The Pharmacy Guild of Australia National President, Professor Trent Twomey was delighted to announce that eight pharmacy assistants representing each Australian state and territory have been selected to compete for the national title of the 2025 Pharmacy Guild of Australia/Maxigesic Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Award (PATY).
“Now in its 19th year, PATY acknowledges the exceptional dedication to patient care and proactive commitment to professional development shown by pharmacy assistants. Our finalists have embodied this and more,” said Professor Twomey.
Following a full-day virtual workshop where state and territory finalists demonstrated their pharmacy knowledge and leadership skills, judges selected the following pharmacy assistants to represent their state or territory in the national finals in September:
- New South Wales: Yasmin Elmawey, Hammondville Discount Pharmacy
- Northern Territory: Melissa Dass, Territory Pharmacy Alice Springs
- Queensland: Sarah Butler, LiveLife Pharmacy Plainland
- South Australia: Jorden Oschmanns, Priceline Pharmacy Goolwa
- Tasmania: Tenielle Chilcott, TerryWhite Chemmart Valley Road Devonport
- Victoria: Jessica Brown, Emerald Village Pharmacy
- Western Australia: Sashe Austin, Priceline Pharmacy Spencer Park
The state winners receive access to exclusive training and development sessions, return flights and accommodation for the National Judging Workshop on 3 September in Sydney, complimentary registration to the Pharmacy Connect conference (3-5 September), and recognition in national industry publications. The national winner receives a cash prize of $5000, complimentary registration, return flights and accommodation to future Guild events.
Professor Twomey congratulated the winners for their valuable contribution to Australian community pharmacy.
“I would like to congratulate the winners for standing out as their state’s top pharmacy assistant,” said Professor Twomey. "You should be very proud to be recognised among the top eight pharmacy assistants in Australia.”
Award judges, Artie Kalogeropoulos and Daniel Shalhoub from AFT Pharmaceuticals, the award’s major sponsor, were also delighted with the selection.
“It has been wonderful to see so many qualified pharmacy assistants participating in this year’s PATY judging,” shared Mr Kalogeropoulos and Mr Shalhoub. “We congratulate them all on being chosen as the winners and representatives for their state at the National Finals.”
This year the PATY workshops, judging, and winner announcement will take place at Pharmacy Connect 2025.
Previously, the Pharmacy Assistant National Conference hosted these activities, running parallel to Pharmacy Connect. However, this year Pharmacy Connect 2025 will offer a dedicated pharmacy assistant stream. This change will bring attendees from all areas of the pharmacy industry more closely together, while still offering opportunities for tailored learning.
The PATY2025 National Winner and Glucojel Runner Up will be announced at the Pharmacy Connect conference Cocktail Party on Thursday 4 September 2025, which, for the first time, will take place aboard the Starship Sydney for a Sydney Harbour cruise.
Prospective delegates are encouraged to register for Pharmacy Connect 2025 now, especially ahead of Early Bird registration closing on 30 June. Pharmacy assistants can save $65 on Full Registration when they register with the Early Bird offer. Plus, through the month of June, for any pharmacist who books Full Registration, they can book a pharmacy assistant registration for 50% off with the code ‘EOFY’.
To view the full program and to register visit Homepage - Pharmacy Connect.