Ger joined the IPU in 1997 on what was meant to be a six-month contract to update the counselling codes. What seemed at first like a technical housekeeping task quickly became a defining moment for the profession. From those early months, it became clear that Ger was not simply updating a dataset, she was laying down a structure that would underpin safe dispensing, accurate reimbursement, and future digital innovation across the sector.
Ger’s contribution to the pharmacy profession was recognised at the recent Pharmacy Excellence Awards, when she won the Special Recognition Award. The Awards, which were held in partnership with the Pharmacy Benevolent Fund, were held on 29 November at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre.
Long before digital health entered the national conversation, Ger recognised the critical role of accurate, standardised and clinically reliable medicines information. She understood that effective pharmacy systems begin with the integrity of the data beneath them.
The IPU Product File, which Ger went on to steward and modernise, became one of the most important — yet largely invisible — assets in Irish pharmacy. Embedded in nearly every community pharmacy, it powers dispensing systems, reimbursement logic, decision support, product safety alerts, and structured data capture. Its reliability is now assumed by thousands of pharmacists every day. That quiet dependability remains one of Ger’s greatest legacies.
Her work exemplified a timeless truth: when a system works perfectly, people seldom ask why — or who made it so.
Ger’s authority in medicines information comes from a uniquely broad background. After graduating from UCD in 1975 and joining the PSI Register in 1976, she began her career with Squibb Ireland, working on product registration, regulatory submissions and professional training. She later moved to Cahill May Roberts, supporting multiple product portfolios and industry queries.
Alongside raising her family, she practised as a locum in both community and hospital settings. She later worked in Blackrock Clinic and St Patrick’s Hospital, gaining frontline clinical experience in medication safety, patient counselling, and pharmacist-led care.
This combined regulatory, clinical, technical and community insight made her exceptionally well-placed to shape systems that needed both accuracy and professional judgement.
Ger came to work in the late 1990s during the rapid computerisation of pharmacies in Ireland. Her unique background in pharmaceutical industry, hospital pharmacy and community practice gave her a breadth and depth of knowledge that few pharmacists could hope to achieve. This expertise proved invaluable to the IPU and its members.
Ger played a pivotal role in codifying medicinal products into a searchable database. Over time, that database evolved into the IPU Product File and later the National Health Products Catalogue, both of which powered the digitisation of community pharmacy. The Product File facilitated major improvements in workflow efficiency and enabled the introduction of Patient Management Systems and EPOS systems across the country.
She ensured the integrity, accuracy, currency and legal compliance of the Product File and its associated processes. Her knowledge was vast. It soon became the “source of truth” for medicines and medical devices on the Irish market. Hospitals, GP surgeries, State agencies, regulators, manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacy system vendors, and researchers came to rely on it, and Ger was often the person representing the IPU in managing those relationships.
Her meticulous work, along with the IPU Product File team, enabled the development of a European-leading electronic pharmacy ordering system and the electronic reimbursement system still used today by the HSE PCRS.
Ger was instrumental in maintaining the Trinity College/IPU Drug Interactions Programme, which for the first time in Ireland enabled pharmacists to monitor interactions electronically. She incorporated ATC codes, SNOMED CT, reference pricing and barcodes into the Product File — technical developments that have made pharmacists’ daily work simpler, more efficient and safer.
Ger was always the point of reference for any medicines or pharmacy legislation queries. She would never give herself credit for her deep expertise or her willingness to help. Always a team player, she was a valued and cherished colleague. In her humility, she would deny it, but she was likely Ireland’s first informatics/medicines information pharmacist. She set a high bar for all who follow, and her legacy is beyond the comprehension of most.
When I took over as Secretary General more than 20 years ago, Ger was one of two pharmacists on the IPU staff. She was a wonderful colleague — always calm in a crisis and, above all else, an inveterate professional in her knowledge of medicines and in her dealings with colleagues.
She was also remarkably resilient. This became especially clear to me when I visited her in hospital after an accident in which she suffered a nasty fracture. She was determined to get back on her feet and back to work as quickly as possible — and this she did.
I have no doubt she will be greatly missed by her colleagues. I would like to thank Ger for her hard work and the assistance she gave to me during my time at the IPU, and to wish her good health and happiness in the years ahead.
“Ger embodies the quiet brilliance that keeps an organisation moving forward. Her work may not have sought the spotlight, but its impact is felt in every pharmacy in the country. Ger brought precision, calm, humour, and unwavering professionalism to everything she touched. We will miss her deeply, not just for what she did, but for who she is. Her legacy is extraordinary, her humour unmatched, and her absence will be felt immediately.”
“Looking back on 25 years working side by side with Ger Gahan, I feel incredibly fortunate. Ger has been more than just a colleague — Ger has been a mentor, a steadying presence, and a true friend. I’ve learned so much from Ger’s thoughtful approach to every challenge, and I’ve always admired Ger’s quiet determination to get things right, no matter how complex the task. Whether we were cleaning up old databases or brainstorming ways to improve our medicines information, Ger’s integrity and reliability made every project smoother and every day brighter. What stands out most is Ger’s humility — never seeking the spotlight, always focused on making things safer and clearer for everyone. Ger’s influence has shaped not only my own career, but the way our whole team works together. I’m grateful for every lesson, every laugh, and every moment we’ve shared.”
As the profession moves into a new era of digital integration — structured data, interoperability, national identifiers, clinical coding — it does so on foundations that were laid quietly by people who did the work because it needed to be done.
Ger is one of those people.
Her contributions will continue to support pharmacists long after she steps into her well-earned retirement. She leaves behind a legacy of extraordinary value: safe systems, trusted data, and a standard of professionalism that shaped the daily practice of community pharmacy in Ireland.
The IPU extends its deepest thanks and warmest wishes to Ger as she begins the next chapter.
