36
External Relations
European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association
EPSA External Representation: Focus on collaboration DIA Conference “Better Medicines for Children”, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 2019 During September 2019, EPSA had the chance to attend the DIA Conference on the topic: “Better Medicines for Children” in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The focus of this conference was on two major topics currently influencing Paediatric Drug Development - Innovative approaches to Drug Development and the impact of the current environment on the Regulatory and Research Infrastructure. Marko Ocokoljić, EPSA representative and Vice President of Education, had a chance to gain critical insights from Regulators and leading industry experts about the latest scientific innovations. This provided the opportunity to engage in lively discussions with the Paediatric Committee (PDCO) members and other industry experts involved in Paediatric Drug Development. The patient experience was voiced throughout the conference as well. Nevertheless, this experience helped to guide EPSA’s future path in “Child Healthcare” and bring such initiatives to the pharmaceutical youth.
European Youth Forum Council of Members, in Brussels, Belgium 12th - 13th of April 2019 The Global Vaccination Summit is a renowned event organised by the European Commission in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the 12th of September 2019, in Brussels. The overall objective was to give high-level visibility and political endorsement to vaccination and to issue a statement endorsing and promoting the benefits of vaccination as the most successful public health measure that saves millions of lives on a yearly basis. It was organised to demonstrate a global commitment to vaccination, boost political commitment towards eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases and engage leaders from different fields. The event was organised exceptionally in order to showcase the Commission’s trust in vaccines and commitment to keep vaccination on the agenda also in the next mandate of the Commission. As future healthcare professionals, EPSA was glad to be invited to the event as a member of the Coalition for Vaccination and to support European Commission in this initiative.
A Health Care Workforce for the Digital Age, European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium November 2019 On the 5th of November, EPSA was able to be one of the panellists at “A Health Care Workforce for the Digital Age” event hosted by Health First Europe in the European Parliament. EPSA presented their work and results from the eHealth survey that proved the lack of digital skills and inclusion in the curricula. We called on stakeholders to recognise pharmaceutical students that penetrate in different areas of healthcare as a vital part of future implementation of healthcare digitalisation and not a cost or a burden, but rather as an investment for the future.
