1. Current Status, Position

Member of the Netherlands Medicines Evaluation Board.

2. Education

Prof. Dr. Yechiel Hekster obtained his Pharmacy license in 1972 at Leiden University, The Netherlands. After joining the St Radboud Hospital in 1976, he has been in charge of further developing Clinical Pharmacy. He obtained his PhD at the Medical Faculty of the University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands on ‘Selection Criteria for Antimicrobial Drug Utilization’ in 1983. In the same year he became specialist in hospital pharmacy, and a licensed Clinical Pharmacologist in 1996. From 1998 to April 2010, he was Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in charge of the training of hospital pharmacist. From 2002 - 2010, he was responsible for hospital pharmacists specialisation in clinical pharmacology. He was supervisor of 21 PhD students.

Being actively involved in the Dutch society for Hospital Pharmacy, he became the chairman of the Scientific and Research Committee. Then he also has been very active into the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy, more particularly, as member of the General Committee, Chairman of the Research and Education Committee and then as President between 2001 and 2003.

He has (co) authored over 250 peer reviewed scientific articles.

3. Research area

His fields of interest include training, education, communication, research in effectiveness studies (Antibiotics, Epilepsy) and he is involved in dealing with improving safety of drug use while reducing adverse drug reactions with special focus in off-label prescribing.

In 2006 Prof. Dr. Hekster received the Utrecht Pharmacy Practice Award for his leading role in The Netherlands and internationally in the development of Clinical Pharmacy, in the recognition of the specialty of hospital pharmacy and the rearrangement of the education in hospital pharmacy.

In 2008 he received the "Prof. Jan Glerum" award for his untiring visionary, creative and inspiring ideas and active role within hospital pharmacy. He helped institutionalising the scientific basis of the profession and has been a key leader during critical developments, such as in clinical pharmacy (being President of ESCP) and in setting up the teach-the-teachers courses.

In 2010 he was honoured for his activities for pharmacy in The Netherlands. The Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association (KNMP) awarded him with the 'silver Medal of Honor’.

Lately, in October 2011, he became Fellow of the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy. ESCP Fellowship is awarded in recognition of continued excellence in clinical.