Miss Pooja Sharma

Pooja studied Pharmacy at Keele University before beginning her career in secondary care at The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust. After completing her junior rotations, she went on to specialise in Cardiology where she completed her MSc in Clinical Pharmacy.

In 2018, Pooja decided to gain experience in a different sector of pharmacy and went on to work for Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU), working closely with local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG). Her role more recently at the CSU has been to operationally lead on services provided to a newly merged CCG, helping to set up committees and oversee/manage any risks or obstacles from several other workstreams. She has also worked closely with other non-clinical colleagues such as Comms & Engagement to deliver national consultations for NHSE&I.

During the pandemic, Pooja worked with primary care colleagues to conduct care home medication reviews and helped in vaccination centres. She is keen to support those around her and became a Freedom to Speak Up Champion and an Equality & Diversity Champion for her organisation.

Reason for applying for the scheme

Pooja applied to this fellowship as it presents a unique opportunity to learn from those at the forefront of the pharmacy profession. It will help her to gain better awareness and understanding into the policies and strategies around delivering national healthcare priorities, and to understand how challenges to healthcare professionals are managed to meet the pressures of the NHS.