100 year anniversary of Aston Pharmacy School
We are proud to be celebrating 100 years of pharmacy education and research in 2023
The history of pharmacy education at Aston University dates back to the 1890s, however, it wasn't until 1923 that the Birmingham Municipal Technical School started to offer pharmacy courses to the general public.
Since then, the University has produced thousands of talented pharmacy professionals, with over 2700 graduates from a variety of different backgrounds iduring the last 20 years.
Aston University’s Pharmacy School is now widely recognised as one of the outstanding pharmacy schools in the UK, and has been at the forefront of scientific advances over the last 100 years. Its researchers developed the $2 billion blockbuster drug Temozolomide, the leading treatment for brain tumours. The School also created the first masters programme in the UK for hospital pharmacists.
In 2016, Aston Pharmacy School was awarded a Regius Professorship by HM Queen Elizabeth II to mark her 90th birthday. It was the first time a pharmacy school had been given the award, a rare and prestigious honour bestowed by the Sovereign to recognise exceptionally high-quality research. The first holder of the title of Regius Professor of Pharmacy at Aston University was Keith Wilson, a pharmacy academic who helped to shape current and future pharmacy education both within the UK and internationally.
Dr Joe Bush, head of Aston Pharmacy School, said: "100 years of pharmacy education is a major milestone. We are immensely proud of all our achievements, from producing exceptional graduates who make a significant contribution to the professional workforce in a variety of near-patient settings, to our research discoveries and developments which have positively impacted patient healthcare and the high quality of this research having been recognised via the award of the first ever Regius Chair for Pharmacy. It is an honour to be a part of Aston Pharmacy School, whose humble beginnings have grown to produce world-class research and exceptional graduates. I look forward to celebrating with the rest of the school over the course of the year.”
You can watch a special edition of the Aston Originals podcast featuring Dr Joe Bush, Professor Afzal Mohammed and Professor Gavin Woodhall, in which they reflect on key moments in the history of Aston Pharmacy School and shed light on what makes it a truly exceptional place to study and undertake research.
Follow us on our Instagram and Twitter social media channels and lookout for the #AstonPharmacy100 social media campaign highlighting fascinating information about the impact Aston University's Pharmacy school has had over the last 100 years.
Explore Aston Pharmacy School's research
Home to a leading community of renowned researchers, Aston Pharmacy School conduct's cutting-edge research in the broad fields of pharmaceutical and clinical pharmacy, pharmacology and translational neuroscience. It is our aim to bring about positive change on a national and international level and drive innovative improvements in healthcare policy and education. This research is fed into our programmes of study, introducing our students to the latest trends and thinking in the field.
Discover our courses
Aston Pharmacy School within Aston University’s College of Health and Life Sciences, offers a range of pharmacy education pathways. Our portfolio of courses offer routes into pharmacy and continued professional development with programmes accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and College of Mental Health Pharmacy (CMHP), as well as a range of specialised postgraduate degrees.
Studying pharmacy can offer you a diverse and rewarding career. Our range of programmes are designed to enable you to work as a pharmacist in the community, providing clinical advice and a range of frontline healthcare services, or to work alongside general practitioners and other healthcare professionals within a primary care setting. Alternatively, you may choose to be part of a team of healthcare professionals overseeing the prescribing and administration of complex and specialised medicines in hospitals, or conducting innovative research in the pursuit of new or improved medicinal treatments.
We equip our graduates with the key skills, knowledge and capabilities needed to succeed in whichever area of this exciting and rewarding field you choose.