“Best job in the world.”
Dr Selina Taylor, recipient of the 2022 David Lyle Prize for Rural and Remote Health (academic staff)
The ARHEN Board is pleased to announce that Dr Selina Taylor, Remote Pharmacy Academic at JCU Murtupuni Centre for Rural and Remote Health, is the winner of the inaugural David Lyle Prize for Rural and Remote Health (academic staff).
Selina has worked at the Murtupuni Centre in Mount Isa for more than a decade, where she has demonstrated her commitment to remote pharmacy practice on a national and international level.
The judging panel noted that Selina thrives on both the clinical and teaching roles she performs and has been an active contributor to ARHEN. Selina has been Chair of the ARHEN Rural Pharmacy Support Network and has forged collaborations with a number of other University Departments of Rural Health (UDRH) across the country.
Over the past decade, Selina has developed innovative teaching strategies for pharmacy interns and supported interprofessional learning with nursing, allied health and medical students. Selina has also supported pharmacy students to undertake outreach visits to remote communities, as well as the delivery of services in local aged care facilities and the provision of home medication reviews.
“I tell people I have the best job in the world” Selina said.
“To be able to mentor and teach the future pharmacist workforce, conduct pioneering research to inform expanded pharmacy practice as well as undertake clinical pharmacy tasks all in the one day, it makes me truly grateful for such a unique position within a UDRH.”
In 2021, Selina was awarded the Queensland Pharmacist of the Year for her work, particularly in delivering innovative pharmacist care to rural and remote communities. In recent years, Selina has also completed her Masters of Pharmaceutical Public Health and, in 2021, her Doctor of Pharmacy.
For her PhD, Selina developed an ear care service for rural and remote communities, where ear health, particularly for Indigenous people, can be a significant health issue.
“Ear disease and hearing impairment have a profound impact on people’s connection to culture and community and is particularly prevalent for rural and remote children.” Selina said.
“Pharmacists are well placed to provide ear care services to reduce preventable ear disease and improve the quality of life for people living in the bush. My research has focused the attention nationally on pharmacists being accessible and delivering ear care services.
“I believe that this research is a step in the direction of rural pharmacists working to their full scope of practice to improve health outcomes for their local communities.”
About the David Lyle Prize for Rural and Remote Health.
The ARHEN Board established the David Lyle Prizes for Rural and Remote Health in recognition of long-term ARHEN Board member Professor David Lyle.
Professor Lyle was Director of the Broken Hill Department of Rural Health at the University of Sydney from 1997 to 2022 and one of the founding members of ARHEN in 2001. Professor Lyle was a strong advocate for the work of the University Departments of Rural Health and led many collaborative initiatives over the years to build and share knowledge across ARHEN and support rural and remote health colleagues around Australia.
