Zoe Edwards,

Honorary Senior Research Fellow

Biography

Zoe's background as a community pharmacist allows her to use her experience in pharmacy services and her interest in medicines optimisation to study ways of combining the two. Zoe was awarded her PhD in 2019 for a thesis titled "Pharmacist Educational Interventions for Patients with Advanced Cancer Pain Living in the Community". The PhD was completed by published work and included four mixed methods publications from the NIHR funded IMPACCT (Improving the management of pain from advanced cancer in the community) study involving Leeds, York and Bradford Universities. Zoe led the pharmacy proof-of-concept study looking at how patients with advanced cancer use pharmacies and their services and designed an intervention for this patient group. Zoe then used RCF funding (obtained May 2017) to conduct a systematic review and apply for further funding. She was part of a successful grant application of £1.3 million from Yorkshire Cancer Research starting in July 2018 along with Leeds and Hull Universities (RESOLVE). Her part of this work was looking at Hospice pharmacist medicines consultations for patients with advanced cancer focusing on pain, breathlessness and fatigue. She also worked on the Southampton University led study ActMed about improving access to medicines at the end of life.She moved into primary care in 2021 and began her training for a Masters in Advanced Clinical Practice. She continued to work on research within the large, Bradford based PCN and became Lead Research Practitioner in 2023 and Clinical Research Lead in 2024. She was a Co-Applicant on the NIHR RfPB grant MAGNET which is focused on medicines self-management for patients with mild to moderate dementia and was awarded in 2022. Zoe was among the first Pharmacists to be awarded the NIHR Senior Clinical & Practitioner Research Award in 2024 where she was funded two days a week for three years to work on improving clinical guidelines and tools for Fibromyalgia alongside her role as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in primary care.Zoe was shortlisted for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Outstanding Pharmacist Early Career Researcher in 2024 and was also accepted to be on the RPS Pharmacy Research Advisory Group and is passionate about furthering the research agenda for all pharmacy professionals. She continues to be a member of the Bradford University Medicines Optimisation Group (MORG) and continues her close working relationship with the School of Pharmacy.