Kos Sclavos New President of the PGA

Kos Sclavos (BPharm, GradDipClinPharm, AdvDipCommPharmMgmt, FACP(HC), FIPharm, FAIM, FAICD, Sen Lect, AACPA, MPS), has been elected as the next National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Mr Sclavos, who has served as the Queensland Branch President of the Guild for more than the past nine years, has been elected to the national presidency for a three year term and will take office from midnight on 28 November 2005.

Until then, current National President John Bronger will remain in the position and will continue to be responsible for the Guild’s negotiation of the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement with the Government.

Mr Sclavos is 41 years old and is married to Effie. He is the father of two children – Stanley, who passed away in 2003, and Nina.

Mr Sclavos graduated from the University of Queensland in 1985 and continued his post graduate study in both business and clinical fields. He has completed a Graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Community Pharmacy Management.

Before purchasing his own pharmacy in Ipswich in 1989, he worked in and managed a number of community pharmacies. He has established and purchased pharmacies in the southeast Queensland area and is currently a partner in Terry White Chemists Myer Centre.

In 1992 he became the first joint fellow of the Australian College of Pharmacy Practice (ACPP) and the Australian Institute of Pharmacy Management (AIPM). In 1996, Mr Sclavos became the National President of AIPM going on to serve in that role until 2002.

He joined the Queensland Branch Committee of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia in 1994 and in 1996 was elected the Queensland President.

Mr Sclavos has led many industry initiatives but is best known as the driving force of the Quality Care Pharmacy Program (QCPP), which has now been implemented in 90 per cent of community pharmacies. Australia was the first country and remains the only country in the world to implement such standards across the entire community pharmacy sector.

He has also successfully chaired the Guild’s national conference Australian Pharmacy Professional (APP) conference for nine years

Mr Sclavos serves on numerous industry and university committees, and he is currently a member of the Minister for Health and Ageing’s Pharmaceutical Health and Rational Use of Medicines (PHARM) Committee.

He was awarded the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, PSA Young Pharmacist of the Year Award as well as the PSA Bowl of Hygeia Award in 1999.

Mr Sclavos is passionate about the pharmacy profession and the role that pharmacists and their staff can play in the health care of Australians.

14 October 2005

For Further Information: Michael Pittman  02 6270 1888