Monash alum named in Australia Day Honours List
Dr Jenny Gowan
1 February 2024
Congratulations to consultant pharmacist and distinguished health professional, Dr Jenny Gowan, whose lifetime of service has been recognised in the 2024 Australia Day Honours List.
Dr Gowan, a Monash alum and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, has been appointed a Member of the Order of the Australia (AM) for her significant service to medicine as a pharmacist, to professional societies, and to community health.
The much-admired pharmacist completed a Graduate Diploma of Community Pharmacy at the Victorian College of Pharmacy (which later became part of Monash) in 1985.
In 2001 she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy, with her thesis focusing on the continuing professional education of community pharmacists in Australia.
Dr Gowan said she was overwhelmed by the Governor-General’s recognition. “Overwhelmed, because there's so many other people that deserve accolades, and I feel very humble about it,” she said.
“But it just shows that ordinary people - and I see myself as an ordinary person - can actually achieve and make a difference to people's health.”
Since the announcement, Dr Gowan has been flooded with congratulations from colleagues and friends she has worked with or mentored throughout her impressive career, including many former students.
The practicing pharmacist is widely celebrated, having been awarded the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) Pharmacist of the Year award in 2013, and the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy’s Pharmacist of the Year award in 2016.
She served on PSA’s Victorian Branch Committee for many years, and was Vice-President from 2021 to 2023.
Among her many achievements, Dr Gowan has written for the National Asthma Council’s Australian Asthma Handbook, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ Silver Book for aged care, Therapeutic Guidelines, and the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia’s guide, Don't Rush to Crush.
She has also presented numerous training courses around Australia, consulted to the Victorian government, worked widely in community health, mentored young pharmacists, and published hundreds of articles.
Born in New Zealand, Dr Gowan moved to Melbourne after spending three years in the UK and marrying an Australian.
“I originally trained in New Zealand and the opportunities that I had when I came to Melbourne and to Monash have really enabled me to achieve what I have,” she said.
Her postgraduate studies at Monash led to her appointment as Director of Training and Development at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Victorian branch, where she was responsible for the intern pharmacist and professional development programs for almost 20 years.
Dr Gowan said the highlight of her career so far was meeting so many interesting people, sharing experiences, and working on projects collaboratively and across disciplines – particularly in general practice, nurse education and community health.
“And I've been involved in a lot of research projects and projects that actually make a difference.”
Dr Gowan has also worked sessionally in community pharmacies and community health centres for many years.
She now runs her own business as an accredited consultant pharmacist, and provides medication reviews in the home and in aged care facilities, along with education, writing, training and consultation in the safety and quality use of medicines.
Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor Arthur Christopoulos, FAA, FAHMS, congratulated Dr Gowan on her significant contributions.
“Although always generous and humble by nature, Jenny has truly been a force of nature across the field of pharmacy and health, a guiding light in helping to teach generations of pharmacists - myself included, and continues to contribute to the profession in so many ways,” he said.
“This recognition is incredibly well-deserved, and on behalf of the entire Faculty, I wish to thank Dr Jennifer Gowan AM for her many decades of passion, energy and generosity in sharing her vast knowledge.”
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