Shane MacDonald

Shane MacDonald is a pharmacist, pharmacy educator and academic leader at James Cook University (JCU), with a career spanning community pharmacy practice, pharmacy education, curriculum development and professional leadership. His academic and professional work is focused on advancing pharmacy practice through education, developing practice-ready graduates, and supporting the evolving scope and contribution of pharmacists within the health system.

Shane brings extensive frontline pharmacy experience to his academic role, having worked in community pharmacy, including as a Pharmacist Manager in regional North Queensland. This practice background continues to inform his teaching, curriculum design and engagement with the profession, with a particular interest in ensuring pharmacy education reflects contemporary practice and the needs of patients and communities in regional and rural Australia.

At JCU, Shane contributes extensively to the leadership and delivery of the pharmacy program. His responsibilities have included Pharmacy Learning, Teaching and Assessments (LTA) Chair, course coordination, placement coordination, Level 3 and Level 4 academic advising and subject coordination, alongside substantial teaching across pharmacy and other health disciplines. He has played a significant role in curriculum development, quality improvement and accreditation activities, including the ongoing development of pharmacy education in response to changes in professional expectations and the future scope of pharmacist practice.

A particular focus of Shane's academic work is the development of authentic, practice-oriented learning and assessment. He has contributed to the design of clinical skills education, workplace learning, interprofessional education, experiential placement and assessment frameworks designed to support students' progression from foundational knowledge to competent and increasingly independent practice. His work is underpinned by a strong interest in how pharmacy education can better prepare graduates for prescribing, clinical decision-making, collaborative practice and patient-centred care.

Shane is also actively involved in professional and sector leadership. He has held leadership positions within the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), including the Queensland Branch Presidency, and has contributed to national and Queensland pharmacy initiatives spanning pharmacist prescribing, monitored medicines, pharmacy education and training, rural and regional practice, and the future direction of the profession. These roles provide an important connection between his academic work, professional practice and broader health-system reform.

His research interests centre on pharmacy practice and education, particularly the implementation of evidence-based clinical tools in community pharmacy, pharmacist capability and scope of practice, assessment and feedback in pharmacy education, and approaches to preparing students for contemporary clinical practice. 

Shane holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours, a Master of Business Administration and a Graduate Certificate of Advanced Practice and Prescribing for Pharmacists. He is continuing to develop his academic and research expertise with a particular focus on doctoral development, research capability and scholarship in pharmacy education and practice.

Shane's overarching professional goal is to lead and contribute to the progression of pharmacy practice through education, with a particular commitment to producing capable, confident and practice-ready pharmacists who can contribute meaningfully to the health of regional, rural and remote communities.