Luis Rhodes Baiao

Could you introduce you

Hey there EPSA members! My name is Luis, but my friends have a hard time deciding which surname to call me by – "Rhodes" or "Baião". I hail from the vibrant city of Lisbon, where I spent most of my life studying and working as a pharmacist. However, in 2018 after a job offer, I decided to pack my bags and head over to Brussels, hoping to dive into a more healthcare policy-oriented career at the EU level. (Psst, check out my next answers for juicy details on this!)

I've always had a soft spot for politics, and I'm a huge advocate for a greener future and a united European Union with a touch of federalism. But let's not forget, life's not all about work - I also love hitting the volleyball court as a player and a coach. And as if that wasn't enough, I'm also an avid activist for LGBTQIA+ rights. You know what they say, a well-rounded life is a happy life!

What is your academic background + engaging initiatives when you were a student?

I'm a Portuguese pharmacist who graduated from the prestigious University of Lisbon way back in 2005. Back in the wild 90s (oh, how I miss those times!), I was a part of a Health Promotion and Education initiative led by the local students' association, AEFFUL. We were a bunch of passionate pharmacy students who wanted to spread awareness about important topics like sexual and reproductive health, HIV, and drug use to high school students. Back then, when public communication was scarce, these actions made a difference.

That spark never left me, and I continued my journey by enrolling on the board of the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Student's Association as an LS for two years. And this is how many romances between Lisbon and Ljubljana started (blame twinning programmes and EPSA congresses).

Right after, in 2004, I was elected EPSA President, which was a challenging mandate, to say the least. EPSA was growing in members, and a new work structure with several special interest committees had just been approved. It was time to put in some serious work! This was a groundbreaking period for EPSA, as we grew our stakeholder network, including healthcare associations in the EU bubble. We even scored our first-ever association sponsorship and the first EPSA collaborative internship in Brussels. However, things took a wild turn when a last-minute drop-out left me to take the internship at PGEU by myself. It was a challenging and consuming experience, but the rewarding nonetheless, especially since we had to move EPSA headquarters from Leiden, The Netherlands.

Who knew a simple initiative during my student years would lead to such incredible experiences? Life's full of surprises!