Fri 23 October 2026
‘A pioneer of advanced pharmacy practice’: Prof. Kirstie Galbraith wins Fred J Boyd Award
Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has announced Professor Kirstie Galbraith FANZCAP (Edu., Lead&Mgmt) as the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Fred J Boyd Award, recognising more than two decades of outstanding service to hospital pharmacy practice, education and research in Australia and internationally.
Presenting the award at this morning’s opening plenary of Medicines Management 2026 (MM2026) in Brisbane, AdPha President Assoc. Prof Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) praised Professor Galbraith as a pioneer of advanced pharmacy practice whose influence spans clinical care, education and the systems that shape the profession.
‘More than a decade ago, Kirstie stood on a stage like this to receive the SHPA Medal of Merit, recognising her leadership in clinical pharmacy and excellence in academia.
‘She has continued to push the profession forward, bringing a systems-wide perspective to the evolving healthcare landscape and helping ensure pharmacy practice keeps pace with changing patient and community needs.
‘Today, we recognise not only Kirstie’s extraordinary contribution to pharmacy education and workforce development, but also her enduring impact on patient care. The profession is fortunate to have her continuing to carry the advanced practice torch and creating pathways for others to follow.’
Professor Galbraith began her career at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where, as a Senior Clinical Pharmacist, she became one of the first three Australian pharmacists to achieve Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy after receiving an SHPA grant to sit the examination in the United States.
At Monash University, she was a leading member of the whole-of-degree curriculum transformation that helped reshape how Australian pharmacists are prepared for practice. Her work earned recognition through Monash University’s Vice-Chancellor’s Award, an Australian Award for University Teaching and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Innovation in Teaching Award.
Initiatives she led or co-led, including the Intern Foundation Program, student experiential placements, skills coaching and the COMeT curriculum-mapping and ePortfolio tool, have strengthened the development of practice-ready pharmacists. Her appointment as a Monash University 70th Anniversary Fellow also recognises her commitment to mentoring future educational leaders.
Professor Galbraith’s impact extends well beyond the university sector. As Deputy Chair of the Australian Pharmacy Council, where she has served as a Board Director since 2021, Professor Galbraith contributes to national pharmacy education accreditation standards. She has also served on the Board of Pharmaceutical Defence Limited since 2017 and, through her international leadership with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), has helped shape frameworks supporting advanced and specialty practice worldwide. She was elected an FIP Fellow in 2017.
Professor Tina Brock, a colleague of Professor Galbraith’s at the Australian Pharmacy Council, says Professor Galbraith’s influence comes not only from her expertise, but from her ability to bring people with her.
‘Kirstie is intellectually curious, practical, generous and deeply committed to the profession.
‘She has the remarkable capacity to make ambitious ideas feel achievable. She listens to practitioners. She understands academics and learners. She knows the realities of regulation. She creates space for others to contribute. And she invests enormously in the people around her.
‘She brings expertise without ego, rigour without rigidity, and ambition without losing sight of the people who will ultimately have to make the change work. To me, that is the essence of professional service.’
AdPha congratulates Professor Galbraith on this prestigious honour and acknowledges her outstanding contribution as a practitioner, educator, researcher and leader, whose work continues to shape pharmacy practice and improve the profession’s capacity to support better health outcomes.