NHS Highland Consultant Selected For All-female Expedition To Antarctica

19th January 2024

Sharon Pfleger, Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health, has sailed to Antarctica as part of a global leadership programme for women in STEMM working on environmental issues.

In November, Sharon Pfleger, Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health, embarked on the Island Sky ship leaving Puerto Madryn in Argentina and sailed to Antarctica as part of the culmination of a global leadership programme, Homeward Bound, for women in STEMM working on environmental issues. It was the largest ever all-female expedition to Antarctica with 188 women scientists travelling on her ship and the Ushuaia, quite amazing considering that female scientists used to be banned from visiting Antarctica.

Sharon is the first ever NHS member of staff to be selected for the programme from over 400 applicants across the world and was chosen because of her potential to lead the NHS to a more sustainable model of delivery, particularly around the use of medicines, to mitigate the climate and nature crises.

Sharon co-founded the One Health Breakthrough Partnership and works with Scottish Water, SEPA, CREW and UHI to reduce the impact of the medicines used in the NHS on the environment - read more about the work at OHBP. She has just completed a Medical Research Council project testing the feasibility of developing a framework to aid formulary decision making around medicine choices, combining for the first time, environmental information alongside clinical and cost effectiveness information.

On her return Sharon said: "Antarctica was many things: wild, windy, colourful, serene, majestic. On travelling from the Falkland Islands towards Antarctica we entered the biggest, wildest storm that the ship's captain had ever seen in the Weddell Sea with waves of 8m. Needless to say the sea sickness tablets didn't work at this point!

"Our expedition leader gave us a quiz to guess what time we would spot the first iceberg. The result surprised everyone. It was the furthest distance from Antarctica that the expedition team had ever seen an iceberg travel. Evidence that glaciers are calving more and that rougher seas are propelling the icebergs further north. The lack of sea ice, the larger than usual amount of broken ice to navigate through and endless storm force winds and waves were further proof that climate change is having an impact in Antarctica and as the weather in Antarctica controls the rest of the world's weather patterns. There was also proof in some of the wildlife with Adelie penguins declining due to the reduction in sea ice.

"A recent study also found evidence of pharmaceuticals in Antarctica. Witnessing this up close has reinforced the need for me - for all of us - to work to prevent any further climate change in the world. We all need to consider how we can make our services more sustainable, less polluting and with lower carbon emissions.

"I couldn't have done this without the support and good luck wishes from so many people so I'd like to thank each and every one of them for believing in me and helping me finally reach Antarctica after a 2 year delay due to the pandemic".

Read more at https://chuffed.org/project/sharonpfleger