Dominique Jordan (1960–2023)

Dominique Jordan, president of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), has died aged 63 years.

From a young age, Jordan was fascinated by the pharmacy profession, which he believed to be more versatile than a career as a doctor. In an interview on the FIP website, he described the vocation as ideal for his “impatient, restless and curious” nature.

The Swiss community pharmacist was to become known for his dedication to strengthening the role of pharmacists and helping transform the role into becoming patients’ first point of contact in the healthcare system.

After graduating from the University of Lausanne with a diploma in pharmacy in 1988, Jordan began his efforts to advance pharmacy by serving as president of the regional association, Valis Pharmacy Society, between 1993 and 1998.

He went on to be elected to the board of pharmaSuisse — the Swiss Association of Pharmacists — in 2001, before becoming its president in 2003.

During his tenure of almost 12 years, Jordan advocated for enhanced training for pharmacists and spearheaded changes in the Swiss legal framework to enable pharmacists to offer innovative services, such as in-pharmacy vaccinations and in-depth triage.

Martine Ruggli, current president of pharmaSuisse, said that Jordan “left his mark on Swiss pharmacy, and on the world of pharmacy, in a way that few people have done before him”.

Celebrating Jordan’s life, she described how he aimed to “fundamentally transform our profession so that pharmacists become fully-fledged healthcare providers serving the population”.

“He not only had the intelligence and courage to launch netCare, the first in-pharmacy consultation that opened the door to extend the right of pharmacists to prescribe, but also great strength of conviction to encourage his colleagues to train in vaccination, even though pharmacists were not allowed to do so at the time,” Ruggli recalled.

“It was this intuition that proved decisive in securing the changes to the law needed to establish this service as a pharmacist’s specific area of expertise.”

In a direct tribute to Jordan, she thanked him for “your unstinting commitment, your dynamic and inspiring leadership, your unwavering courage to move pharmacy forward despite the countless obstacles in the path, not to mention your friendship, which we could always count on”.

Alongside his dedication to his home country, Jordan was equally passionate about elevating the field of pharmacy on an international level. He was a member of FIP for 20 years and served as chair of its board of pharmaceutical practice for four years, before being elected president in 2018.

Catherine Duggan, chief executive of FIP, fondly remembered Jordan as “an exceptional advocate” for the profession.

“Working with Dominique was a pleasure and an honour for myself as chief executive but also for the whole FIP team. He was a truly visionary man, who totally sought to advance pharmacy worldwide — the essence of FIP mission — and he was passionate that we ‘left nobody behind’ in the provision of universal pharmacy coverage,” she said.

During his presidency, Jordan led FIP through the COVID-19 pandemic and introduced the ‘One FIP’ strategic vision to provide greater collaboration between constituencies within the federation.

Paying tribute to Jordan, Carmen Peña, immediate past president of FIP, recalled him as “a brave president” and “man of honour, always in search of continuous improvement, with a firm hand and a big heart”.

“His love for our profession led him to lead pharmacy successfully both in his country and in FIP,” she added.

Honouring Jordan’s legacy, Paul Sinclair, president-elect of FIP, remembered him as “a passionate pharmacist, a strong, considered leader and a good friend to all”.

“His commitment to pharmacy was never more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic when he championed an expanded hands-on role of pharmacists when many primary healthcare professionals went to virtual models,” he added.

“His leadership of FIP has seen our federation grow stronger, more resilient and become more member focused.”

Claire Anderson, president of Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said Jordan’s death was “a huge loss for the global pharmacy profession”.

“Dominique was an exceptional leader, a great human being and loyal friend. He was an amazing advocate for pharmacy,” she said.

“He had a vison to develop pharmacy globally and, despite his illness, he put great effort and passion into advancing the profession and bringing it together.”