www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?EntryId45=61625).
• Medication management in dementia – linked with international leaders in this field. Chair of grant-writing group, which is supported by Dementia and Neurogenerative Diseases (DeNDRoN).
• Pharmacological interventions for agitation in dementia – co-principal investigator for 1^st in world CTIMP (clinical trial of an investigation medicinal product) studying a pharmaceutical agent in dementia. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0035185
• Anti-cholinergic burden (ACB) – investigator on two recently published trials, which studied the link between ACB, and cognition and mortality (one study, which identified an association between mortality and ACB, received widespread international publicity). For link to YouTube video of this impact please click here).
  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21926432 
  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21707557   

• Member of the Dementia and Neurogenerative Diseases (DeNDRoN) Dementia Research Network Clinical Studies Group.
• Member of trial monitoring committee for Drug Safety Research Unit (DSRU) observational trial

• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (distinction), Aston University, 2015
• PhD entitled - Medication-related adverse events in older people with dementia; causes and possible solutions, Aston University, 2013
• MA in Health Service Research with Merit, University of Kent, 2010
• Diploma Management Studies (distinction), Christchurch University, Canterbury, 2004
• Diploma Psychiatric Pharmacy, De Montfort University, Leicester, 1996
• BPharm (2:1), University of Bath, 1986

• 2022 onwards: Professor in Clinical Pharmacy, Aston University. Director of Research (Pharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, Aston). Joint Community Trust Specialty Lead West Midlands Clinical Research Network.
• 2018 - 2022: Reader in Clinical Pharmacy, Aston University
• 2012 – 2018: Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmacy, Aston University.
• 2007 – 2011: Senior Pharmacist / Clinical Lead for R&D, Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.
• 2002 – 2007: Chief Pharmacist for East Kent Partnership NHS Trust.
• 2000 – 2002: Pharmacy services manager (mental health), Kent & Canterbury Hospital.
• 1997 – 2000: Mental Health Pharmacist, Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Trust.
• 1996 – 1997: Clinical Audit Pharmacist, Royal Berkshire Hospital.
• 1994 – 1996: Clinical Pharmacist, Thanet Hospital.
• 1993 – 1994: Locum Pharmacist, St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight.
• 1988 – 1993: Community Pharmacy Manager.
• 1987 – 1988: Basic Grade Pharmacist, Lewisham Hospital.
• 1986 – 1987: Industrial / Hospital Pre-registration Pharmacist.

MPharm Programme

• PH4703: Workshops in clinical pharmacy
• PH3601: Workshops in mental health and neurology
• PH4704: Lectures on research methods and supervision of award winning and published student research projects.
• PH3609: Workshops on medication management in the NHS

OSPAP Programme

• PHMRP1: Supervision of student projects and workshops
• PMHPP4: Lectures and workshops in clinical pharmacy

Postgraduate Psychiatric Pharmacy Programme

Lead Course Tutor for postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and MSc (for example of successful publication of pharmacy practice research click here)

Supervised  / co-supervised to completion three PhDs:

• Formulation issues in relation to adherence – focusing on older people. PhD: Zakia Ramjee.
• Applying Supply Chain Management Theory to optimize Medication Management in people with dementia. PhD: Medha Kothari.
• Development of a theory and evidence informed intervention to promote implementation of health promotion and risk reduction behaviours to improve physical health in serious mental illness. PhD: Dolly Sud.

Currently supervise two PharmDs:

• Developing paediatric pharmacy in Hong Kong. PharmD: Conor Sin.
• An exploration of the misuse of Over the Counter (OTC) and Prescription Only Medication (POM) by people accessing substance misuse treatment services: Roz Gittins.

Supervised to completion 10 experienced pharmacists studying research masters; both UK based and international (e.g. Sweden, Ireland, Saudi Arabia). Examples of publications from these projects include: 

Prajapati AR, Wilson J, Maidment I Efficacy and safety of second-generation antipsychotic long-acting injections (SGA LAIs) in maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2016. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010237. http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/1/e010237.long

Hynes C, Keating D, McWilliams S, Madigan K, Kinsella A, Maidment I et al. Glasgow Antipsychotic Side-effects Scale for Clozapine - Development and validation of a clozapine-specific side-effects scale. Schizophr Res. 2015. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2015.07.052. 

Supervised approximately 35 undergraduate research projects. 

In 2014 Mediha Kothari won the College of Mental Health Pharmacy national award for her project which was subsequently published: http://www.aston.ac.uk/news/releases/2014/november-2014/aston-graduate-wins-national-pharmacy-award/ 

Kothari M, Lyon R, Haygarth L. Maidment I. Medicines reconciliation in comparison with NICE guidelines across secondary care mental health organisations. Int J Clin Pharm. 

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11096-015-0236-7 

In 2015 Samiah Hassan won the College of Mental Health Pharmacy national award for her project investigating the role of community pharmacists in supporting people with mental health problems with their medication.

Possible availability to supervise new suitable applicants in the following areas:

• Medication management in dementia and mental health.
• Medication review in the healthcare of older people including dementia and mental health.
• The impact of anti-cholinergic burden on health outcomes.

• 2011: Member General Pharmaceutical Council.
• 2011: Founder Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
• 2006: Full member of British Association for Psychopharmacology.
• 2002: Member of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy

• On the editorial boards of the Annals of Pharmacotherapy and Kent Journal for Mental Health.
• Peer reviewer for Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Pharmaceutical Journal, Current Medical Research & Opinion, Medical Letter, Drug Safety, European Journal of Paediatric Neurology, Journal of Affective Disorders, Expert Opinion, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, Journal of Mental Health, International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, BMC Geriatrics, CNS Drugs and Ageing & Mental Health, International Clinical Psychopharmacology, BMC Health Services Research, International Psychogeriatrics, Cochrane Collaboration. NICE Technology Assessments.
• Grant reviewer for NIHR RfPB and Applied Programme Grants, and Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre.

• Member of the West Midlands NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Regional Panel from 2014 to 2018
• Member of Alzheimer's Research UK Clinical Advisory panel from 2018
• International expert on Ireland Clinical Guideline Group on the Management of the Behavioural Symptoms of Dementia from 2017