Scottish government appoints Professor Alison Strath as Chief Pharmaceutical Officer

Professor Alison Strath has been appointed as the Scottish Government's new Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO). In her new role, Strath will lead NHS pharmaceutical care and medicines policy in Scotland. 

She will provide advice to the first minister, the health secretary, the wider ministerial team and strategic leadership to the pharmacy profession in Scotland.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The past year has highlighted just how important health and social care is to the work of the Scottish Government, and I’m delighted to welcome Professor Alison Strath as Chief Pharmaceutical Officer."

Strath tweeted on Thursday (August 12), "I am humbled by the wonderful messages of support for my appointment as CPO & delighted for the opportunity it offers to ensure the pharmacy profession plays into the @scotgovhealth NHS recovery agenda."

Strath is already in place as interim CPO on a temporary basis. She takes up the posts with immediate effect following an external recruitment process. She has been working with the Scottish Government since 2002, initially as a Principal Pharmaceutical Officer and, since October 2020, as an interim Chief Pharmaceutical Officer.

She was appointed a fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) of Great Britain in 2010 and as an Emeritus Professor at the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen in 2018.

RPS Director for Scotland, Clare Morrison, has congratulated Strath on her appointment to the role of CPO for Scotland.  

Clare said: "Alison has been a fantastic leader of the profession through the pandemic and for many years before, and I am delighted that she has been appointed to the role of Chief Pharmaceutical Officer. She is the perfect choice to further develop the role of pharmacists and to ensure that pharmacy is at the forefront of healthcare. I look forward to continuing to work closely with her and her team."