Dr Desmond Williams

Des is a pharmacist, chartered chemist, and researcher within the Clinical and Health Sciences at the University of South Australia. He held the position of Program Director for the Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science and the Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science / Bachelor of Pharmacy Double Degree and as a Senior Lecturer in what was the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences. He commenced working at the University of South Australia in 1999 as a Senior Lecturer and retired in early 2021 to a position of Adjunct Senior Research Fellow.

Des had a total of 23 years in the pharmaceutical industry in various roles, mainly in technical areas, also some time in sales and marketing. His last position in the industry was in a leadership role as Group General Manager of Research and Development within a large pharmaceutical manufacturing company. Des' earlier experience included hospital and community pharmacy. His BPharm was from the South Australian Institute of Technology (the precursor to the University of South Australia). He has practiced as a pharmacist in South Australia and in Victoria, Australia. He obtained his PhD through a joint program, called ‘Intersearch’, of the Victorian College of Pharmacy (now Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University) and the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, USA. Former director of a publicly listed company and unlisted companies. Industry experience has included seven years in the Research and Development Group, Faulding Pharmaceuticals, and many consultancies in the pharmaceutical industry in Australia and various international jurisdictions.

Consultancies and collaborations have included various government groups and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Technical work of note has also included work for various legal practices to provide expertise in patent disputes, most commonly involving large international pharmaceutical companies. Des has presented seminars in Australian, European, Asian and US venues, including as an invited key-note speaker. He has been engaged in aid projects in Vietnam through AusAID (malaria and iodine deficiency projects). Undergraduate teaching has included presentation of lectures and support for teaching students in Malaysia as part of a Bachelor of Pharmacy teaching program (2 years on each campus, Malaysia and Adelaide). A proportion of our most successful graduates have come from this twinning program which ran for more than 10 years.

Research work has focused on understanding the biochemical basis and dietary factors of colorectal cancer (in collaboration with CSIRO), formulation of new pharmaceutical compounds and their evaluation (preclinical and clinical) and pain control.

Des was a member of the Pharmaceutical Subcommittee, Advisory Committee for Prescription Medicines, within the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Canberra for 11 years. He was a member of the Institutional Drug Subcommittee, Human Research Ethics Committee, Royal Adelaide Hospital. He is a member of an examinations committee within the Australian Pharmacy Council on behalf of the Australian Pharmacy Board. This committee is responsible for overseeing and reviewing the suitability of examinations for foreign pharmacists wishing to practice in Australia, also for the examinations for preregistration pharmacy personnel.

Current activities include involvement with research projects as a trained consumer advocate with primary duties related to grant applications to funding bodies such as the National Health and Medical Research Council and seeking approval from Human Ethical Research Committees with the purpose of undertaking studies in human subjects. Although suitable for any general research projects in human health, the primary focus have been to understand causes of cancer and anti-cancer treatments.

Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association,American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists,Royal Australian Chemical Institute,Controlled Release Society,Australian Institute of Company Directors,AusBiotech,Scientific Advisor to the Editors of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPharmSci®) 2013 – ongoing,Manager, external evaluation group (within the Sansom Institute, University of South Australia) to undertake expert reviews of marketing applications on behalf of the Therapeutic Goods Administration.,Committee member, Australian Pharmacy Council, Canberra, for reviewing examinations (on behalf of the Australian Pharmacy Board) intended for foreign pharmacists wishing to practice in Austalia.,Australian Institute of Company Directors, Graduate and Fellow, membership now lapsed.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy Uni of Kansas & Victorian College of Pharmacy

• Master of Science University of Kansas

• Bachelor of Pharmacy South Australian Institute of Technology