Linda Härmark starts as new DSRU Director

Dr Linda Härmark has taken over the role of Director from Professor Saad Shakir, who has stepped down after 26 years at the DSRU. The DSRU team extends a warm welcome to Linda and looks forward to continuing and expanding its vital work to protect patients from undesirable adverse effects of medicines in clinical use.

Dr Härmark is a pharmacist by training and joins the DSRU from the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre, Lareb, where she has held different roles for 20 years, including Deputy Director for the past four years.

Dr Härmark earned her PhD in 2012 from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She also holds a MSc in Pharmacy from Uppsala University, Sweden, a Master of Epidemiology from Vrije Universiteit, the Netherlands and an MBA from Nyenrode Business University, the Netherlands.

Her research focuses on pharmacovigilance with a special focus on patient involvement in pharmacovigilance. She also has a keen interest in pharmacovigilance in low and middle income countries. Dr Härmark is a member of the steering committee of the European Chapter of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISoP) and has been a member of several scientific committees for ISoP conferences.