Monash Memo - articles - 14 November 2001

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Accolade for Pharmacy's supervisor of the year

The winner of the MPA Supervisor of the Year Award for 2001, Dr Kay Stewart from the Department of Pharmacy Practice, was taken by surprise when last week's departmental meeting turned into a presentation ceremony at the Victorian College of Pharmacy.

The special event was organised for the unsuspecting Dr Stewart by MPA president Ms Eleina Tava, with the help of the dean, associate deans, departmental colleagues, postgraduate students and MPA staff plotting behind the scenes.

In nominating Dr Stewart for the award, postgraduate students Ms Phyllis Lau and Mr Johnson George described their supervisor as "supportive, understanding, motivating" and "a source of inspiration".

"Dr Stewart belongs to one of those rare breeds who has a very broad-based knowledge in all areas concerning the practice of pharmacy," their submission said. "Her knowledge and experience in research design, methodology and process is evident to her fellow researchers and her undergraduate and postgraduate students."

The Monash Postgraduate Association has presented the Supervisor of the Year Award annually since 1992 as a way of acknowledging and celebrating good practices in research supervision.

Supervisors must be nominated by their postgraduate students, and entries are judged by a subcommittee of postgraduates from the MPA Executive Committee.

In accepting her award, Dr Stewart said she was touched that her students had cared so much to nominate her and appreciated her supervisory style.

"I take the view that PhD students are already highly motivated - I don't feel the need to put the pressure on them constantly," she said.

"What I do think is important is to help them find the balance between what is going on in their lives and their study. I see the PhD as part of the bigger picture of who they are and where they are. It's about balance."

From left: Mr Johnson George, Dr Kay Stewart, Pharmacy College dean Professor Colin Chapman and Ms Phyllis Lau.