Dr Keith Ridge

Dr Keith Ridge (PhD Pharmacy 1998) – Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Department of Health

Dr Ridge began his training at the University of London’s School of Pharmacy, spending his early years as a registered pharmacist in clinical practice and the pharmaceutical industry, before researching his PhD on the automation of medicine supply and its use in hospitals at The University of Manchester.

Since then, his career has seen him rise to the position of Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England with the Department of Health.

Along the way, he has helped establish the respected National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. He also served as chief pharmacist for NHS hospital services in North Glasgow, where he restructured the pharmacy service across eleven hospitals in the area, and established and led the cancer pharmacy group for the West of Scotland.  He was also a founding member of the Scottish Medicines Consortium.

Subsequently, he was recruited by University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust to design an automated system for controlling medicine supply at a brand new hospital.

Later, once more working for the Department of Health, he led the development of both a landmark White Paper for pharmacy across England, and the establishment of a new professional regulator for pharmacy, the General Pharmaceutical Council.  He is currently leading a programme to reform pharmacy education and careers.  He has also been the driving force behind the ‘healthy living’ pharmacy and public health concept now being piloted across England, and has contributed at a senior level to UK planning processes for pandemic and seasonal influenza.

In addition to raising a family, Dr Ridge became a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in 2010, and has worked internationally with the Council of Europe and the European Commission. His Alumni Association Award is the latest highlight in a distinguished career.