What are you doing now? We’d love to
hear your story.
If you would like to be featured here, email:
[email protected] with your
name and a short description of what
you’ve done since graduation.
After finishing her undergraduate degree
(BMedChem 2007) and a successful honours
year (BMedChem(Hons) 2008), Susan Northfield
(PhD 2013) undertook her PhD in Medicinal
Chemistry specialising in peptide chemistry.
Her research interests are around the synthesis
of cyclic peptides, so following completion of
her PhD, she spent two years as a postdoctoral
researcher working for Professor David Craik
in the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, at the
University of Queensland. During this time,
she worked on a collaborative project with
Pfizer in the US, investigating ways to design
more orally bioavailable peptides, a project with
the potential to have a great impact in the field of
pharmaceutical peptide chemistry if successful.
Currently working as a postdoctoral fellow in the
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics
at the University of Melbourne, Susan is
continuing her research into cyclic peptides and
hopes to discover an improved synthetic approach
to generate increased yields in the synthesis of
INSL5, a peptide belonging to the insulin family.
This would be useful for related drug-discovery
projects for INSL5 and other peptides in the
insulin family.
One of three pharmacists in his family, David
Robinson (PhC 1968) has enjoyed a fulfilling 40
year career in community pharmacy. Shortly after
graduating, David opened a pharmacy in Doncaster
and soon went on to form a partnership with his
brother Ian Robinson (PhC 1962) who already
owned a pharmacy in Glen Waverley. They sold the
Doncaster pharmacy in 1972 and bought Tooronga
Village Pharmacy operating both Tooronga and
Glen Waverley until Ian’s retirement in 2002, when
David’s son Andrew Robinson (BPharm 1999)
stepped into his uncle’s shoes. David continued
to work until 2007, topping off a career that
included being a member of the Pharmaceutical
Society of Australia and participant in a number
of health professional consultation groups run by
pharmaceutical companies on new medications.
He is retired with three children and loves golf,
racehorse breeding and has been a passionate
lifelong supporter of Hawthorn Football Club.
David fondly remembers the relationships and
sense of community that were an integral part
of being a community pharmacist.
With the demands of completing a PhD out of the
way, Susan enjoys teaching herself the basics of
painting and putting her chemistry skills to use in
the kitchen.
33