Meet the Team

Rao V. S. V. Vadlamudi

President and Regional Representative for Asia (India)

Dr. Rao Vadlamudi, in a career spanning over three and half decades, has the unique distinction of
associated with both academics and the pharmaceutical industry. Currently the President of the Indian
Pharmaceutical Association, Dr. Vadlamudi held teaching assignments at the Institute of Chemical
Technology – erstwhile UDCT, and the Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai, where he served as the
first ever Director of the institute during 2004-07. He, for over two decades, was associated with
cutting–edge drug discovery & development programs in both multinational and Indian pharma
companies, including Hoechst, Nicholas Piramal, Suven Life Sciences and Nektar Therapeutics. He also
served as the editor of the Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical sciences for over two decades from 1994-
2014. Rao Vadlamudi received several awards of which the most significant one is the Eminent
Pharmacist Award of the IPA in 2013. At present, Dr. Vadlamudi is the Director of St. Peter’s Institute of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hanamkonda, Telangana, India and an adjunct professor at the Acharya BM
Reddy College of Pharmacy in Bengaluru, India. Dr. Vadlamudi obtained a B. Pharm and M. Pharm from
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India and an M. Sc. and a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the
University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada. He has 25 publications and 13 patents to his credit.
As the newly elected president of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association, Dr. Vadlamudi’s top
priority would be to focus on the CPA’a goal of ‘empowering pharmacists to improve health and
wellbeing throughout the Commonwealth’, working along with the CPA Secretariat, Vice Presidents,
Regional Representatives, and Councilors to build a strong collaborative network across the
commonwealth to exchange and propagate best practices of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. Dr.
Vadlamudi firmly believes that pharmacists are the key to achieve preventive healthcare globally and for
that it is essential to have a ‘a pharmacist in every pharmacy’. High on his agenda are fight against
antimicrobial resistance, medication safety and reduction of medication errors, drug anticounterfeiting
and quality pharmaceutical care to all.

Raymond Anderson

Immediate Past President (Northern Ireland)

CPA Europe Region – Northern Ireland

Raymond has experience of working in Community Pharmacy for over thirty-six years, which has enabled him to gain an understanding of the issues facing pharmacy both locally and nationally. His current post is as a partner at Andersons Pharmacy, Portadown. He is an Independent Pharmacy Prescriber since 2007 and has a history of working with GP’s, holding hypertension and hyperlipidaemia clinics and reviewing and supporting patients with long-term conditions.

Raymond has been appointed to many advisory committees and has been a Member of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, holding the post of Treasurer from 2002 to 2005 and President from 2006 to 2009. He has been a member of DHSS&PS Central Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee and is a past Chairman. He was a member of the Professional Development committee at the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland 2012 to 2015.

With a strong interest in pharmacy issues in Europe and the Commonwealth, Raymond was President of the Commonwealth Pharmacists’ Association from 2007 to 2017, and the elected representative for the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) for Northern Ireland and member of the Pharmaceutical Society of N.Ireland’s Pharmacy Forum. He was appointed to the European Medicines Agency’s “Pharmacovigilance Review Assessment Committee (PRAC)” by the European Commission in April 2016.

Raymond was appointed to the post of clinical lead Pharmacist to C&B Primary Care Partnership in 2012 and subsequently to C&B Integrated Care Partnership in 2013. He brings his breadth of experience to the ICP and was elected Chair in June 2014. He held this post until June 2016.

Raymond is a strong advocate for the role pharmacy can play in transforming the care of patients with long-term conditions (LTC’s). Medication is one of the key components in managing LTC’s and Pharmacists are in a key position to help reduce the pressure on our health services.

Nancy Ho

Vice President and Regional Representative for the Pacific (Malaysia)

Datuk Nancy Chow Ning Hsin @ Nancy Chow, JP otherwise known as Datuk Nancy Ho JP has actively served the Community over a span of 43 years. She first started work in 1973 as a Hospital Pharmacist after coming back from Otago University, New Zealand where she studied a Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree on a Colombo Plan Scholarship. She was registered as a Pharmacist in New Zealand.

She was the second Sabahan Pharmacist who came back to serve the State of Sabah as a Hospital Pharmacist. In 1979, she was transferred to serve in the Central Medical Store. The procurement nature of the work exposed her to the private sector and in 1981, she decided to join the private sector as a Pharmacist working in Medical Supplies (S) Sdn Bhd where she acquired the Company and has stayed until today.

Her experience in Pharmacy includes Hospital Pharmacy, Procurement and Distribution, Community Pharmacy and Marketing and Distribution for Multi-National Companies and local generic Companies.

Besides her work as a Pharmacist, Datuk Nancy Ho JP has been very active in Community Social work starting in her early years as a Girl Guide.  She founded a Guiding Company in Sabah College and continued to develop young leadership.

Her forte has always been People Development because in the Jaycees Movement, she learnt leadership skills and qualified as a Trainer. She frequently conducts training courses in Chairmanship and Meeting Procedures. Public Speaking, Skills in Negotiation and People Management as well as Salesmanship and Communication.

She continued to use her skills in mentoring and nurturing people through training. She went on to found many NGO’s including Sabah Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals Association (SWEPA) and the Malaysian New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (Sabah Branch).

Pharmacy, being her passion, motivated her to be a Founding Member of Sabah Pharmaceutical Society (SPS) serving as President for two separate terms. She continually plays an active role through presenting numerous talks and working papers.

Her strength in leadership development continues to drive her to serve the Pharmacy Profession at the National level leading the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) in different capacities and led the Society for eight years as its President. During her Tenure, she continually strived to build its resources including human resources by increasing its membership from 800 to over 4000. She also endeavoured to build financial resources and handed the baton to the new President in 2016 with 7 million worth of assets including Wisma MPS which consists of 2 Blocks of Three-storey shoplots in the fast-growing business hub in Puchong, Kuala Lumpur.

She has also spent many years as Board Member of Institute for Development Studies in Sabah and Honorary Advisor (Pharmacy) to Sabah Family Planning Association. She also has been serving as Member of the Board of Advisors in Kota Kinabalu City Hall.

Datuk Nancy Ho’s JP’s illustrious career has won her many Awards both Nationally and locally including “Professional Excellence Award” – Malaysian Professional Centre in 2013, “Women of Excellence” in CEO Professional Category in 2014, Justice of Peace (JP) appointment by State Government in 2015 and Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2017. She sees herself as a Mentor in developing young leaders and aspires to continue her journey to train, consult and develop Organisations.

Mary Anne Ciappara

Vice President and Regional Representative for Europe (Malta)

Mary Anne Ciappara is a pharmacist. She graduated BPharm (1979) and MPhil (1999) from the University of Malta. Her Master of Philosophy thesis dealt with “Pharmacists-patient Relationships: Ethical Issues”.

Work experience
Ms Ciappara has been practising  as a managing pharmacist in a community pharmacy from  1979-2014 and 2015 –to-date. Throughout this period she has established and maintained mutually good professional relationships with patients/clients, colleagues (pharmacists and doctors) and other stakeholders.  She introduced and developed new professional services; prepared and implemented standard operating procedures, carried out projects and mentored and trained pharmacy students. In June 2008 she set up and organized the Pharmacy of your choice “POYC” system at the pharmacy she was managing. Since then she operated the POYC system and endeavored to optimize patients’ use of their medicines.

This experience in community pharmacy has enabled her to gain an understanding of the issues facing pharmacy, pharmacists and patients.

Since 1992 she taught   Pharmacy ethics to pharmacy students at the University of Malta. She liaised through the Department of Pharmacy with the Faculty of Theology in collaboration with   the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists regarding Pharmacy Ethics module. Between 1992 and 1999 she coordinated the Pharmacy ethics module. She co-drafted, co finalized and coordinated a Multidisciplinary Module on Substance Abuse at the University of Malta which was offered ‘across campus’(1994-99). Her professional experience includes small group teaching and research in pharmacy practice (1992-9).

Professional Associations
Ms Ciappara  is a  Council Member of the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists since 1980 holding the post of secretary from 1985 to 1989 and vice president from 1991 to1992 and 1996 to 2005. She served as a member of the editorial board of the journal ‘The Pharmacist’ (1981-4) and as its editor (1984-1992). She actively contributed to Chamber’s submissions and recommendations to the authorities concerned on draft EU directives, and matters concerning the professions, medicinal products, public health and consumers.

She chaired the committee on pharmacists prescribing rights (2013-4), co-organized health awareness campaigns (2012-4), co-coordinated continuing professional development programmers of the Chamber (l983 -1992 1993-6, 2010-today).  and a member of the Pharmacists Against Drug Abuse subcommittee (1986-97).

Ms Ciappara has been actively involved in CPA since 1988, when she formed part of the Maltese delegation at the CPA regional workshop on Pharmacy Education and Practice in the UK.

She represents the Chamber on the Council of the CPA ((1995-to-date) and on the Executive Committee, (2105- to-date). She has participated at the Executive Committee Meeting of the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association in 1989, 2000, 2005, and at the CPA Conference in 2004.

She co-organised with CPA the Congress 1989, the workshop ‘Pharmacy in the European Community’ in collaboration with   the European region (1990) and the seminars organized as part of the Commonwealth People’s Forum in 2005 and 2015.

She has participated at FIP Congresses and represented the Chamber at the FIP Congress in 2000.

She has been representing the Chamber on the executive council of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations since 1990 holding the post of vice president from 2002, and Hon Secretary (1990-1992; 1994-2002). She stove to promote the professions as social partners in the social and economic development of Malta; advocating direct representation of professional associations at policy making level .and promoted inter-professional relationships and professional-government relationships.

Regulatory body
She  has been an elected member of Pharmacy Council since 1988, She chairs  the Code of Ethics subcommittee (2004-8), (2016-to-date);  sits on the committee which evaluates foreign pharmacy qualifications of applicants  who want to be registered as pharmacists in Malta (2008-2014; 2015-); the legislation sub-committee(1999- to-date), and Structuring  Continuous Professional Development subcommittee (2007-to-date)

Government appointments
Ms Ciappara was appointed by the Minster of Health to sit on the Bioethics Consultative Committee (2002-2014). and represented Malta, on the Steering Committee on Bioethics (CDBI), later DH-Bio, of the Council of Europe (2004-2015). She was Elected Member, Bureau of the CDBI, Council of Europe (2007-2011).

She was appointed by Director General, Health to represent the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists on the National Antibiotic Steering Committee (2001-7).

Awards
Ms Ciappara has been awarded Fellowship for Commonwealth Understanding,,Commonwealth  Foundation (1990) and European Union Visitors Programme, , European Commission  (2003).

Junia Walcott

Regional Representative for Americas (Trinidad & Tobago)

Flandrie Habyarimana

Regional Representative for Eastern and Southern Africa (Rwanda)

Flandrie HABYARIMANA holds a Bachelor degree in Pharmacy from the National University of Rwanda and he is registered as pharmacist with the Rwanda National Pharmacy Council since 2013. Flandrie currently holds a full time permanent staff and President Position with the RWANDA COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS UNION (RCPU), advisor to the Bureau of Rwanda National Pharmacy Council and Commonwealth regional representative of Eastern and Southern Africa. He is the founder member of Rwanda Community Pharmacists Union (RCPU).
He has been on the National University of Rwanda since 2009 and he serve the university as the Vice Guild Minister of Gender for two mandate from 2011 to 2013. He involved in the foundation of NUR-GLF (National University of Rwanda Girls Leaders Forum) and he serve the forum as Advisor for two years. He worked with DEPHAM (Depot Pharmaceutique des Mille Collines), LTD as the Head pharmacist for one year and 2 months, responsible for importations and distribution of the medicines across the country and He worked with PASS MED HEALCARE LTD a wholesale of Medical equipment and consumables as the Chief pharmacist concomitantly two years in community pharmacy as Ass.Pharmacist at Pharmacy Unique.

Njei Moses Timah

Regional Representative for Western Africa (Cameroon)

Born in 1958. Studied pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria Nsukka from 1983 to 1988. Worked in three different community pharmacies in Cameroon from 1989 to 2001. Became the director of a wholesale pharmaceutical company (Camercan International) from 2001 till 2008. In 2009 Njei opened his own pharmacy (Africa pharmacy) in Douala, Cameroon. During the course of his pharmacy career he did study online and obtained a diploma in Freelance and Feature Writing from the London School of Journalism in 2005. He has since been publishing on his website www.njeitimah-outlook.com and elsewhere.

Mr Ashok Soni

Hon. Treasurer (Great Britain)

 

 

Roger Odd

Hon. Secretary (Great Britain)

After qualifying as a Pharmacist Roger worked for Boots the chemists. He was elected to the Council of the then Pharmaceutical Society for three years from 1977 to 1980. He was then recruited by the Society as head-designate of the practice division in 1990, and took over as head in 1991 on the retirement of Bruce Rhodes.

When the Society restructured in 1998 Roger moved to the new Public Affairs Directorate as head of professional and scientific support. In this capacity he contributed to the Society’s work in a number of areas, including management of the British Pharmaceutical Conference and support for the science secretariat. In addition, he was involved with many aspects of membership activity, including looking after the branch network. He was also involved in running the Agricultural and Veterinary Pharmacy Group and represented the RSGB at European level. Roger was also the Society’s spokesman and was often interviewed on radio and TV.

Roger was a key promoter of the reclassification of Levonorgestrel to “P” status in the UK following an episode while practising in community pharmacy. He was legally unable to sell the EHC to a very distressed patient who then tried to commit suicide. This motivated him to lobby for a change of status, which was achieved when Levonelle became a “P” product in 2001.

During his time at the RPSGB Roger became interested in the work of CPA. It was on his retirement he became much more actively involved having been appointed to the post of Hon. Treasurer and in 2009 the post of Hon Secretary.