Thursday, 07 May 2026
Centenary celebrations of Nottingham’s world-leading School of Pharmacy have set the course for the profession playing an ever-greater role in improving global health and well-being over the next 100 years.
Some 200 global experts from industry, government and academia united in Nottingham at a centenary symposium exploring how the profession will transform health and drive personalised healthcare deep into the heart of communities.
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science alumni and honorary staff contributing to the discussions included Catherine Duggan, CEO of the International Pharmaceutical Federation; David Webb (Pharmacy, 1985), Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England); former Boots superintendent pharmacist, Andrew Digby Emson OBE, and Professor of Bionanoscience at the University of Oxford, Dame Molly Stevens FRS (PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2001).
Other participating alumni included Stephen Tomlin (Pharmacy, 1988), Director of the Children's Medicines Research and Innovation Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children; Claire Thompson (Phd Pharmacy, 2002), Founder and CEO of Agility Life Sciences and Honorary Professor; Matthew Prior (Pharmacy, 2010), Deputy Director of Pharmacy, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire; Arran Basra (PhD Nanotechnology, 2014) Director, Vynamic; and Malcolm Harrison (Pharmacy, 1996), CEO of The Company Chemists’ Association.
At its centenary, Nottingham stands as a pioneer with proud scientific heritage. Our 100th year has bought together world-leading experts who recognise how pharmacy is evolving rapidly - in clinical practice, independent prescribing, and the use of platform technologies to transform how medicines are developed and delivered.
Professor Kellam added: "From these discussions, a simple truth has emerged: excellence endures when science, responsibility and impact evolve together.”
Graduates equipped to lead responsibly
Nottingham’s pharmacy story is woven into the fabric of the city. The school was born out of the biggest retail name in healthcare, Boots, which grew from a single Nottingham shop into a global brand that helped to establish both the School and the 糖心原创 itself.
Professor Kellam said: “Decades later, our partnership with Boots endures, and we remain at the vanguard of pharmacy education and practice. Our 2025-26 MPharm cohort are the first to graduate under new General Pharmaceutical Council standards, becoming independent prescribers when they qualify. We combine real-world experience with training that prepares our students to deliver digitally enabled, personalised healthcare, equipping the profession for what comes next.
“Nottingham’s graduates are shaping healthcare delivery, industry and policy across 89 countries. Their technical training gives them the confidence to take responsibility early, and to move fluidly between clinical practice, medicines regulation and research.”
The strength of pharmacy lies in the ability to span disciplines while remaining anchored in science. As pharmacists step more fully into clinical leadership with expanded professional roles including independent prescribing from day one of registration, it鈥檚 vital that we support the graduates of today and tomorrow as they lead the profession further than ever before.
Research excellence shaped by a century of translation
Pharmacy and Pharmacology now ranks eighth in the world in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. Keeping the school at the frontier of discovery and innovation, Director of Research Professor Cameron Alexander, said: “Pharmacy innovations at Nottingham are changing lives. From improving prescribing safety through PINCER, our online tool helping GPs and pharmacists to reduce the risk of medicine errors, to enabling wider vaccination through community pharmacies; our work is embedded in patient care and saving thousands of lives. We are developing 3D-printed personalised tablets capable of delivering precisely-timed doses, working closely with industry to translate complex science from concept into clinical and commercial use.
“Our researchers are also advancing antibacterial ‘non-stick’ coatings for medical devices, such as catheters, to cut the toll of hospital infections. We are even exploring how medicines might be manufactured, stabilised and supplied on space missions, with applications to emergency and remote healthcare here on Earth.”
Reputation shaped by relevance
Alumnus Digby Emson celebrated Nottingham’s long tradition of translational discovery, with the School approaching research as a shared industry, healthcare and societal responsibility: “Research has reshaped healthcare delivery itself, improved access and public health outcomes at scale, and made large cost savings for the NHS. Our staff, students and alumni have made significant contributions to healthcare and pharmaceutical science, domestically and internationally. Millions have benefitted.”
Alumnus Dr Stewart Adams OBE (Pharmacy, 1945) went on to lead the Boots team which developed Ibuprofen, a WHO-listed essential medicine and one of the most widely-used anti-inflammatory drugs in the world. Emeritus Professor Malcolm Stevens FRS (Pharmacy, 1960; PhD Pharmacy, 1963) led on the breakthrough brain cancer medicine temozolomide.
Leading biomedical researcher and alumna Dame Molly Stevens reflected on how global human benefit must remain at the forefront of innovation: “We must always ask who new technologies are really for and how we make the impact as broad and global as possible.”
Vice Chancellor Professor Jane Norman said the centenary had consolidated Nottingham’s impact in the world. “For decades, we have shaped how medicines are discovered, developed and delivered. We have translated scientific excellence into real world impact and are pushing forward advances in pharmacy and pharmaceutical science that are improving global health.”
Our top ten ranking speaks to a century of hard work, curiosity and commitment
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.