Dr Fei Sim is a Senior Lecturer and the Coordinator of International Engagement in the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at Curtin University, Western Australia. Fei holds a Doctoral degree in Pharmacy, is a practising pharmacist, a community pharmacy owner, a pharmacist immuniser and an Accredited Mental Health First Aid Instructor.

Fei has served as the WA State President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia since 2017. Fei serves on a number of profession and academic-related committees, and is fully committed to the pharmacy profession and is passionate about the future of the profession through growth of professional services to attain the highest level of contemporary pharmacist practice. Through her teaching and research activities as an academic, Fei is committed to motivating and inspiring students to become excellent and competent future pharmacists, and encouraging them to have the courage and aspiration to be future leaders in the primary healthcare team. Fei has led and is involved in a number of research projects and trials aiming to provide evidence to support the great contribution of pharmacists, including in the area of immunisation, mental health, minor ailments management and diabetes.

Her teaching awards, the 2018 PSA WA Early Career Pharmacist Award and the 2019 PSA Early Career Pharmacist of the Year Award are testimony to her commitment to patient care, learning and teaching, leadership in pharmacy, innovation and initiative in pharmacy service delivery, as well as peer and professional engagement.

Episode 10 Vaccination | Whooping Cough

In this episode, Fei discusses the pertussis (dTpa) vaccine and its benefits for at-risk individuals, including pregnant women and young children.

5 Indispensable tips

1. Make sure you are vaccinated
2. Encourage others to get vaccinated. Ask each other
3. Get up to date and current information. Speak to your pharmacist
4. If you experience any side effects from the vaccine, speak to your pharmacist
5. If you have whooping cough, you can help stop the disease spreading by staying away from childcare, school, work or other places where you could spread the infection. Cover you mouth and nose when you sneeze/cough and practise hand hygiene (wash your hands thoroughly and often!).