HLM Interviews: Lucas Ercolin

What is some advice you would provide for students looking to become involved with IPSF/PARO?

Go ahead. IPSF is an amazing platform to develop your soft skills like your leadership, team work, communication, critical thinking, time management, among others. And also give you a lot of knowledge to improve your hard skills too. With the correct blended management of those skills you can start a path to success in your professional career.

What is some final advice you would provide to students about becoming future practicing pharmacists?

As a pharmacist you will be facing many and new situations every day. You will face people that will be asking you for your help and advice. It will be not just delivering medicines. We are already in a digital era that is demanding us continuous learning, so getting your pharmacy degree will be just the beginning, so keep calm and enjoy it :)

Start by telling us a little bit about yourself.

I graduated from the Universidade Estadual Paulista in 2014 and today I am a Humanitarian Pharmacist.

How did you become interested in IPSF?

By 2011 I participated in the activities of Executiva Nacional dos Estudantes de Farmácia, which had recently discovered the IPSF. I joined the IPSF WC in 2012 to apply for membership for my organisation and participated until 2017.

What IPSF positions did you hold?

PARO Regional Relations Officer (2012-2013; 2014-2015), Chairperson of PARO (2013-2014), Chairperson of Internal Relations (2015-2017) and Permanent Officer (2016-2017).

What did you learn from your IPSF involvement?

After working for many years in IPSF, you end by learning a little of this and a little of that. It goes from skills that help on the professional level, but also opens you for new concepts, cultures and ideas.

How did the skills you obtained from your IPSF involvement help you with your personal and professional life?

The management skills had a major impact, which allowed me to work as Project Manager. It also provided me with the network that provided both friends and professional opportunities.

Do you think IPSF influenced your career path? Please explain how.

The network I built, international experiences and contact with humanitarian NGOs had major influence in my career. As humanitarian, joining a mission is a serious decision, for both NGO and employee, and by having the opportunity to join different activities in different countries, as well as know people from the sector and learn about the NGOs and their missions during my participation on important events.

Can you describe how the global COVID-19 pandemic affected your career this past year?

Yemen is the largest humanitarian emergency - Travelling to the field included a risk, and the projects had to implement changes in every level, from human resources to structures. This also impacted the other NGOs .