The Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) have named Professor Brendan Gilmore as the winner of their Harrison Memorial Medal 2026 at RCPharm’s annual conference on Friday.  

The medal was established in memory of pharmaceutical chemist Colonel EF Harrison and is awarded every two years to a pharmaceutical scientist “whose work has made a significant and lasting contribution to the field”. 

“Pioneering contribution” 

This year, the medal recognised Gilmore’s “pioneering contribution to pharmaceutical microbiology, particularly research into antimicrobial resistance and new approaches to infection control”. 

The deputy head of school and professor of pharmaceutical microbiology at Queen’s University Belfast, Gilmore’s research “has advanced understanding of bacterial biofilms – communities of bacteria that can make infections difficult to treat – and how they can be tackled”. 

Community pharmacy roots 

Beginning his training in community pharmacy, over the course of his career, Gilmore has secured “more than £20 million in research funding and published more than 160 peer-reviewed papers”. He served as president of the Society for Applied Microbiology from 2020 to 2023 and is currently an editor of textbook ‘Hugo & Russell’s Pharmaceutical Microbiology’.  

He has also “supervised around 20 postdoctoral researchers and more than 25 PhD students, with more than half of his PhD graduates going on to careers in schools of pharmacy in the UK, Ireland and the Middle East”. 

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“Honoured” to have received the award, Gilmore said, “having initially trained in community pharmacy, it has been a privilege to build an academic career in pharmaceutical science, specifically in the field of pharmaceutical microbiology, and to have worked alongside so many talented colleagues and students.” 

“I am particularly proud of the researchers I have supported and seen go on to develop their own careers in academia, industry, and in clinical pharmacy. I hope this award also recognises the importance of investing in the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists,” he added. 

“Thoroughly deserving” 

RCPharm chief scientist Professor Amira Guirguis said that Gilmore’s work in “advancing pharmaceutical microbiology, particularly in antimicrobial resistance and infection control, demonstrates the important contribution pharmaceutical science makes to tackling major healthcare challenges”. 

“His leadership and commitment to mentoring the next generation make him a thoroughly deserving recipient of this award,” she added. 

Read more: RCPharm cuts ties with Israeli drug company Teva 

It comes after RCPharm urged the government to make better use of pharmacists to tackle corridor care. 

And it follows the body cutting ties with Israeli drug firm Teva “with immediate effect” amid pressure from pro-Palestine campaigners.