Fri 28 November 2025
‘Voice, advocacy and vision’: Tara Clayson-Fisher wins AdPha Medal of Merit
Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) today awarded Tara Clayson-Fisher FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) the 2025 AdPha Medal of Merit for her exceptional contribution to the advancement of Australia’s pharmacy technician workforce and her national leadership in redefining pharmacy practice.
Tara has been central to elevating the capability, recognition and professional development of pharmacy technicians for more than a decade. Throughout her career, she has championed the development of technician roles in clinical pharmacy practice, collaborating with leaders nationally to establish these roles within their services, define them in the AdPha Clinical Pharmacy Standards (2024), and influence the inclusion of clinical pharmacy technician bed ratios in forthcoming specialty practice standards.
Her achievements include becoming the first pharmacy technician to receive an AdPha Fellowship (2023), serving as AdPha’s first Technician Director on the Board of Directors (2024), and leading statewide workforce transformation as Statewide Pharmacy Technician Manager in Tasmania.
Tara has also shaped national standards for technicians through her work on the Australasian Competency Standards Framework and the concurrent development of the newly announced ANZCAP Pharmacy Technician Pathway.
Presenting the award on Friday afternoon at Medicines Management 2025 (MM2025), AdPha President Assoc. Prof. Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says Tara is a true trailblazer for not just the technician profession, but for the entire pharmacy workforce.
‘Tara is a naturally gifted leader whose impact on pharmacy technician practice and pharmacy in general has been profound.
‘She brings deep expertise across every part of the pharmacy enterprise — from clinical practice to workforce development — and her contributions consistently elevate every project, strategy and team she touches. The national shift toward recognising and expanding technician scope owes much to her voice, her advocacy and her vision.
‘As we tackle workforce shortages and increasing clinical demands, Tara has shown how advanced clinical pharmacy technicians are essential to enabling all pharmacy professionals to work at the top of their scope.
‘Tara's work developing competency and entrustment frameworks, and embedding technician-led services, is already influencing practice nationally. The AdPha Medal of Merit is reserved for members whose contribution fundamentally changes the profession and Tara exemplifies this.’
AdPha congratulates Tara on this well-deserved national honour and thanks her for her ongoing leadership, advocacy and commitment to building a stronger pharmacy workforce for Australia.