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AACP Co-Sponsors VII Pan American Conference on Pharmaceutical Education
T
he VII Pan American Conference on Pharmaceutical Education, co-sponsored by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and AACP, was held May 24–26, 2010 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Participants came from more than 20 countries in Central, North and South America, as well as the Caribbean islands. The theme of the 2010 Pan American Conference was Competency-Based Training. The conference executive committee selected a format of workshops and discussions with only a few presentations so that attendees could have multiple opportunities to participate. One set of workshops allowed for discussion of the accreditation document on pharmaceutical education, Proposal for Accreditation of Pharmacy Careers in Latin America. Another set of workshops enabled participants to discuss the Basic Pharmaceutical Education Plan for the 21st Century, a curricular plan that was developed during previous Pan American Conferences and refined over time. Other workshop topics included Reflection on the Role of the Pharmacist and Training Orientation; a Permanent Forum for Discussion and Proposals for Pharmaceutical Education: Is It Necessary?; and, Technologies for Communication, Education and Networking.
would allow for more coordination of the organization between conferences. Dr. José Luis Castro, PAHO consultant, and members of the executive committee will determine the type of individual needed for the position and begin the hiring process. The Pan American Commission for Pharmaceutical Education held its business meetings during the conference. The commission is composed of one delegate from each country in the Americas that was represented. Mexico was selected to host the 2012 conference and Cuba in 2014. Conference organizers hope that a significant number of AACP members will attend the 2012 Pan American Conference in October 2010 and will support our Mexican colleagues as they host the meeting. More information about that conference will be available via AACP and its Global Pharmacy Education SIG. AACP members who participated in the 2010 Pan American Conference included Dr. Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Maryland
Host country members presented their viewpoints about the role of pharmacists in a governmental healthcare system during a roundtable discussion titled “Integration of Health Care within the Teaching Experience–The Experience of Brazil.” By the close of the conference, delegates agreed that much had been accomplished in the areas of accreditation and curriculum planning, and it was determined that the Pan American Conference on Pharmaceutical Education should become more structured. This would start with the hiring of an individual to be a permanent secretary, which
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academic Pharmacy now Jul/Aug/Sept 2010
School of Pharmacy; Mike Rouse, assistant executive director, international & professional affairs, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education; and Dr. Rosalie Sagraves, dean emeritus and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy and consultant in Global Pharmacy Education for AACP. Rodriguez de Bittner represents AACP on the Pan American Commission for Pharmaceutical Education, and as a member of the Conference Executive Committee, and led several workshop sessions and discussions during the conference. Mike Rouse represented the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Pharmacy Education Taskforce Advisory Group and is project leader for Quality Assurance. He updated attendees concerning the taskforce’s work and its future plans for global pharmacy education, as well as sharing information concerning advancements in quality assurance. Sagraves presented an update on global pharmacy education from an AACP perspective and spoke of how the Pan American Conference could become a more formalized
The 2010 Pan American Conference, held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, focused on competency-based training and featured workshops that discussed wide-ranging topics such as the accreditation document on pharmaceutical education, the Proposal for Accreditation of Pharmacy Careers in Latin America and the Basic Pharmaceutical Education Plan for the 21st Century, a curricular plan that was developed during previous Pan American Conferences and refined over time.