Dr Ané Orchar

Dr Ané Orchard is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy in the School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, at the University of the Witwatersrand. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education in Health Sciences, and a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree, for which she was awarded the Top Pharmacology Student award. She is a registered pharmacist and a member of the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC), the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA), and Mensa.

Dr Orchard’s academic and professional career spans clinical pharmacy practice, health sciences education, and interdisciplinary health research. She serves as course coordinator for the fourth-year Pharmacy special project course and the Screening and Testing Programme by Pharmacy Students (STEPPS), a student-led initiative focused on cardiovascular and non-communicable disease screening and community engagement. She also leads the Academic Internship Programme within her department.

Her research interests include clinical pharmacy education, cardiovascular health, antimicrobial resistance, natural products and essential oils, and innovative pedagogical approaches in health sciences education. Dr Orchard has published extensively in accredited national and international journals and has contributed a book chapter on doctoral supervision practices within the African context. She has supervised numerous postgraduate students at both Master’s and PhD level and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Health Sciences Education.

Dr Orchard has received multiple awards in recognition of her teaching excellence, research contributions, and academic citizenship, including Vice-Chancellor’s Transformation and Academic Citizenship Team Awards, Distinguished Teacher Awards, and National Research Foundation (NRF) Thuthuka grants. She was named one of the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in 2023 and is an Affiliate Member of the African Academy of Sciences.

In addition to her academic responsibilities, Dr Orchard actively contributes to faculty and university committees, serves as a peer reviewer for several international journals, and is involved in national and international health screening initiatives, including May Measurement Month. She serves as a board member on the South African Hypertension Society and serves on the APSSA EXCO. Her work reflects a strong commitment to inclusive education, community-engaged scholarship, and the advancement of pharmacy practice and health professions education in South Africa.