Future generations of pharmacy students at the University of Bath are set to benefit from a new innovative learning and teaching facility, thanks to a donation in memory of a University of Bath Honorary Graduate.

The £100,000 gift from Day Lewis Pharmacy has been used to create the Day Lewis Pharmacy Management Simulation Suite in the Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, where students will learn to apply management and leadership skills by running a simulated pharmacy.

The gift was made in memory of Dr Kirit Patel MBE who co-founded the family firm with his brother JC Patel. Kirit had been awarded an honorary doctorate by the university in summer 2016 but sadly passed away just a few weeks later.

Students will use the suite to learn through realistic patient interactions and receive detailed feedback in real time, as well as gain experience of offering clinical services and healthy living advice to patients. Day Lewis Pharmacy’s generous contribution ensures the University of Bath will remain at the forefront of pharmacy practice and that our learning and teaching continually evolves to reflect changes within the profession.

To recognise Kirit’s contribution to the pharmacy profession, the refurbished space has been officially named 'The Day Lewis Pharmacy Management Simulation Suite, In Memory of Dr Kirit Patel MBE.'

Staff and students gathered for the official opening of the space on Thursday October 10 2019.

Day Lewis directors and their families unveiled a plaque dedicating the suite to the memory of Kirit and also saw the Day Lewis Pharmacy Management Simulation Suite in action.

Rupa Patel said: “Kirit was passionate about continuous learning and loved the pharmacy profession, and so it is an honour to be opening this facility in his memory, particularly as receiving his honorary doctorate from the University of Bath in 2016 was one of his proudest achievements.”

Professor Nick Brook, Dean of the Faculty of Science, said: “We are extremely grateful to Day Lewis Pharmacy and the Patel family for their generosity, and for choosing to remember Kirit in this inspirational way. It has allowed us to create a forward-thinking space in the department in which students can benefit from the gamification of learning, developing a range of management and leadership skills that they can practically apply in real time.

“This is going to be vitally important in ensuring that the next generation of pharmacists being trained at Bath are well-equipped to adapt to changes that the profession will inevitably experience.”

The University’s Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology is recognised as one of the top schools of pharmacy in the UK, with graduates consistently achieving high pass rates in the registration assessment set by the General Pharmaceutical Council.