The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has announced the newly elected leaders of its Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) pharmacists’ network.

The PDA BAME Network, which was launched in 2020 to help advance the organisation’s work on equality, has a president, vice president and honorary secretary.

Locum pharmacist across community and hospital services, Lola Dabiri has been elected as the network’s new president and has pledged her commitment to ‘helping alleviate’ the challenges faced by colleagues from a minority ethnic background.

‘I am deeply passionate about promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion within the pharmacy profession, especially for the BAME community,’ said Ms Dabiri, who has been a pharmacist for more than 20 years and is an independent prescriber.

‘Being from a BAME background, I understand the unique challenges faced by underrepresented groups in the workplace and I have experienced a fair share of these.

‘These challenges, such as limitations to career progression, unequal access to opportunities, and facing unconscious bias, not only affect individuals but in my opinion, also impact the entire society.

‘I am committed to helping alleviate these. I think advocating for necessary actions and changes to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for BAME pharmacists to be their best selves and continue to contribute brilliantly to society at large is a worthy cause.’

Ms Dabiri is also welfare and Scotland lead at the United Kingdom Black Pharmacist Association (UKBPA).

Elected as the PDA BAME Pharmacists’ Network’s vice president was PDA student rep and pharmacy student at the University of Nottingham, Ewura-Adjoa Yamoah.

As vice president of the network, Ms Yamoah said she aimed to work collaboratively with the leadership team and to ‘focus on listening to members and implementing their ideas’.

‘As a BAME individual, I recognise that racial discrimination is a pressing issue for many members,’ she said.

‘My passion for education and awareness drives me to challenge negative stereotypes and create a more inclusive environment.

‘As a student, I can bring valuable insights from the ongoing MPharm reforms and my placement experiences. Additionally, my work in community pharmacy during Summer 2024 has allowed me to relate to many network members’ experiences.’

And clinical pharmacist Okereke Oluomachi Yvonne has been elected as the network’s new honorary secretary.

Ms Yvonne said she is ‘a committed advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion’ and believes her experiences ‘have prepared me to effectively lead and advance the vital work of the BAME network’.

‘I am passionate about creating a pharmacy profession that embraces diversity and inclusion at every level and I believe that with my experience, dedication, and vision, that I can help the PDA BAME Network to achieve its goals,’ she added.

The committee will be supported by the network's immediate past president, Elsy Gomez Campos along with co-opted members, Nav Bhogal and Nahim Khan.

An election is held every two years for new officers to run the network, and this is the third set of elections since it was launched in April 2020.