Associate Professor John Smithson is a nurse and pharmacist, currently serving as the Head of Discipline of Pharmacy at James Cook University. He has played a key role in transitioning the undergraduate pharmacy program to a distributed model across three regional sites in North Queensland. Additionally, he has led the development and delivery of James Cook University’s program to prepare pharmacists for the Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot in Queensland. Associate Professor Smithson remains clinically active and contributes to the advancement of pharmacy and interprofessional practice through his involvement academic and clinical work as well as various professional committees. His commitment to education and practice ensures that he remains engaged in the ongoing development of the pharmacy profession.