Biography

Mala Shah is a Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist with Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, HSE. She is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at University College Cork.

She graduated in Pharmacy (BPharm) from the University of Nottingham, UK in 1998. She undertook her internship at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Trust, London. She embarked her career as a hospital pharmacist, working as a Resident Pharmacist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, and then continued there as as a Senior HIV/GUM Pharmacist. She undertook an MSc in Clinical Pharmacy Practice with the University of Brighton. In 2004 she moved to Ireland and worked as a Senior Pharmacist and then Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist in Cork University Hospital until July 2020. In August 2020, she took up the new role of Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare.

She delivers the Infection Management Module of the UCC Postgraduate Masters in Clinical Pharmacy.

Experience:

August 2020 to present: Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare. Works with a team of Community Antimicrobial Pharmacists throughout the country to set up Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes in the community setting. She coordinates the content review of the Respiratory Section of the Community Antimicrobial Guidelines.

2007-2020: Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist, Cork University Hospital. Worked in a multidisciplinary team and lead the delivery of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme for a large tertiary hospital. Lead on the development of guidelines, prospective audit and feedback including frequent antimicrobial stewardship ward rounds, education for doctors, nurses and pharmacists, antimicrobial consumption monitoring. 

2004-2007: Senior Pharmacist, Cork University Hospital. Oversaw the pharmaceutical care needs for the HIV patient cohort. Provided a dispensary and clinical pharmacy service to inpatients.

2000-2004: Senior HIV/GUM Pharmacist, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London. Managed a busy HIV outpatient pharmacy. Was responsible for training and appraisal of rotational pharmacists. Deputised for the lead directorate pharmacist.  Set up clinical trials. Experience in directorate budget management. Provided a clinical pharmacy service to the HIV ward.

1998-1999: Resident Pharmacist, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Part of a team of pharmacists providing an on-site, on-call service providing a clinical pharmacy service to inpatients at this tertiary hospital, to mental health units, outpatient pharmacy and HIV clinic.

Committee appointments:

• Chair of the Cork Kerry Regional Antimicrobial Guidelines for Acute Hospitals Working Group, 2008-2019
• Member of the Editorial Board for the Irish Primary Care Antimicrobial Guidelines, 2016 to present