Knowledgeable and truly inspiring educator.
Associate Professor Rhiannon Braund holds qualifications including BSc, BPharm, and PhD from the University of Otago, where her 2008 doctoral thesis was titled 'Development of a Topical Growth Factor Formulation for Wound Healing'. A registered pharmacist (RegPharmNZ), she is a member (MPS) and Fellow (FPS, 2018) of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand. She joined the University of Otago's School of Pharmacy in 2005, serving as Senior Lecturer and later Associate Professor until 2018, when she transitioned to the New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre in the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine. There, she contributed as Head of Research and Medical Assessor. Braund served as President of the Otago Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society, on the PSNZ National Executive, on the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association Executive Council, and represented New Zealand at the Global Congress for Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science Education. She was elected President of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand in 2020.
Braund's expertise encompasses clinical pharmacy practice, safe and effective medicine use including adverse drug reactions and patient therapy optimisation, medication adherence, wastage and disposal practices, environmental impacts of pharmaceuticals, and enhanced health service delivery through transition of care pathways and health teams. Her research has produced key publications such as 'Disposal practices for unused medications around the world' (Tong, Peake, Braund; 2011, Environment International), 'A systematic review and meta-analysis of pharmacist-led fee-for-services medication review' (Hatah, Braund, Tordoff, Duffull; 2014, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology), 'Proton pump inhibitor use: systematic review of global trends and practices' (Shanika, Reynolds, Pattison, Braund; 2023, European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology), 'Disposal practices for unused medications in New Zealand' (Braund, Peake, Shieffelbien; 2009, Environment International), 'The Life-cycle of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment' (Peake, Braund, Tong, Tremblay; 2015, Elsevier), and 'The role of topical growth factors in chronic wounds' (Braund, Hook, Medlicott; 2007, Current Drug Delivery). With over 3,000 citations on Google Scholar, her work addresses medication adherence support, polypharmacy, and pharmacovigilance in Aotearoa New Zealand. In teaching, she received the Prime Minister’s Supreme Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award in 2012 for sustained excellence, employing problem-based learning to prepare future pharmacists as safe, competent professionals. She serves as editor for the Springer Advanced Clinical Pharmacy series.
