125 stories for 125 years

Mary Hemming

Mary Hemming graduated from the college in 1965. She is CEO of Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd and has trained as both a pharmacist and an epidemiologist. Her professional interest has always been in optimising the use of medicines.

Mary commenced her career as a hospital pharmacist, working in major teaching hospitals in London and Melbourne. She quickly realised that policy and system changes at an institutional level would improve efficiency. She became involved in adverse drug reaction monitoring and drug committee work, which led to her setting up the Melbourne Teaching Hospitals’ Drug Usage Group. This group aimed to help major hospitals compare drug usage. From this, a committee – the Victorian Drug Usage Advisory Committee (VDUAC) – was established to advise the Victorian Minister for Health. Mary became the Executive Officer of VDUAC, aiming to improve drug usage in Victorian hospitals.

In the late 1970s she was part of the Melbourne-based group responsible for the concept and evolution of Therapeutic Guidelines. She played a key role in the group and was able guide the enterprise and transform it from a government-funded venture into an independent self-sustaining not-for-profit organisation, which is both nationally and internationally recognised.

In addition to her work with Therapeutic Guidelines, Mary has also been a member of various committees of the National Prescribing Service and the Federal Government, including the original PHARM Committee that was charged with developing the first drafts for the National Medicines Policy.

Mary was a federal councillor of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) from 1979 to 1985 and federal president from 1983 to 1985. She was awarded the Glaxo Medal of Merit in 1985 as recognition of her service to the SHPA and her commitment to hospital pharmacy practice. In 1985 she was also elevated to the status of Fellow (Honoris Causas) of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

In 2003 Mary received the Fred J. Boyd Award from the SHPA. This prestigious award is given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to hospital pharmacy. The award recognised Mary’s distinguished career, spanning more than 30 years. She has played a pivotal role in the development of hospital pharmacy practice and is an innovative practitioner in this field.

When Mary accepted the Fred J. Boyd Award, she spoke about her achievements and the challenges facing pharmacy. She believes that ‘therapeutic management and drug information is what pharmacy is all about’. She attributes her own therapeutic knowledge to her undergraduate training and her professional experiences in hospitals. Mary encourages graduates to think carefully about their career options and to pursue areas they are passionate about.