Mavis Sweeney

Mavis Grace Sweeney (1909 – 23 July 1986) was an Australian hospital pharmacist who was awarded the Evans Medal for Merit in 1968. The Evans Medal of Merit recognised outstanding contributions to the profession of pharmacy.

Early years

Her grades at Fort Street Girls High School were excellent and she was a prefect.

Working years

Sweeney was Chief Pharmacist at Rachel Forster Hospital, in Redfern, New South Wales, Australia (now part of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital), when she received her accolade in 1968. She delivered her acceptance speech late in 1968 in Perth.

They encompassed:

Monitoring the use of drugs in patients Preventing medication errors Increasing the presence of pharmacy in hospital wards Adverse drug reaction reporting Discharge medication management Surveillance of drug usage

The above activities today are generally considered to be normal aspects of hospital pharmacy practice.