EPSA Newsletter
Bringing pharmacy knowledge and students together.
Volume 24 | Edition 1 | November 2017 www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
Meet our new members Young Pharmacists’ Association, Armenia | TÜRS, Estonia
EPSA Events 40th Annual Congress, Slovenia | 19th EPSA Summer University, Portugal
Antimicrobial resistance The next step in EPSA´s advocacy work
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
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Table of contents
Do not miss the new issue of EPSA Students’ Science Publication. Find out more:
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Presidential Words
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Meet the New EPSA Team 2017-2018
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Member of the year
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LS and NIMP of the year
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Meet our new members
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Members Fund
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40th EPSA Annual Congress “Through the eyes of the Reception Committee”
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40th EPSA Annual Congress “Through the eyes of a Participant”
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19th EPSA Summer University Covilhã, Portugal
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Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign An EPSA Public Health Campaign
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Train the Trainers (TtT) - A weekend of soft skills!
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Training new Trainers (TNT) - The new generation of EPSA Trainers is in!
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A year of EPSA Public Health Campaigns
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Public Health Campaigns through Europe
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EPSA Science Day Winner
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14th EPSA Autumn Assembly- Digital Revolution in Healthcare
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Education Calendar
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Students’ Guide - Welcome to EPSA’s knowledge platform for studying abroad!
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TWINNET - Let’s do this together!
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EduProf Platform - Why are we doing this?
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UPIP-VAPI: The start of a new collaboration
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Antimicrobial resistance: The next step in EPSA´s advocacy work
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The 63rd IPSF World Congress, Tapei - Taiwan
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External Representation
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Alumni Platform
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Map of Europe
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Events Calendar
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Executive contacts
Editor’s words Dear readers, It’s my great pleasure to present you what is to be the 110th EPSA Newsletter, but also my first one. This was a creation of all our members, old and new, EPSA Alumni and of course my EPSA Team 2017-2018. After the EPSA Team gave their input on what what topics we should focus, and after going through the proofreading process done by our newly chosen Editorial Board, it took its final shape. The creation of this Newsletter did take a huge role in the Public Relations Department. With the beginning of a new mandate and with a new Designer on the team, we felt appropriate to also change the design of the Newsletter. Inside you will meet new members that joined our EPSA Family and also old ones, that have been with us since the beginning. You will also find the usual reports from our last events, an interesting overview of our Public Health Campaigns from last mandate, interviews from our Science Day Competition and of course, something about our Mobility Projects such as the Students’ Guide and Twinnet. I recommend a thorough read of the EduPlatform article and also the Antimicrobial Resistance one, if you want to understand how EPSA is actively engaging into the Advocacy world. I would like to give my sincere thanks to all contributors of this Newsletter: EPSA Team, LSs, external authors and the Editorial Board for their great efforts! I wish you all an inspiring and fruitful read! Yours in EPSA,
Special thanks to: Leon Rižner (Design and Editing) Editorial Board: Elona A. Xhemaili, Carina Salsas, Sean Quay
Cláudia Ferreira EPSA Vice President of Public Relations
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Dear reader, A couple of months ago, the EPSA Team 2016/2017 officially ended their mandates, and with them the EPSA Newsletter Volume twenty-four also ended its path. But every end is a new beginning, and with that the EPSA Team 2017/2018 took over the projects and activities of the association. One of those was, of course, this amazing publication – the EPSA Newsletter, volume twenty-five. In the first edition of this mandate’s Newsletter, you will find information about how you can get involved in EPSA, get to know the people who will be organising and working on all of our projects and activities throughout the mandate, see what we have been up to in the previous period, and discover what you can be a part of in the future period. As EPSA is an association which organises many projects and activities, you may find the amount of information in this publication overwhelming. If you do, you can always turn to our website or any of the Team Members for further explanations. We are here to help European pharmacy students get better opportunities for personal and professional development, and every one of us will gladly help you with any questions you may have. As you will find out throughout this edition of the Newsletter, there are many activities you can get involved in through our association – everyone is able to find an area which interests them in the following pages. All of the projects are organised for you, our member, to get the opportunity to become the best version of yourself and have the best possible foundation for a successful career and a successful life in the future. All you need to do is use the information you will receive here and decide what you can connect with the most. The opportunity is here – you just need to take it. To wrap up, the period that just passed was a period of new beginnings. The EPSA Team 2017/2018 began with their mandates, those of us who are still studying stepped into the next year of our studies, some of you graduated and began your professional career. Wherever you currently are, in the world that is constantly changing you can never be lazy with learning. With learning, we get the knowledge to adapt and succeed. And our association offers great tools for you to learn. Have fun getting to know them!
Črtomir Fleisinger EPSA President 2017-2018
Change the future. Push boundaries. At Roche, our success is built on innovation, curiosity, and diversity - multiplied by 91,747 professionals in 100 countries. By challenging conventional thinking and ourselves, we’ve become one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare companies. Are you ready to add practical experience to your course of study? An internship (3 to 12 months) at Roche can be the perfect place to find out how your discipline looks in action. Interesting projects are taking place throughout the entire company and dedicated students from these fields of study are always in demand: • Pharmaceutical Sciences • Pharmaceutical Technology • Natural Sciences Bring along your ideas and your ability to research, develop, plan and organise. The next step is yours. careers.roche.ch
Executive
Črtomir Fleisinger
Catarina Nobre
Dorothea Dalig
Leonor Soares
Eva Shannon Schiffrer
Cláudia Ferreira
Diederik Enschedé
Patrick Jongeleen
President
IPP
VP European Affairs
VP of Internal Affairs
VP Education
VP Public Relations
Treasurer
VP External Relations
Coordinators
Parliamentary Council
Katja Olenik
Chris Klerks
Anda Crişan
Nejc Klopčič
Rúben Viegas
Leon Rižner
Jop Engel
Adriana Slaná
Parliamentarian
PCM
PCM
Events
PubSoc
Design
Grant
Mobility
Débora Martins
Clara Brandt
Mieke Van Meirhaeghe
Diogo Capítulo
Maciej Brodowski
Mihai Nitoiu
Marta Simões
Member
Member
Alumni
Educational Affairs
Publications
IT
Professional Affairs
Zuzana Jirotková
Danny den Hamer
Anja Šribar
Bernardo Marinheiro
Victoria Becheva
AA Chairperson
AC Chairperson
Science
Training
Central IMP
Audit Committee
Meet the New EPSA Team 2017-2018
EPSA Congresses
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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
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Member of the Year The past year was definitely a year to remember for ŠSSFD. Not only did we host the Jubilee 40th EPSA Annual Congress in Kranjska Gora, but our association was also awarded the EPSA Member of the Year for the second year in a row. To put last year’s reward aside, I can say that being bestowed upon such an honourable title once again, proves we worked as hard as before. It proves that we did not rest on our laurels and that we continued to improve, which makes me, a small part of our association, the proudest I can be. Who or what consists ŠSSFD? The abbreviation stands for Students’ section of Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society, which is established for more than four decades now. It represents an overall of 1000 pharmacy students (and other related studies) of the University of Ljubljana. This makes the active participants of our association feel as a part of a large extended friendship from all the different parts of the country. Pretty cool, right? ŠSSFD was always keen on implementing EPSA’s projects and promote them, whereas Slovene pharmacy students always happily took part in these activities. They participated in public health campaigns, were part of the EPSA Mentoring Project, filled up pages of EPSA Students’ Science Publication (ESSP) and much, much more. Slovenia, being a small country, has an increasing number of Slovene pharmacy students realizing that staying inside their comfort zone is not the appropriate mindset in an incessantly connected modern world. Every year I notice more and more of my peers being interested in attending EPSA events, projects and activities. I notice that plenty of students go on Erasmus+ exchange, and even more students take a year off to work in the pharmaceutical industry to get an insight into the real world. And that is how it is supposed to be. Curiosity is what we strive for! Nevertheless, I need to mention the highly motivated members of our association who make ŠSSFD’s projects, events and activities reach fruition. Ajda, Ana, Anže, Eva, Helena, Lea, Maja, Nejc, Nives, Patricija, Rok, Stefan and RC of EPSA AC (to mention just a few!) – this one goes out for you. Without you, we could not provide our students with Christmas bazaar, clinical skills competition, participation in health campaigns, nor at pro bono clinic. They would not have been able to take part in students’ educational symposium, do a practical exchange abroad not either help with a good-cause by making humanitarian pancakes. Last but not least, no Slovene or international pharmacy student would have been able to attend the awesome International Pharmaceutical Summer Camp (IPSC), which is similar to an EPSA Congress, but on a smaller scale. Behind all the people above-mentioned stand determination, constant endeavour for improvement, continuous hard-work and most importantly – the team spirit that connects us in one unit. A unit that cares for each other and helps each other.
Tilen Kozole EPSA Liaison Secretary for ŠSSFD Slovenia 2016-2017
LS of the year
NIMP of the year My EPSA journey started in 2016, with the election as nIMP coordinator of Germany.
Dear International students, EPSA’s Annual Congress in Budapest, Hungary, in 2014 was my first experience involving international pharmacy students. I’ve been able to attend 7 EPSA events so far! Being an LS was an abounding addition to my ANEPF external relations portfolio: I had the privilege of representing more than 30 000 French pharmacy students. EPSA is an amazing network for every pharmacy student in Europe, not only for internships, mobility programs and pharmacy education but also to develop a full set of helpful tools for our future as professionals in healthcare. As an LS, you are the bridge between your country’s students and EPSA, and you have the responsibility of making sure that all national associations are cooperating. Therefore, I’d like to strongly encourage my current and future colleagues to collaborate. We must stand together to efficiently build the future of pharmacy.
I was inspired by the aims and mission of IMP and the opportunity to interact with other pharmacy students. The diverse responsibilities attached to this position had an immense impact on my development. Successfully fulfilling my role helped me become more confident! In addition, I was given the opportunity to represent the interests of the BPhD e.V. during the General Assembly and this is an excellent way to influence new developments in EPSA. Receiving the “NIMP of the year 2016/2017”-award is an honour and an approval of my commitment. My deepest thanks to everyone who inspired and supported me.
Best regards to all pharmacy students in Europe!
Antoine Duckit ANEPF, LS of the year 2016-2017
Natalia Brózda BPhD, NIMP of the year 2016-2017
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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
Meet the new members: TÜRS Estonia
TÜRS (Tartu Ülikooli Rohuteaduse Selts, Engl. Pharmaceutical Society of the University of Tartu) is a student-run, non-profit association, whose goal is to promote pharmacy, as well as the practice and teaching of pharmacy by uniting pharmacy students. TÜRS organises seminars for both students and practising pharmacists, as well as a variety of different social events for its members, such as diversifying their studies by organising exchange programmes, social events and field trips. The association was established on December 6, 1990 and it’s based in Tartu, Estonia. TÜRS has 70 members, all from one faculty. TÜRS is a member of International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) and an Associate Member of EPSA (European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association). With its diverse population of 1.3 million people, Estonia, which is also known as “the Baltic gem” of the Baltic nations, is a small country in the Gulf of Finland, the coastline of which lies on the Baltic Sea in the region of Northern Europe. Approximately one-third of the population lives in the capital city of Estonia, Tallinn, which is also the largest city of Estonia. Tallinn is also home for Raeapteek, one of the oldest continuously running pharmacies in Europe, which turned 595 years this spring! Even though the official language of Estonia is Estonian, there are 109 languages spoken in Estonia as mother tongues, followed by Russian which is also widely spoken, as Russians make up 25% of the total population. Estonian national dishes include kama, a mixture of roasted barley, rye, oat and pea flour usually eaten with kefir (fermented milk drink), and spiced sprat. Moreover, the most typical foods in Estonia are black bread, pork, potatoes, and dairy products. The national drink of Estonia is the liqueur Vana Tallinn, “Old Tallinn”, which is a dark brown and robust rum-based liqueur with a hint of Jamaican rum, flavoured by various natural spices, developed in the 1960s and produced by the locals. in Estonia are black bread, pork, potatoes, and dairy products. The national drink of Estonia is the liqueur Vana Tallinn, “Old Tallinn”, which is a dark brown and robust rum-based liqueur with a hint of Jamaican rum, flavoured by various natural spices, developed in the 1960s and produced by the locals. Reelika Jõgi President of TÜRS 2016- 2017
Young Pharmacists’ Association Armenia Young Pharmacists’ Association Armenia (YPAA), is a student-run, non-profit, non-governmental, nonreligious organisation based in Yerevan, Republic of Armenia. The association was launched on March 16, 2015. In the Republic of Armenia which is located in West Asia, the national language is Armenian. Furthermore, there are many other recognised national languages such as; Assyrian, Greek, Kurdish and Russian. Armenia is a unitary, multi-party, democratic nation-state with an ancient cultural heritage. Its national cuisine is very diverse and closely related to eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, counting typical specialities as “Khash”; a festive Armenian dish, and “Bread with zhingalov”. Armenian Brandy is the most remarkable drink, made from Armenian white grapes and spring water, according to a traditional method. YPAA is represented by an overall of 330 pharmacy students from the Yerevan State Medical University. We have become EPSA members in April 2017, during the Annual Congress. Our aim is to contribute to the development of Pharmaceutical fields in Armenia and provide new opportunities to our students to participate in EPSA projects (Chat with Professionals live & Online, Mentoring Project, Webinar projects, etc,) and different EPSA events, in order to exchange experience with European pharmacy students and be part of this great network. YPAA also organises different public health campaigns, symposiums and various seminars.
Gor Sargsyan YPAA President 2016-2017
TÜRS Estonia board consists of: President: Reelika Jõgi Vice President: Kaarel Laar Secretary: Külliki Matt Treasurer: Kelli Randmäe
“Why EPSA?”
YPAA team consists of: President: Gor Sargsyan Secretary General: Gohar Mnatsakanyan LS: Anahid Asayan NIMP: Mariam Martirosyan Treasurer: Levon Sargsyan Program & event coordinator: Syuzanna Stepanyan News Coordinator: Sona Martirosyan IT & Design coordinator: Alicia Kevorkian Job Coordinator: Lilit Sahakyan Training & practice coordinator: Varduhi Tovmasyan Public Health coordinator: Sona Sargsyan Alumni, Founders, Audit, and faculty representatives
Together we have the power to address the problems in our field to the society. Besides, the feeling of celebrating our achievements and unity together makes it all worthwhile!
“Why EPSA?”
EPSA is the perfect platform for professional and personal development. It enables sharing knowledge and experience, whereas at the same time is an amazing opportunity for generating longlasting friendships with amazing people from all over the world!
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Members Fund IPSC
APEF Training Project (ATP) is a national event, aiming to bridge the gaps existing in our study programme regarding Soft-Skills. From the 6th to the 10th of September, students improved their skills with ongoing training sessions, while networking with other pharmacy students, creating a grid of contacts and relations that prove to be essential for their personal and professional development. For this year’s Educational Programme, we chose “The Next Step” as topic, aiming to provide tools that will allow them to take the right steps in their student and professional careers, preparing them for their future Leonor Soares profession. All in all, those were EPSA Liaison Secretary APEF 5 days of intense learning and Portugal 2016-2017 social experiences that we’ll never forget!
NAPSer Professional Event
SAFPUM Twinnet
CSPA Teddy Bear Hospital
On 27th May 2017, CPSA Croatia had the pleasure to successfully deliver an interdisciplinary public health project, called Teddy Bear Hospital. Pharmacy, medical biochemistry and medicine students collaborated in order to create a safe and fun environment, where children can overcome their white coat anxiety and find out more about the role of health care professionals. All the sick children’s toys had a special treatment in the surgical room; their illnesses were diagnosed in the biochemical laboratory, and the pharmaceutical preparations were made for the stuffed patients at the pharmacy on site. The day ended with participants learning about proper hand hygiene through the CPSoAp workshop and enjoying huge soap Jelena Durbek bubbles! With the much-needed Public Health Coordinator of help from the EPSA Members Fund, CPSA Croatia 2016/2017 all the toys were healed successfully!
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APEF Training Project
The 21st International Pharmaceutical Summer Camp took place in southern Slovenia near to the Kolpa river in a region called Kostel. The peaceful surroundings of extensive forests, set the ideal environment for the combination of parties and educational programmes prepared by ŠS SFD Slovenia. The educational program included seven lectures, all revolving this year’s topic: ”Keeping up with the cannabinoids“, two soft skills training sessions, delivered to us by EPSA trainers; Neža Trpin and Mija Kavčič, as well as a workshop of herb gathering and making our own bitter drink. We organised an adventurous rafting trip and five differently themed parties. We cannot wait Ajda Solinc to see some of our new Chairperson of the IPSC friends at the future ŠS SFD Slovenia EPSA events.
Members Fund seemed like a great help to young associations without constant income, as SAFPUM, and it certainly is! We are very thankful for this opportunity and we are doing our best to invest into something worthy. The project we are planning to organise is Twinnet. Since our main obstacle in organising the project in previous years was lack of resources, this Fund opened new paths for our organisation. Twinnet is probably the best way to learn, travel, explore, to meet other people and other cultures, and at the same time, to have fun. After all, isn’t it something we are all supposed to do – “BRINGING PHARMACY, KNOWLEDGE AND STUDENTS TOGETHER”?!
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
Josipa Komšo EPSA Liaison Secretary for SAFPUM Bosnia and Herzegovina 2016-2017
This year for the first time, NAPSer will organise a professional event aimed at final year students of modules of pharmacy and pharmacy – medical biochemistry. During the two day sessions students will have the opportunity to hear about experiences that their colleagues, recent graduates went through, and to attend different workshops and trainings. Topics like: what to do when you get the diploma, which jobs we can do, what are the requirements for different jobs, are going to be discussed. With a lot of help from professors and students, the first event held in Belgrade was a great success! Students enjoyed lectures and they felt a little bit more prepared for life after faculty!
FASFR Twinnet
This year, the Federation of Pharmacy Students Associations from Romania (FASFR), received the Members Fund which made it possible for us to organise our first international mobility project: TWINNET. This competition is a great opportunity for all EPSA’s member associations, as it is a great addition not only financially. It all started as a response to MUPSA’s call for a new partner for their Twinnet, by inviting them from the 26th of September to the 1st of October for a Twinnet as well. The motivation was driven by our Federation’s vision to bring a positive change to the society, and this project helps FASFR reach one of the main points of its mission: facilitating the access of pharmacy Patricia Adam students to international EPSA Liaison Secretary for professional experiences FASFR Romania 2016-2017 and personal development.
Smiljka Tasić EPSA Liaison Secretary for NAPSer Serbia 2016-2017
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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
Events
40th EPSA Annual Congress Through the eyes of the Reception Committee Have you ever wondered what it is like to be the RC of an EPSA event? You might have a general idea, but here you can read what the RC of the 40th EPSA Annual Congress has experienced during the event itself. First, my personal experience: Education was my main focus. As a matter of fact, I was preparing gifts for the speakers, searching for microphones, uploading PowerPoints and renting Helping Team’s computers. The highlight was having coffee with the speakers who organised previous congresses in Slovenia and just didn’t want to leave as they were having nostalgia over their student days. Rok Milošič, Public Relations: Being a PR Officer at the Congress was a nice experience for me. My focus was mostly on coordinating photographers, posting on social media and uploading images. I also mixed sound at the Opening Ceremony and Symposium. As participants noticed, I was running a makeshift printing office at the hotel lobby too. You just never know when you will need to print a Sri Lanka flag on the spot! Danaja Rode, Sponsorship Officer: My priority was to make sure our sponsors were taken care of, especially our diamonds. As the majority of work regarding sponsorships was done prior the Congress, I was the go-to girl to solve any problems that occurred during the event. Polona Mihelj Reščič, Social Programme Officer: I gained a new skill set such as fixing the heating machine, setting up the tent and electricity. In addition to all that, I also managed to prepare awesome parties each day of the Congress! Matjaž Weiss, Chairperson: Being a Chairperson comes with lots of responsibilities. I was the designated ambulance for the Congress. Luckily, I was there only twice. And, while I was in the waiting room, I was preparing my speech for the gala night...
Nejc Klopčič, Vice Chairperson: What have I experienced during the congress? Pneumonia! Nevertheless, I managed the helping team so they never stopped checking you into the educational programme. I was also the goto guy for every unpredicted situation. Neža Trpin, Registrations Officer: Let me tell you: being a registrations officer is a tricky thing – you know everything about every one by heart, but in reality, you don’t know anyone. So, basically what I was doing (besides taking care of the info stand and all current-information-sharing-related things) was connecting faces of the participants to their names. In case you were a participant, and you expect a warm greeting when we meet again, but what you get is just my razor stare through you, please don’t freak out; introduce yourself with your full name instead, and a huge hug will be yours immediately. Stefan Lukić, Treasurer: Being a treasurer for such a large event as the EPSA AC keeps you involved from the very beginning, when deciding if you are financially liable to bid till the very end when handing in the financial report. It can also be a big burden when handling with large sums of money. Great security measures were applied and in the end, it all worked out. Martin Koprivnikar Krajnc, Logistics Officer: So as you can imagine I was talking to the hotel, bus drivers and kitchen staff to make everyday go as perfect as it could go. When you have to get a meal for 450 people and make sure they are all on the bus at the same time it can get busy, but in the end it pays off. Amazing RC, amazing people and amazing event! Emanuela Senjor Educational Programme Officer of the 40th EPSA Annual Congress
40th EPSA Annual Congress Through the eyes of a Participant Hi, guys! My name is Catarina Ramos and I’m from Portugal. I’m very excited to share my first EPSA experience: the 40th EPSA Annual Congress - Kranjska Gora, on the topic: "Healthcare, an innovative approach". During this event I attended the training sessions, workshops and seminars that definitely changed not only the way I think, but also the perspective of pharmacy practice. It was incredible and such an enriching experience to compare the way that pharmacists work around Europe and to be in touch with all of the different cultures and nationalities. We learned so much and have fun on the same time. During the nights when amazing social programmes were organised, I used to get out of my comfort zone and had the chance to meet great people. By all means, the highlight of the social programme was the wellknown international night. The aim of the international night was to unite all the different cultures under the thought of sharing knowledge between the participants. That night we shared some of our country’s culture and also received a bit of culter from other countries as well. We got so much from one another. Undoubtedly a night to remember! Attending an EPSA event is one of the most fantastic experiences you can ever go through. As you explore new places and come into contact with different cultures, you reflect critically on your faults and improve our qualities. EPSA events allow you to explore various parts of Europe, and the rewards are not only recorded in photographs. Here, you will find space to grow, extinguish comfort zones and stimulate feelings of overcoming. What are you waiting for to Catarina Ramos participate in the next Participant of the 40th EPSA EPSA event? Be curious, Annual Congress, Slovenia explore and open yourself to the world!
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Summer University When I signed up for the 19th Summer University in Covilhã, Portugal, I did not expect to have so many good memories and friends from all over Europe at the end of the event. Now, looking at my bracelet from the Summer University, it is really difficult to choose a few of them to write about. I would have to revisit all the places I went to and relive those stories and memorable moments with my “pharmacy family” once again. However, one of the most memorable events that I cherish comes from the first day in Covilhã, during the opening ceremony. At the hall of the hotel where the event took place, there were so many people from all over Europe! At that point, I and my Spanish “squad” were trying typical Portuguese Sangria while discussing the differences between the Portuguese version and the Spanish one. We started asking people around us about their opinion regarding the Sangrias. In just a few minutes we found ourselves surrounded by lots of pharmacy students like us, hanging around the hall, taking photos at the photocall of the Summer University and talking about various topics from our countries and what we would be doing after we would have completed our pharmacy studies. It was amazing how fast we all connected with each other. Everybody was so enthusiastic and motivated for the upcoming week that we
were going to spend together, since the reception committee was so helpful to all the participants. Another remarkable moment that I would like to emphasise, in contrast to the beginning of the Summer University, is the end of the event with the 007 Gala dinner. It was a sad moment because all of us knew that the Summer University was ending. Yet, there we were, all dressed up in our suits like in a James Bond movie, ready for the last great night. We had an amazing time, remembering the things we shared during that wonderful week like the workshops, the trainings, the Muévelo song and the Public Health Campaign in Covilhã. We also made plans about future EPSA events like the one in Brno, in the Netherlands, and so many meetings to come, with a pharmaceutical atmosphere, all around Europe. I cannot wait until I see my EPSA friends again!
Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign Along with the burning sun, the summer season brings the risk of skin cancer. In Covilhã, where the 19th Summer University took place, the Public Health Campaign was related to the topic “Skin Cancer”. As pharmacists, one of our responsibilities is to provide useful information regarding the prevention of some diseases and that was our focus in this campaign. We chose the pool, a place where we expose ourselves to the sun for long periods, as the place to give valuable advice on how to treat our skin. Another group of people that received good advice from our participants were the younger generations of Covilhã. In this campaign, we had to visit one of the primary schools where our participants interacted with the kids, explaining them how to use the sun as our friend. This was a good part of a very interactive afternoon, where we could play around with them. The main messages we delivered in this campaign were the importance of self-examination, the ABCDE rule for mole checking and practical tips regarding the sun. Some of them are to seek shade, especially when the sun is stronger, use protective clothing and sunscreen and avoid long exposures to the sun. Public health is a very important sphere for us as pharmacists, and we aim to inform people as well as we can to gain a related outcome. Prevention should be a priority, so we can be healthier and enjoy our lives as much as we can. Rúben Viegas Remember: The sun EPSA Public Health and Social is our friend! Services Coordinator 2017-2018
Gonzalo Miguel Adsuar Meseguer EPSA Summer University participant
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
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Train the Trainers (TtT) A weekend of soft skills! The TtT consists of a Training Project aimed at the development and improvement of EPSA Trainers. At this event, Trainers get to interact with each other, share their training experiences and learn new skills, that will be specially useful during their trainings. On the last TtT, the Trainers had the opportunity not only to review some basics of training preparation and structuring but also to participate in a one-day visuality training. It consisted of ideas through drawings and images, exploring how a simple image could say so much. This is a must-have skill to capture our participants’ attention to what we say and transmit during our trainings. Writing as a Trainer who attended last year’s TtT, I can say that it was an amazing experience, that helped me become a stronger and more complete Trainer. It was a needed weekend with my fellow Trainers, from which I learned a lot and whom I have to thank for sharing their knowledge with me.
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
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Training New Trainers (TNT) From the 8th to the 16th of July, a group of brave pharmacy students attended one of the most intensive learning programmes from EPSA in order to become the next generation of EPSA Trainers. The EPSA TNT11 was held in the lovely city of Reims, France. It was longer than the previous editions: eight days of a tailored and demanding training programme, prepared and delivered by 4 experienced Trainers; two from EPSA and two from other European students’ associations – ESN and EFPSA. As in previous instalments of the event, the programme started with some ice breaking and teambuilding activities. Afterwards, participants were presented with the basic skills of a Trainer, such as public speaking and non-formal education. Nevertheless, the most intensive part of the TNT was yet to come. Throughout the remaining days, the eight participants were trained in the core skills of a Trainer and learned how to prepare and deliver training sessions tailored for their audience.
This event has shown to challenge its attendants to learn more and take the next step regarding their evolution as Trainers.
The new generation of EPSA Trainers is
in! Meet the new generation of EPSA Trainer Candidates: Adam Majcher – Czechia Anastasiya Kuntsevich – Czechia Antoaneta (Tony) Balkanska – Bulgaria Débora Martins – Portugal Maeva D’Almeida – France Özgün Özyiğit – Turkey Pierre Machuel – France Sofija Gicheva – Macedonia
Bernardo Marinheiro EPSA Training Coordinator 2017-2018
Towards the end of the event, the eight participants had the opportunity to practice what they had learned in the previous days; they prepared and successfully delivered, in pairs, a full training session on four different topics: Motivation, Communication, Time Management and Teamwork.
As a trainer candidate, I did not have many opportunities to deliver trainings and I was struggling to stay motivated. I was very lucky in the first event I attended, because there was a TtT taking place in Brussels. At first I didn’t know what to expect but nevertheless jumped in and I will never regret it. TtT was a great experience that I would like to recommend to all trainers. It is an event where all trainers openly share their ideas and knowledge. I know that everyone will take from it, what I did: a lot of motivation, clear thinking competences and never-ending friendships.
Miloš Okša EPSA Trainer Candidate
“Sharing is caring” is for sure one of the most recognisable lines among the EPSA Trainers. Having heard it so many times, one could easily make it just another phrase, but I believe we all identify with its meaning. It is true that sharing our knowledge with the participants is the most common form of caring, however, by sharing ourselves with the other trainers, we provide care to our community. With that kind of sharing, we not only care for the future of other trainers, but we also better ourselves. I am forever grateful to TtT for teaching me that!
Neža Trpin EPSA Trainer Candidate
This TNT edition, longer and with a higher ratio of Trainers per participants, allowed to customize the participants’ experience to their needs, further increasing the already high quality of the EPSA TNT. Only through proper and careful training can pharmacy students become EPSA Trainers capable of carefully designing and adapting their sessions to the needs of the EPSA Members, improving the quality of these activities from each session to the next. After the TNT, participants returned home and they are now EPSA Trainer Candidates. To become EPSA Trainers, they will need to deliver training sessions and report to the EPSA Training Coordinator, who will discuss the design and delivery of the sessions with the candidates before they progress in their Trainer’s career. This perfectly pictures the continuous developmental nature of an EPSA Trainer.
Diogo Piedade EPSA Training Coordinator 2016-2017
If you are curious about the EPSA Training Project and the next TNT, visit the Training Project section on the EPSA website for more information.
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Education
European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
1994
First EPSA Public Health Campaign
2007
PHCs become official EPSA project
2013
First EPSA PHC at an EPSA event
2015 First
#EPSAchallenge
2016
EPSA PHC official logo
A year of EPSA Public Health Campaigns EPSA Public Health Campaigns (PHCs) are one of the oldest EPSA projects, and 23 years after the first campaign was conducted, they prove to be more successful as the time goes by. It’s time to look back and see which campaigns had the biggest impact and which members excelled in carrying out PHCs in their countries. The most successful campaigns, as reported by EPSA members through an online form opened for them in November 2016, are the ones related to raising awareness about cancer, antibiotic resistance, AIDS, diabetes, mental health and drug abuse. 17 local EPSA members sent at least 2 reports on their campaigns and we concluded that over 70 PHCs had been delivered in 10 months’ time. The traditional EPSA campaign that raises awareness about antibiotics misuse, the European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD), had the greatest impact this year, both on social media and on a local level. The promotional video shared on YouTube had over 500 views and the pledge video was promoted even on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) – EAAD platform. It was followed closely by the Cancer Awareness Campaign (Purple Week) and our newest campaign – the Vaccination Awareness Campaign. 17 EPSA members who carried out PHCs
28505 People reached
78 PHCs at local level
1447 Volunteers
Elena Popa Public Health and Social Services Coordinator 2016-2017
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
Education
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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
EPSA Science Day Winner EPSA Science Day Oral Presentation Competition Tell us about your research and the EPSA Science Day Oral Presentation Competition. Recent developments in electrodes fabrication like microfabrication or novel surface modification have opened new paths to recent uses in neurobiological fabrication, and implicitly for monitoring the level of neurotransmitters, among them being enlisted dopamine. In your opinion, how does the Science Day Oral Presentation benefit students? My research paper is focused on developing a new platform using the molecular imprinting technique for the electrochemical detection of dopamine. Since the neurobiological field is undergoing intense studies, I found an ideal choice in presenting this work within the Science Day competition which, I believe, provides students with an excellent opportunity for presenting the results of their work while discovering other related reviewed studies across Europe. Any advice to future Science Day participants? Besides the feedback you receive from the jury and participants, the simple idea of presenting your work is the perfect way to improve your scientific writing skills and deepen your knowledge within your topic, as you have to expose your ideas in an understandable manner for people who aren’t familiarized with it. Having to think about possible questions regarding your research is also a way of finding out more about your field of interest. I recommend engaging in this competition, as it is an amazing way to test your scientific knowledge in your area of work. Just remember to keep an open mind to a fresh view of your work from scientists and other peers from all over Europe.
Alina Adumitrăchioaie EPSA Science Day Oral presentation winner 2016-2017
Tell us about your research and the EPSA Science Day Poster Presentation Competition. My name is Clara van Hoey. I studied Pharmacy in France and I am currently pursuing my studies as a PhD student in medicinal chemistry at the University of Vienna, in Austria. My research project is part of an European Consortium, called ”Antivirals”. In a nutshell, the aim of my project is to identify new antiviral drug candidates using computational chemistry techniques. My participation in the EPSA Science Day was a challenging opportunity to perform in a prominent event. In your opinion, how does the Science Day Poster Presentation benefit students? I appreciated taking part in the Science Day Poster Presentation because by creating a poster, you inevitably learn how to present your project in a clear, easy-to-understand and creative way. Moreover, you receive feedback from experts from EUFEPS, which is very beneficial, since you get advice from people outside of your own lab or faculty. Any advice to future Science Day participants? The EPSA Science Day is an amazing opportunity to discover the variety and richness of the Pharmaceutical Sciences field and it takes place within the EPSA Annual Congress. For their participation, each participant can choose to present either an oral presentation or a poster. There is always something to learn, so do not hesitate to take up this opportunity given to students, of discovering and sharing Pharmaceutical Knowledge!
Clara van Hoey EPSA Science Day Poster presentation winner 2016-2017
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
Education
14th EPSA Autumn Assembly Digital Revolution in Healthcare The topic selected for the 14th EPSA Autumn Assembly is the Digital Revolution in Healthcare. As students, we should strive towards continuous, lifelong learning. As a student organisation we strive to provide the students with opportunities to gain knowledge in as many different areas as possible and thus assist them in transitioning to the professional environment. The digital revolution is present all over the World in all of the professions. Healthcare is no exception to that and the past years have seen a rise in the availability of new technologies as well as other advancements. We believe that students should be given the necessary knowledge in this areas as they will be a part of their day to day lives as future professionals. A webinar on big data in healthcare has been organised before the 14th EPSA Autumn Assembly and served as a short introduction to the topic. The 14th EPSA Autumn Assembly Educational Programme itself will strive to present as many different technological and digital advancements in healthcare to the participants as possible. We are organising two half-day symposia as part of the Educational Programme. The first Symposium day will focus on how using technology in healthcare affects society with examples put in practice while the second Symposium day will focus on thinking outside of the box, the new roles for pharmacists. At the end of each Symposium day, a panel discussion will be organised and students will be given the opportunity to ask questions and express their opinion. Lectures and workshops on topics such as the future of digitalisation, the increasing involvement of technology companies in healthcare, the new services such as mobile applications, wearable devices and robots, the role of artificial intelligence, the electronic health records and the blockchain as well as medical devices, telemedicine and mobile health, will be organised. In addition to the aforementioned activities, traditional EPSA activities, such as EPSA Trainings, public health campaign, science excursion and the presentation of EPSA’s projects will take place during the event. In conclusion, we believe that the digital revolution in healthcare is a topic of great importance at this time and should be presented to the students. We hope the students will gain the needed knowledge and experience in this field to be able to translate it into their professional lives. We will strive towards providing many more opportunities of this kind to our students and welcome them to our 14th EPSA Autumn Assembly as well as our future events.
Eva Shannon Schiffrer EPSA Vice President of Education 2017-2018
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Education
Education Calendar
European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
October World Mental Health Day ESSP AA18
November LLP presentation Science Excursion Science Workshop EAAD
December Open call for ESSP World Volunteers Day TNT
January
Educational Department Eva Shannon Schiffrer Vice President of Education vp.education@epsa-online.org Ruben Viegas Public Health and Social Services Coordinator pubsoc@epsa-online.org Diogo Capitulo Educational Affairs Coordinator edu.affairs@epsa-online.org Anja Šribar Science Coordinator science@epsa-online.org Bernardo Marinheiro Training Coordinator training@epsa-online.org
February ESSP Science Excursion Purple Week ToT
March ESSP Open Call Oral Hygiene Week TtT
April AC18 Methodology Booklet ESSP Science Day Science Workshop Science Excursion Immunization week World Health Day
May Red Cross Day MAY World No Tobacco Day
June SU18 World Blood Donor Day LLP launch
July
Follow EPSA’s social media for surprise educational activities
Science Workshop Science Excursion TNT
August ESSP Open Call
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
Education
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Mobilty
European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
Students’ Guide Welcome to EPSA’s knowledge platform for studying abroad! This year, EPSA was glad to launch a new platform on their website - the Students’ Guide. The idea of this project was already born a while ago - in 2013 - and now pharmacy students can finally benefit from its realisation. Compared to other professions, not many pharmacy students take the opportunity to go on an Erasmus+ exchange. The reasons may vary from country to country, but one thing is for sure: information regarding Erasmus+ exchanges and different pharmacy curricula are spread across many sources and it is often difficult to find what you need to know. This is why the Students’ Guide was created: to bridge the gap and ease pharmacy students’ journey towards an Erasmus+ exchange. The aim of this platform is to be an assistant for everyone who wants to study pharmacy abroad in another European country. It should serve as an information source on Erasmus agreements and curricula, as well as on studying and living conditions in other cities. Currently, the EPSA Students’ Guide provides you information on 32 countries and 15 cities and is regularly being updated and extended. The content was collected from verified sources together with Erasmus Coordinators from pharmacy
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
TWINNET Let’s do this together! In 1992, when the Group Exchange Project was established, the fundamental basis of the TWINNET project was founded too. At that time, the main idea was to promote the contact between European pharmacy students and to ease the mobility to other member countries. For years, the aim of the project was bustling more towards exchanging knowledge and experiences, with the possibility of visiting each other. Nowadays, through TWINNET we provide pharmacy students from all over Europe the opportunity to exchange culture, knowledge and most importantly experience.
faculties throughout Europe. You can explore the Students’ Guide’s facilities through clicking the “Students’ Guide” button on the EPSA website (http://www.epsa-online.org/studentsguide-2/). By clicking on a country on the map, you will be directed to the respective country page. Here, you can find information on visa regulation, general information about the country and a list of faculties of pharmacy. Through clicking on one of the cities hosting a faculty of pharmacy, you are accessing its city page. Both of who want
to come to this city to study pharmacy, as well as those who are currently living there and want to start their Erasmus+ journey in another city can find useful information to guide your way to study abroad. This page is letting you know about your opportunities and regulation in this city and is leading you to important links and contacts. The Students’ Guide should be more than just a reading material, which is why EPSA wants to get more people involved in helping pharmacy students to study abroad. The Students’ Guide is currently looking for open-minded and motivated people who want to help those who wish to come to their home cities for Erasmus+ exchanges. If you want to support the Students’ Guide project, be a contact person for incoming pharmacy students and to help mobility around Europe, don’t hesitate to contact the EPSA Mobility Coordinator!
The project teaches its participants intercultural awareness, to accept responsibility and how to plan and manage a project with the rich educational as well as social programme provided by the hosting group of students. Needless to say, the project provides an affordable opportunity for exchange to pharmacy students which is why we aim to acquire funding from external partners to finance accommodation and three meals per day for every participant. As the EPSA Team, we provide continuous support and information to the TWINNET Coordinators, ensuring the smooth progress of the project’s organisation. After each successfully organised project, the participants submit their feedback report, which enables us to keep the project routinely developing and enhancing. This way, we also guarantee that the TWINNET Coordinators share their experiences between each other.
TWINNET in numbers • • • •
Viktoria Jungreithmayr EPSA Mobility Coordinator 2016-2017
TWINNET has already involved more than 1200 students and 46 local faculties around Europe. Just from May 2016 until April 2017, 14 successfully organised TWINNETs and one Interprofessional TWINNET were held together with medical students. EPSA has issued 120 Twinnet Certificates and has provided the opportunity to circa 220 participants to go abroad. Moreover, 47 TWINNET Coordinators were part of the biggest EPSA Mobility project and helped this project to grow even more!
Adriana Slaná EPSA Mobility Coordinator 2017-2018
Mobility
“You may never get the chance to get to know another country, another University and people from another country, the way you will during a Twinnet. I really recommend: Do it!”
“Just do it! It will be probably one of the best weeks you will have in your student life.”
“It is an incredible experience, absolutely! Take part in it at least once during your studies! :D It is like you’ve gone on an adventure... every day is a new discovery!”
“Be open and keep an eye on new things don’t be shy, just be a part of Twinnet!”
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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
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EduProf Platform Why are we doing this? What is the EduProf Platform? The Educational and Professional Affairs Advocacy Platform (EduProf Platform) is an opportunity for both EPSA members and pharmacy students to come together, discuss, find consensus in opinion and develop EPSA’s and their own advocacy work. We meet, we discuss, we evaluate and in the end we develop a shared opinion on a certain issue. Our five main areas of interest are Education, Mobility, Pharmacy Profession, Public Health and Youth Advocacy.
opinions, discuss the topic again and try to reach consensus. Based on that, EPSA published various position papers; only last year a position paper was published on Interprofessional Education in cooperation with other students´ associations, as well as another position paper on Soft Skills and just after Annual Reception the statement of opinion on Self-Care.
Who are the Eduprof representatives? Each association has two EduProf representatives. Usually one of them is the Liaison Secretary and the other one is someone from the Association. Some associations already introduced a sole advocacy position, to strengthen their associations´ advocacy work, for example ŠSSFD Slovenia or BPhD Germany. Where and when does the EduProf Advocacy Platform meet? During the mandate 2016/2017 Jan de Belie, the first EPSA Vice President of European Affairs introduced monthly online meetings. Those monthly meetings have proven to be a great way to communicate and stay in close contact. During the mandate 2017/2018, we continued with this structure and brought it even further while introducing EduProf Live Meetings at congresses. The first one will be held during the Autumn Assembly, in Brno. Such meetings in real life are always of great importance, increasing motivation and commitment tremendously and are often more productive than online meetings. Plus, we can meet on a personal level and get to know each other better. Now most importantly: Why are we doing this? First, we share the opinion of EPSA´s members which then will develop into EPSA´s opinion. When we work on a topic, the EduProf representatives bring the issue to their national associations and discuss it there. After that, we gather the different
UPIP-VAPI The start of a new collaboration Secondly, the EduProf representatives inform each other about their national advocacy work. That can be new or established projects, public health campaigns and current national issues. This way we share good practice but also support each other when problems arise. The associations can learn from each other, from the success as well as from mistakes. It is a very inspiring way to get new ideas, receive advice or a helping hand. Furthermore, the EduProf Platform representatives are a valuable source of information about the situation in the respective country. During the last mandate, the meetings became more and more active. More people spoke up, shared their ideas, got involved. Some associations are more active than others, some don’t participate at all. But I am hopeful that we will become even more active, gain more active members, become louder and reach more people. It is truly amazing to see that so many different people from all over Europe can come together, discuss, argue, get results and in the end form one opinion. Together we can change the world! Maybe just a little, but still.
Dorothea Dalig EPSA Vice President of European Affairs 2017-2018
The EPSA mandate of 2016/2017 was a tremendously enriching experience and the cherry on top to “finish” my EPSA journey. My position of Vice President of External Relations 2016/2017, my move to Brussels to become one of the EPSA interns and my internship at UPIP-VAPI (Belgian Professional Association of Industrial Pharmacists), increased my responsibilities and were a fantastic way to put me out of my comfort zone. The partnership between EPSA and UPIP-VAPI began last year, and the internship at UPIP-VAPI was my very first contact with the pharmaceutical industry field. During that period, my major responsibilities were to assist UPIP-VAPI with administrative work, support the organisation of events, increase the members’ network, put the organisation’s archives in order, the creation of standard procedures, the creation of social platforms and its maintenance. This experience facilitated the involvement of EPSA in the industrial world and allowed the engagement with professionals and institutions in this field. Personally, it was a great learning opportunity since I was more involved in the industrial field and its terminology, which allowed me to gain a better understanding about the active role that we as pharmacists can have and the advantages that an association like UPIP-VAPI can provide to its members. Other than facilitating the networking
between the members, the Professional Association strives to improve the pharmacist’s role in the Life Science Industry, to actively provide information on hot topics, to cooperate in education and to increase the prominence and influence of UPIP-VAPI within the Pharmaceutical programme. UPIP-VAPI was considered, in the last EIPG General Assembly, one of the most active professional organisations in the industrial field, which reveals the level of engagement the association has with its members. Assessing the work performed, I can say it was quite challenging to be involved in a community of experts since most of the board members from UPIP-VAPI are responsible pharmacists which, due to their level of knowledge, made it hard in the beginning for me to follow all the ongoing activities and services UPIP-VAPI had available for its members. However, at the end of the day, my involvement as a recent graduate and contribution to the discussions was always appreciated. I want to thank all the UPIP-VAPI board for being a part of another learning experience and for welcoming me as one of their board members.
Ana Marcelino EPSA Vice President of External Relations 2016-2017
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External
European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
Antimicrobial resistance: The next step in EPSA´s advocacy work The discovery of antibiotics was, without doubt, one of the most significant milestones in medical history. Antibiotics are essential for the treatment of bacterial infections, reduction of complications following medical interventions and prevention of bacterial infections in dentistry, just to name some examples. However, during the last decades, the effectiveness of antibiotics has become limited due to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As pharmacy students, we know that AMR is a natural phenomenon that occurs when microorganisms are exposed to a component that is trying to kill them. It is simply evolution. Unfortunately, due to excessive and inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines on humans and animals, lack of awareness of the consequences of such use, poor hygiene and insufficient infection control practices, AMR has become a serious threat to public health worldwide. It is
“However, during the last decades, the effectiveness of antibiotics has become limited due to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).”
estimated that AMR is responsible for 25 000 deaths per year within the EU. At this rate, in 2050 more people will die from resistant infections than from cancer. We are very aware of what the future might serve us if we don’t act quickly. AMR has been one of EPSA´s top advocacy topics in the last couple of years. We discussed it at our events, we participated and organised public health campaigns and we cooperated with different organisations on this topic. Together with EMSA (European Medical Students´ Association) and EDSA (European Dental Students´ Association) we published a position paper, because we strongly believe that AMR can only be fought with good interprofessional cooperation. Last year in September, EPSA responded to a public consultation by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). We are proud to say that some of EPSA´s key comments were included in the final version of the report. It can be found on ECDC´s website, but find here the quotes which included EPSA´s comments: Education: • Make sure that the competency of all healthcare professionals is guaranteed by continuous professional development activities on appropriate antimicrobial use. • Include training on prudent antimicrobial use in medical, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and midwifery schools [expert consensus]. This training should include a strong practical component as part of an interprofessional approach. • Introduce education on prudent antimicrobial use, antimicrobial resistance, vaccination and hygiene in primary and secondary education [expert consensus]. Healthcare facilities: In community/ primary care: • Establish a multi-faceted approach including elements such as
clinic-based education, patient information leaflets and posters, pharmacist counselling of patients on antimicrobial treatment, prescriber feedback and clinician training in communication skills.
“We are proud to say that some of EPSA’s key comments were included in the final version of the report.”
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
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“Good interprofessional Regarding a good interprofessional education and collaboration: We believe it is crucial when tackling such a complex and potentially collaboration deadly threat. Therefore, we will continue to work with our sister organisations, ensure that all EMSA (European Medical Students’ Association) and EDSA (European Dental professionals Students’ Association). We asked them to share their current work on AMR. Enjoy reading: have a good EDSA: understanding The European Dental Students' Association (EDSA) is strongly committed of each other’s to raising awareness about antimicrobial resistance (AMR). role and can AMR is a serious global threat that dentists can definitely help to prevent. Concerning then provide the our own patients, prescriptions definitely treatment in the best interests of the patient.” Awareness Day (EAAD). Raising awareness amongst students and the general public is a key element in this constant fight.
Accordingly, our community embraces the World Antibiotic Awareness Week by the World Health Organization and the European Antibiotic Awareness Day by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
In June 2017, the European Commission adopted ”EU One Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial resistance“. Supporting an innovative, effective and sustainable approach on AMR, the key objectives of the plan are: • Make the EU a best practice region; • Boost research, development and innovation; • Shape the global agenda.
ought to obey national and international guidelines. Perfect infection control in the surgical room also reduces the burden of nosocomial infections, thus lowering the need for antibiotic therapy.
Additionally, the commission also adopted EU Guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials in human health. Available in all EU languages, these guidelines aim to reduce inappropriate use and promote prudent use of antimicrobials in people and are addressed at everyone that is involved in the use of antibiotics. Those guidelines are based on the report by the ECDC.
But fighting AMR embraces all other healthcare professions too! Good interprofessional education and collaboration ensure that all professionals have a good understanding of each other’s role and can then provide the treatment in the best interests of the patient. Unnecessary prescriptions and late or inaccurate referrals are therefore avoided.
EPSA will continue to strengthen its collaboration with ECDC. Just like in previous years, we will once again contribute to the European Antibiotic
EDSA is contributing to the campaign against AMR through its active network of national and local students’ associations.
This year we will participate in the online campaigns and we will also offer our members the possibility to engage in onsite events. To maximize impact, it was decided to make a viral pledge video with European students. The video aims at being fun and informative for dental students, dentists and patients alike! Additionally, we constantly advocate for the most up-to-date curriculum and fully support the integration of public health concerns in the core curriculum across Europe. It is our strong opinion that a surge in R&D in antibiotics is needed seeing as few new molecules have been discovered in the last 30 years. Valentin Garyga EDSA President Luka Banjšak EDSA Immediate Past President
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EMSA: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most important modern healthcare challenges affecting our community, the healthcare sector and our environment. Addressing all relevant factors of AMR requires multidisciplinary and global involvement across sectors of governance and organisation. The European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA) took a
stand on this crucial matter by choosing AMR as the main theme of our General Assembly in Budapest, where members could get to know more on the insights of the problem through workshops, pillar sessions and a symposium provided by our esteemed guests. During our GA, EMSA has adopted the policy paper “Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) - a closer look on antibiotic resistance”. Key aspects cover: the evidence-based prescription, distribution and use of antibiotics, the following of qualified standards, infection prevention and the increase in awareness of this problem. EMSA appreciates the efforts that have already been made by other stakeholders - particularly the WHO global action plan on AMR (2015) and the European strategic action plan on AMR (2011) - and aims to actively contribute to the implementation of future means of action and to collaborate with other students’ organisations concerning this issue. Teuta Azizi EMSA European Institutions Liaison Officer Dorothea Dalig EPSA Vice President of European Affairs 2017-2018
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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
The 63rd IPSF World Congress, Tapei - Taiwan The 63rd International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) World Congress took place in Taipei, Taiwan, from the 31st of July until the 10th of August 2017, with the central theme being “Social Pharmacy”. I attended the event together with the EPSA President, Črtomir Fleisinger.
sightseeing possibilities. During the Congress, we were limited to Taipei, but that was enough – we had the opportunity to visit Taipei 101, the Presidential Palace, the Elephant Mountain, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the Taipei ZOO, and of course all the different Night Markets!
We started our representation with arriving at the Chientan Overseas Youth Activity Center, where accommodation had been organised. The Congress took off with a Welcome Party and after it, all the member countries came up on stage represented by the delegates of each country who made an appearance during dinner. It was a positive start of a very well organised event, with the logistics being very clear and the Reception Committee members leading participants to every venue. As both of us were present in all the sessions of the General Assembly in order to represent EPSA properly, we did not get the opportunity to attend much of the Educational Programme. The Social Programme was organised for all nights except for three, where we had free evenings on two nights. The third night was taken up by the Regional Assembly, which we also attended and which ended close to midnight.
However, as the Vice President of External Relations, my primary responsibility was to ensure that EPSA was presented with the best possible image throughout the World Congress, and especially at the General Assemblies. My other tasks included representing the interests of EPSA members at the EPSA-IPSF collaboration-related matters, networking with students from all over the world and answer any questions about our association, as well as establishing a communication channel with the upcoming IPSF Executive Committee 2017/2018. In order to achieve those goals, Črtomir and I had meetings with IPSF Chairperson of EuRO, Luka Šrot, and Chairperson of External Relations, Yacoob Moustafa, on several occasions. We discussed the EPSA-IPSF Memorandum of Understanding together with addressing the future collaboration between our associations. I also introduced myself to the new members of the elected IPSF Executive Committee in order to facilitate our communication. At the General Assembly, I provided input to the discussion when relevant and made sure that the opinion of EPSA members was heard. During the Social Programme, I got to meet many international students and I was always open to talk to them regarding our association and answered the questions they had. All in all, I believe I have managed to accomplish my goals and represented EPSA to my best ability. The Congress was very enjoyable, and I would like to thank IPSF for inviting us there to represent EPSA.
During the free nights, the participants had the opportunity to do some sightseeing by themselves, and they offered a nice break from the intense schedule of the General Assemblies and Educational Programme. Taiwan is an island which offers a lot of
Patrick Jongeleen Vice President of External Relations 2017/2018
External Representation EPSA President 2016-2017 From the 14th to 16th June, the Joint 23rd Medicines for Europe and 20th International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) Annual Conference took place in Lisbon, Portugal, and I was honoured to be invited to be a panellist of the session “Women’s Leadership & Pharma”.
what EPSA and its main values.
Initially, I was very surprised with this invitation, as any kind of gender inequality was never a point in EPSA (as far as I know) and I took it as a very good opportunity to let the audience know
Anyway, my points were clear and wanted to transmit a more positive and fresh perspective from younger generations. First, it is a fact that there is a (way!) higher percentage of female
Unfortunately, I got to know that the gender equality spirit is not a reality everywhere in the Pharmaceutical world, especially in higher hierarchy positions.
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
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population to enter in the Pharmacy faculties, which intuitively leads to the thought that women have a significative role in our profession. Then, specifically in EPSA, the point of gender inequality was rarely put on the table as, fortunately, this was not brought up as a problem neither the successful and consecutive female Presidencies. This session was indeed important to raise awareness of something that is still sadly happening but nevertheless, as part of the current younger generation, I am happy I could pass a message of change and hope.
Catarina Nobre EPSA Immediate Past President 2017-2018
EAFP
The Annual Conference of EAFP (European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy) 2017 took place in Helsinki, Finland. Under the topic “Multidisciplinarity Learning in Pharmacy Education”, the event brings together faculty members, pharmacy students and representatives of pharmaceutical institutions to discuss and develop the pharmacy education. Faculties are in the end responsible for the quality of education. Therefore, being present and advocating for the needs of students is a great way to learn and be heard at the same time.
PGEU The Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) held its Annual Symposium from the 12th to the 14th of June 2017 in London, United Kingdom. The topic of the symposium was “Leading the change” and it revolved around several different aspects of the future of pharmacists from the perspective of speakers based both in pharmacy and outside of the sphere of pharmacy. The entire Symposium was very thought-provoking, and raised several different points about the future of our profession. From the future challenges, the need to be adaptable, the risk that our profession will be reduced to something resembling shop assistants, to presenting successful practices of pharmacies from Canada, Ireland, and Scotland, who focused on the variety of services pharmacists can provide in order to adapt to the changing environment and thrive in it. The Symposium was meaningfully closed with three keywords of the event: “Change, develop and adapt.”
Črtomir Fleisinger EPSA President 2017-2018
EPSA believes that interprofessional education should be a key component of healthcare students’ curricula, and it was amazing to see that the majority of faculty members in EAFP agree with us. Some faculties already implemented very good practices and I am certain that this event inspired others to do the same!
Dorothea Dalig EPSA Vice President of European Affairs 2017-2018
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Alumni
European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
EPSA Team 2017-2018 Alumni Advisory Board Alumni Weekend 40th Annual congress in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia The moment I got aware that the next EPSA Annual Congress in Slovenia was going to be the central stage for the commemoration of EPSA’s 40th year, I knew this would be a very special occasion and a good opportunity for a larger EPSA Alumni gathering. And the feeling was right! The 40 Alumni registered for the Alumni Weekend (AW) and the additional Alumni that joined our Gala Anniversary dinner, made it the biggest alumni event in EPSA’s history! We had the pleasure to meet the first chairperson of ESC (European Subcommittee which was the first EPSA name) and altogether 12 EPSA presidents, 7 people who were in what we call now the Vice President of Education, 9 permanent officers in Brussels and many others who contributed with their energy and ideas to make EPSA what it is today. The atmosphere was great and it was an absolute pleasure to meet so many amazing and interesting people gathered in one place. Hopefully, we will be able to keep this spirit within the EPSA Alumni project in next AWs. Looking forward to meet many of you in Brno!
Maja Sercic EPSA Alumni Coordinator 2016/2017
I participated in my first AW as an Alumni in the last Annual Congress in Kranjska Gora. It was a pleasure to participate again in the General Assembly, to hold a session for the Educational Program and also experience the program that Maja prepared! Fruitful discussions with Alumni were held on both the association and the Alumni Project itself. This was a very special AW since it aimed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our beloved Association. It gathered more than 50 Alumni and more importantly it allowed different generations of Alumni to meet, discuss, laugh and celebrate. I wanted to discuss the first steps of the association with the first chairpersons… And I did! I wanted to discuss the evolution of EPSA implementation in Brussels and I managed to discuss it with almost all of the past permanent officers! I wanted to have great time with close friends and all my Executive was present! EPSA grows everyday and so does its Alumni network. EPSA gets older, but let's say that Alumni only get more experienced.
Throughout the previous EPSA Newsletters, we have presented you several different articles from Alumni. We have also introduced you to our Alumni Advisory Board (AAB), which consists of Alumni who stayed close to our association even after finishing their (multiple) mandates. Chances are you have read their words in previous articles already. But aside from helping us with the Newsletter articles, the Alumni Advisory Board has supported the EPSA Team greatly with all the important decisions which were made in the past two years. In those two years, the only change the Board went through was the change of the Alumni Coordinator in charge of the communication between the Board and the Executive.
Alumni
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Guilherme Monteiro
Inkatuuli Heikkinen
Jamie Wilkinson
Jeanne Kern
João Duarte
Maja Šerčić
Tiia Metiäinen
Tim Robinson
The EPSA Team would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the members who stayed in the board in the past period, helped with its establishment and implementation, and provided us with advice and comments whenever we requested it. The dedication of the Board to help the association is very high, and we can only hope that the future generations of the Alumni Advisory Board will be able to continue on the path that was set in the previous two years! Thank you Guilherme, Inkatuuli, Jamie, Jeanne, João, Maja, Tiia, and Tim! EPSA Team 2017-2018
Overall, the love we have for EPSA and our friends remains!
Lucas Besson France, EPSA Alumni
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We are sending to you our summary about The Simulation of the Admission exam. You want to be a pharmacist and you don’t know if you are really prepared for it?? SSFB is making an unique oportunity- The Simulation of the Admission exam, where approximately 300 high school students are coming every year to evaluate their knowledge about chemistry and biology at the biggest simulation Admission exam in Romania witch is held every year almost at the same date 13.05.2017.
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By SSFB, Romania Portugal Twinnet Team - 18-22nd September 2017 As a motivated and enthusiast group of 10 students from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon, we have organized an EPSA Twinnet Project between Lisbon and Gdańsk concerning the theme “The role of soft-skills on personal and professional development”. Aiming personal development and multidisciplinarity, this whole experience encourages students to live and learn out of their comfort zone.
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By AEFFUL, Portugal APEForma is the first online Training Programme entirely designed to address the needs of Portuguese Pharmacy Students. This project consists in a group of Webinars addressing topics that are not so well explored in our Pharmacy Curriculum. So far, APEF already hosted 3 of these webinars, focusing on: “Technical Pharmacy Communication”; “CV, Motivational Letter and LinkedIn” and “Medicines for Veterinary Use”.
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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association On june 20,21 YPAA organized a seminar about Gastroenterologytested medications also Comparative Analysis of Old and New Drug Legislation in Republic of Armenia. On August 26-27 YPAA organized short termed summer camp we had The Role and Functions of the Pharmacist, The Role of a Pharmacist in the Effective Use of Antibiotics and Prevention of Antimicrobial Drug resistance , Self-medication also International and Armenian pharmaceutical field. On September 25 YPAA is organizing a party for pharmacists due to the international pharmacists day
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What has been happening with CzPSA recently? We are proud to say that we held our General Assembly in May, organised first Garden Party where students and professors enjoyed spring, jazz and the nice surrounding of our botanical garden. We also welcomed Freshmen at Meet Me Camp and Freshmen Party and started our year of educational events with a lecture by community pharmacists. by CzPSA, Czech Republic
By YPAA, Armenia
In July, ŠSSFD hosted its 21st edition of International Pharmaceutical Summer Camp (IPSC). The event is consisted of educational and social programme with emphasis on connecting students internationally. IPSC became a tradition within ŠSSFD and among Slovene pharmacy students as well as international ones. This year’s topic was “Keeping Up With Cannabinoids”, which enlightened students about this overlooked and tabooed group of molecules.
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By ŠSSFD, Slovenia
In May, Team of Medical Biochemists in NAPSer Serbia, organized first ever Congress „When I grow up I want to become…Medical Biochemist!“. The event was absolute success with 120 participants and included series of lectures and workshops. The main goal of this Congress was to share experience, inform students on various work opportunities after finishing college and giving them proper „tools“ to get them where they want to be professionally. By NAPSer, Serbia
by FASFR, Romania
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If you are a Romanian student looking for a summer internship and travelling, discovering new places and meeting new people are among your summer plans, FASFR has the perfect opportunity for you: InterPractis. This summer, during 24.07-05.08 and 28.08-08.09, 56 students from Romania travelled to other cities where they met students from all over the country and had the chance not only to visit a new city or to exchange impressions with students from another University, but also to carry out the summer practice in one of the following fields: community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, industry, research, wearhouse alongside students from different Universities from Romania and the Republic of Moldova. InterPractis is not only a good way to travel and meet new people, it is the perfect way to learn, develop yourself and to become a much better future pharmacist.
By APEF, Portugal
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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
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November
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Jannuary
Events Calendar 7th World Heatlhcare Students Symposium 23rd - 27th November, 2017 Kigali, Rwanda The 7th edition of the WHSS is taking us to Kigali, Rwanda. The world’s biggest student conference brings together healthcare students and professionals to learn, discuss and inspire with the help of the scientific, educational and cultural programme! EPSA is among the associations working on the programme in the Joint Working Group, so don’t miss this amazing opportunity and apply! 10th NAPSer Congress 20th - 24th December, 2017 Zlatibor, Serbia NAPSer, Serbia, is celebrating their 10th National Congress this year, and for that occasion making it international with the topic “”Innovations in Pharmacy””! Put the Serbian hospitality to the test before the Autumn Assembly 2018 in Belgrade, registrations open in November! 76th Ball of Pharmacy 20th Jannuary, 2018 Vienna, Austria If the EPSA Congress is the only time you can actually suit up but you want more, this is an event just for you! Join pharmacists from Austria on their annual “Ball of Pharmacy”, taking place in the Hofburg palace.Yyes, a legit palace of the former Austrian Emperors! In the past years AFöP, Austria, prepared a rich social programme for all students attending, like ice skating and even dance lessons, so don’t miss the oppurtunity to be a part of an amazing weekend in Vienna!
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23rd Congress of the EAHP 21st - 23rd March, 2018 Gothenburg, Sweden With the topic "Hospital pharmacists – Show us what you can do!" the EAHP is inviting us all to Sweden, in the beautiful town of Gothenburg. With the event being the largest one for hospital pharmacy in Europe and attended by pharmacists from all over the world, it provides us with an amazing opportunity to network, see the developments on the field and to get the much needed inspiration for the future path. Registrations are open, so do not hesitate and apply! 41st EPSA Annual Congress 23rd - 29th April, 2018 Baarlo, the Netherlands Join more than 300 students from all over Europe, under the topic “”Pharmacoeconomics & the affordability of healthcare””, on EPSA’s biggest and most important Event. Be an active part of the symposium, workshops, trainings, Science Day and networking with your peers. You will get an amazing opportunity to meet new people, broaden your horizons and even attend the King’s Day celebration in the Netherlands!
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www.epsa-online.org | @EPSA_Online
EPSA Executive contacts Don’t hesitate to contact us President Črtomir Fleisinger president@epsa-online.org VP Internal Affairs Leonor Soares vp.ia@epsa-online.org Secretary General Helena Vrbanac secgen@epsa-online.org Treasurer Diederik Enschedé treasurer@epsa-online.org VP Education Eva Shannon Schiffrer vp.education@epsa-online.org VP Public Relations Cláudia Ferreira vp.pr@epsa-online.org VP External Relations Patrick Jongeleen vp.er@epsa-online.org VP European Affairs Dorothea Dalig vp.ea@epsa-online.org IPP Catarina Nobre ipp@epsa-online.com EPSA Office Rue du Luxembourg 19 bte.6 B- 1000 Brussels, Belgium www.epsa-online.org
European Pharmaceutical Students' Association | www.epsa-online.org Bringing pharmacy knowledge and students together. Volume 24 | Edition 2 | March 2017
Did you enjoy reading this Newsletter? Don’t miss the future editions of this publication by becoming an Individual Member in EPSA. How? Go to www.epsa-online.org, “Members” and check out the page about the Individual Membership. Fill in the application form and send it to the EPSA VP of Internal Affairs (vp.ia@epsa-online.org).
Board of Trustees: Their experience with EPSA
Soft skills: Yes, please!
The European Union: How does it work?
European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
European Pharmaceutical Students' Association | www.epsa-online.org Bringing pharmacy knowledge and students together. Volume 24 | Edition 3 | April 2017
This newsletter is produced by EPSA and is distributed to all EPSA members, national pharmaceutical student organisations, faculties, official bodies and partners.
May
Get to know our boards Who are they? European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
EPSA's projects: How it all began?
CV & ML writing: Tips & Tricks
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European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
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