Men's health
As we mark Men’s Health Week from June 15 to June 21 around the world, it’s exciting to see one of our powerful lead features focusing on how pharmacies are stepping up to close the gap in Australia's men’s health landscape.
The feature captures a national conversation unfolding right now.
At a recent Parliament House event in Canberra co-hosted by PGA and Movember, health leaders highlighted this reality: men often delay seeking help until problems escalate — yet pharmacies remain one of the few health settings they regularly walk into.
With half of deaths in men under 75 considered potentially avoidable, and three in five living with at least one chronic condition, the stakes are high.
As PGA’s Professor Trent Twomey put it, “five minutes in a pharmacy beats five hours in emergency."
With the rollout of Movember’s Men in Mind training for pharmacists, the sector is preparing for deeper, earlier conversations which can change — and even save — lives.
It’s a timely, sector-defining read. And it comes with some very fun snapshots of the Parliament House event.
The cover story
From a national message about men's health to rural resilience, our cover story for the July issue is The Two Alexes of Ouyen, and it is the emotional centrepiece of the issue.
In the Australian Mallee town of Ouyen, in Victoria, where GP continuity has all but disappeared, two pharmacists — Alexander Look and Alexandra Lynn — have built a service which has become one of the community’s most stable points of care.
Their story is rich, warm and deeply human.
Alexander arrived as a locum and stayed because the community “looked out for each other."
Alexandra's path spans US police investigations, chronic migraines, four children and a late-career decision to start again.
Together, they have transformed a traditional retail pharmacy into a rural health hub offering consult rooms, sleep apnoea services, Q-fever vaccination and a delivery network reaching farms and outlying properties.
The emotional labour of rural practice is woven throughout the feature.
“We deal with the whole spectrum of a person’s life — from the happiest moments to the darkest,” Alexander says.
Domestic violence, mental health crises, grief and isolation all walk through their doors.
Yet the story is also full of community strength: the neighbour who drove Alexandra to work during floods, the volunteers who built a lake and a gym, and the pharmacy‑themed alfresco bar next door, which has become a social anchor for the town.
It’s a story about purpose, place and the people who hold communities together.
Inner-city legacy
From rural Victoria to inner-city Sydney, our third hero feature is about an LGBTQIA+ pharmacist building on her family’s pharmacy legacy.
The story by feature writing superstar Miranda Cook introduces readers to Potts Point pharmacist Jen Manning — a second-generation pharmacist who has shaped her practice around safe, judgement-free care.
Jen tells Australasian Pharmacy magazine she understands the importance of creating a space where people can be honest about their sexuality and health.
Her team’s back-to-back wins as Best Pharmacy in the City of Sydney reflect a model built on trust, visibility and genuine connection.
Clinically, Jen has been an early adopter of Hepatitis C treat-to-cure therapy and ensures MS-2 Step is available for women who need timely access to medical abortion, including those travelling from regional areas.
Her iconic black Ben Casey uniforms and black-and-green delivery car are familiar sights in Sydney’s Potts Point, but it’s her compassion which defines the story.
“I’ve been invited to quite a few funerals,” she says. “I like to think that maybe we made the end of their life a little easier.”
On the money
Our July issue also includes a critical operational update for owners and payroll managers in Australia.
The story outlining Payday Super outlines the shift to Super Guarantee contributions being paid at the same time as wages from July 1 2026.
With SG payments now required to reach funds within seven business days of each payday, pharmacies will need to ensure payroll systems can calculate qualifying earnings, report liabilities through Single Touch Payroll and process contributions in real time.
The closure of the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House on June 30 2026 adds further urgency for businesses transitioning to new clearing solutions.
And for some politics in the July edition, our Q&A with Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Rebecca White offers a wide-ranging conversation on women’s health, regional access, Indigenous health equity and the evolving role of community pharmacy.
Her reflections on affordability, cardiovascular disease in women, cultural safety and the importance of trusted local care provide a strong policy lens for the sector.
With stories spanning clinical leadership, rural innovation, LGBTQIA+ community care, operational reform and trans-Tasman health policies, our July-August issue showcases the depth and diversity of modern pharmacy.
There's lots, lots more to take in. Our hardcopy is set to land in subscriber mailboxes in Australia and New Zealand in early July — and it’s one you won’t want to miss.
