2026 I.M.P.A.C.T. Awards Finalist
Pani (Panayiotis) Sphikas
MSc, BSc (Hons), PGCert, MAPharmT
Head of Pharmacy Operations, UCLH | Founder, Pills2Pixels.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) | Pills2Pixels.
United Kingdom
Bio
I’m a registered Pharmacy Technician from the UK with over 20 years’ experience across community, primary care and hospital pharmacy. I currently work as Head of Pharmacy Operations at University College London Hospital, leading pharmacy operational services across a number of specialist hospitals and services.
I have a real passion for leadership, innovation, digital technology and developing the pharmacy technician profession. Alongside my pharmacy career, I hold a BSc (Hons) in Human Physiology and an MSc in Healthcare Leadership, and I founded Pills2Pixels, where I create free digital tools, games and resources for healthcare professionals.
I’ve been fortunate to contribute to the profession nationally, including as an Independent Expert on the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board and as an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur. At the heart of everything I do is a belief that pharmacy technicians have huge potential and should have the opportunity to use it.
His Impact Story
I’ve always been interested in using digital innovation to solve problems and explore different ways of sharing health information.
That led me to create Pills2Pixels, my creative space for experimenting with ideas and turning them into practical digital solutions. I’m largely self-taught and use front-end web technologies wherever possible, allowing the user’s browser to do much of the work and keeping running costs extremely low. Pills2Pixels is open source and its tools are free to use, something I am committed to maintaining. There are no licences or subscriptions — if I create something useful to another pharmacy team, healthcare professional or learner, I want them to be able to use it.
An important part of Pills2Pixels has also been exploring games as another form of health information and education. I wanted to see whether familiar, simple games could make learning about medicines and healthcare more engaging. This led to games such as Antibiotic Space Invaders and Pharmacy Pac-Man, alongside practical tools for pharmacy labelling, competency tracking and barcode generation.
It reinforced my belief that innovation doesn’t always need large budgets, complex systems or big development teams. Sometimes it is about understanding a problem, experimenting and finding a simple way of solving it.
Alongside Pills2Pixels, I’ve continued to innovate within my NHS role and contribute to the profession more widely, including being the first pharmacy technician on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and serving as an Independent Expert on the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board.
Ultimately, I enjoy solving problems, creating things and sharing what I learn, while demonstrating the contribution pharmacy technicians can make to digital innovation and healthcare.
Measurable Results
10,000+
users reached by Pills2Pixels in a year, across more than 30 countries.
15+
free digital tools and games built, supporting education, competency assessment, labelling and barcode technology.
Bronze
Award at the US Digital Health Autumn Awards 2024, pharmacy category.
1st
pharmacy technician selected for the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme.
Judge
invited to a UK healthcare games hackathon, recognising his work on games for health education.
Featured
by Chemist+Druggist and shared at national and international events.
Quotes & Perspective
“
Personal Quote
Curiosity leads to innovation, and innovation can improve lives. If something I create helps even one other person, then I’ve hopefully left things a little better than I found them
What I.M.P.A.C.T. Means to Him
“It means a lot to be recognised by my own profession. I’ve always been incredibly proud to be a pharmacy technician, so to have the work I’ve done recognised through an I.M.P.A.C.T. Award makes it particularly special.
Hopefully, it also shows other pharmacy technicians what is possible. There are so many different directions your career can take us, and I think we should be confident in exploring them.
One thing I’ve learnt from my own journey is that you don’t have to wait for permission to make a change. If you see a problem, have an idea or think something could be done differently, give it a go. Start small, be curious and see where it takes you. You never know what that first small idea might become.”
What First Drew Him to This Work
“I think it started with curiosity. I’ve always enjoyed understanding how things work and questioning whether there might be a different or better way of doing something. Working in pharmacy gave me lots of real-world problems to think about, and technology gave me another way of trying to solve them.
I didn’t have a background in software development, so I started teaching myself, experimenting and building things to see what was possible. My platform really grew from that. There was never a big plan at the beginning; it was simply a creative space where I could try ideas, learn new skills and build things I thought might be useful.
What motivated me to keep going was seeing people actually use what I had created. Realising that something I had built in my spare time could help someone I had never met, sometimes on the other side of the world, was incredibly rewarding and made me want to keep creating.”
A Moment He's Most Proud Of
“There have been some amazing moments along the way, from receiving awards to seeing my work featured in Chemist+Druggist, including their end-of-year Good News Review. But I think what makes me most proud is simply knowing that people are using what I’ve created.
I now have pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, doctors, nurses and consultants approach me for advice or support with developing their own digital ideas and products. That means a lot to me. What started with me teaching myself and experimenting in my spare time has reached a point where other healthcare professionals trust me to help bring their ideas to life.
For me, that feels like the real impact — not just creating things myself, but using what I’ve learnt to help other people create too.”
Advice for Other Pharmacy Technicians
“Be curious and don’t put limits on where being a pharmacy technician can take you. If you have an idea, give it a go — you don’t need to be an expert or have everything worked out before you start. Some of my biggest opportunities have come from simply trying something new, learning as I went and sharing it with others.
Our profession has so much potential, so be confident in what you bring, keep learning and don’t be afraid to take a different path.”
Key Takeaway
“Don’t just have ideas — act on them. Start small, experiment, be curious and see where they take you. You don’t need a big budget, a big team or permission to make a difference. Some of the things I’m most proud of started simply because I had an idea and decided to give it a go. You won’t always get it right, but you’ll learn something along the way. Share what you learn, help others and never underestimate where one small idea might lead.”
Her Impact Story
Links to Feature
Profile
Website
Pharmacy Hangman (fan favorite)
Antibiotic Space Invaders
Voting is Open
Support Pani Sphikas in the 2026 I.M.P.A.C.T. Awards
Cast your vote, then join the LIVE Online Pharmacy Technician I.M.P.A.C.T. Awards Ceremony on RXTech Day, October 20, 2026.
Voting closes September 30, 2026