Professor Mike Mawhinney

Professor Mike Mawhinney

Professor Mike Mawhinney completed a Pharmacy degree and a Doctorate in Pharmaceutics through The Queen’s University School of Pharmacy, and later went on to complete a LL.M in Medical Law.

Having enjoyed a number of key roles within the wider pharmacy arena including Central Services Agency; Regional Renal Unit; Clinical Fellow NI Kidney Research Fund, he was central to the establishment of, and was the first to head up, the Department of Health’s Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG).  MRG is charged with discharging national and international statutory responsibilities in respect of control of medicinal products, non-medicinal poisons and controlled drugs and to advise the Minister on a range of professional and medicines-related matters.

Allied to these roles has been an interest and involvement in educational activities – particularly through his long-standing relationship with The Queen’s University of Belfast School of Pharmacy and NICPLD.  Over some thirty-five years, his teaching has interfaced with undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy students and has also reached a wide range of nursing and medical practitioners.  He has co-developed a range of open learning programmes used nationally and internationally some of which received a JISC team award for innovation in eLearning.  He has been appointed to Professorial positions in The Queen’s University of Belfast and The University of Ulster.

His contribution to medicines regulation and education has been recognised nationally and he has been elected as a Fellow by several prestigious bodies including The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland; The Faculty of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society; The Royal Society of Chemistry and by The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs.

He was awarded the Territorial Decoration, The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List.  He recently was recognised with Chartered Scientist status by the UK Science Council; and was presented with The Lifetime Outstanding Contribution to the Profession Award by the community pharmacy profession.

Professor Mawhinney is currently Head of Regulatory Affairs in Community Pharmacy NI and recently served a two-year term with DEFRA.