Annual Bulletin 2013-2014

IPSF Annual Bulletin Issue 43

October 2014

IPSF

Bulletin

Annual

2013-2014

ipsf Since establishment in 1949, IPSF now represents more than 270 000 pharmacy students and recent graduates in over 70 countries worldwide.

IPSF is the leading international advocacy organisation of pharmacy students promoting improved public health through provision of information, education, networking, and a range of publication and professional activities.

Mr. Khaled Mostafa IPSF Chairperson of Media and Publications

Editorial

content Executive Committee

Page 2

Chairpersons of the Regional Offices Page 22

Page 32

Public Health Co-ordinators Page 34

Professional Development Co-ordinators Page 38

Pharmacy Education Page 44

Student Exchange Committee Page 48

Communications Page 50

Page 54

Members’ Section Page 59

Design & Layout

Mr. Khaled Mostafa

IPSF Chairperson of Media and Publications

Publication Editor

Mr. Khaled Mostafa

IPSF Chairperson of Media and Publications

Cover Photo

~ Porto by Romylyn on Deviantart.com

Proofread By Ms. Sonia Lee Ms. Amina Ndope Mr. Howard Siu Ms. Sheena Patel

IPSF Chairperson of Public Health Chairperson of Media and Publications publications@ipsf.org Editor-in-Chief editor@ipsf.org

It’s with great pleasure that I present to you the final publication for this year - the Annual Bulletin 2013-14.

Over the past year, the IPSF team has put in a lot of efforts in the different IPSF portfolios. The year was full of challenges, at the same time there were many developments on different scales, but it is now time for goodbyes and to let the new team to start the mandate!

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I’m inviting you to start going through this publication, hope you enjoy reading it!

All the best,

IPSF Coordinators

Issue #43, October 2014

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Dear IPSF’ers around the world,

Advisory Board

Khaled

o t u t C c i t i e e x m v m i E t m e m u o tive C mittee Exec e Committe xecutive Co E m v i m e t m o e u o t C c t C i e e x e m E v i t e m utiv u e o t c C t e i e x v m E i m t e m u m e o c t o C t e i C cutive mmittee Ex utive Comm e Executive m o e c o C t e C t e i x e v E i v m t i t m ee u t o c t ecu i C e x e m E v i m e t m o e u o t C c t C i e e x e v m i E v t i t e m u u e c o t c e C t e i x e x v m E i t e m u m e o c t o C t e i C x e E e m v i v e t i m t e u o t u c t C c i e e x e x m E v i E t m e u o e c C t e C t e i x e v E i v m t i e t u m e u c t o c t e i C e x x E e m E v e i m e t o e u t C c t i e e x e v m i E v t i t e m u u e c o t c e C t e i e x v m E i e Ex t e m u e o c t C t e i x e E e m v i v e t i m t e u o t u c t C c e e x v i E t eeExe tive Commi e u e c t e t i x E v m i e t u m e u c t o c t e i C e x x e m E v i m e t o tee E e u t C c t i e e x v m i E t i t e m u u e c o t c e C t e i x ti tee E utive Comm ee Executive mmittee Ex t o t u c t C c i e e x e x m E v i E e mitte ecutive Com ittee Execut Committee ecu x x E e m E v e i m e t e o t e u t C c t i e e x mit v m i E t e m u e c o t c e C t e i x e x E v m E i e t e m e u t e o c t t i C t e i x e m E m v i m e t m e u o t c t C i e e x e x m E v i E e t m e e u o t mmit Executive C mittee Exec e Committe Ex v e i m e t e o t e u t t C c i t i e e x m v m i E t e m u om e c o t e C t i x e E v m E i e t e m e u t e o c t t i C t e i Comm eeExecutive mmittee Ex tive Comm e u o t e c t C t i e t e i x m v E i m t m e u m e c t Co o t e i C x E e m v e i m t e o t e u t t C c i t i e e x m v m i E t e m e o t C t e Com ttee Execu i e v i t u c i Comm e itte x 2

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o t u t C c i e e x m Exec v i E t m e u o e c C t e t e i x e v E i v m t i e t u m e u c t o c t e i C e x e m E v e Ex i m e t o e u t C c t i e e x e v m i E v t i t e m u u e c o t c e C e e x v E i t e ee Ex ive Commit u e c t t e i x E m v e t i m t e u o t u c t C c i e e x E e teeEx tive Comm e Executive e t t i m i t u m e u c t o c t e i C e x ti tee E utive Comm e Executive mmittee Ex u e c o t c e C t e i x e x E v m E i mittee ecutive Com ittee Execut Committee cu e x e x m E v i E e t m e e u o t e c C t e t e i x mit v E i m t e u m e c t o c t e i C e x x E e m E v e i m e t e o t e u t t C c i t i e e x m v m i E t m e m u e c o t e C t e i x e x E v m E i e t e m e u t e mmit Executive Co mittee Exec ve Committ x i E e t m e e u o t e c t C t i e t e i x E m e omm e Executiv m e t o t i C e m E v i m e t e o t e u t t C c i t i e e Comm ee Executiv mmittee Ex tive Comm e u t e o c t t i C t e i x e m E m v i e t m e u o t Com c t C i e x e m E v i e t m e e u o t e c t C t i e t e i x m v E i m t m e u o m e c t C o t e i C e x E e m v e i m t e o t e u t t C c i t i e e x m v m i E ve Com ittee Execut Committee ecutive Com it x e m E m v i m e t m o e u o t C c t C i e x e m E v tive i e t m e u o t c t C i e t e i x m v E i m t m e u o m e c t C o t e i C e x v E e m i v t e i m u t e o t u t C c i e e x m v m i E t m e m u o e c o C t e C cutive mmittee Ex tive Commit e Executive m m o e u o t C c t C i e e ecutiv ommitteeEx utive Comm ee Executive m c t C o t e i C e x v E e m i v t e i m t e o t u t C c i xecu e e x m v i E t m e m u o e c o C t e C t e i x e v E v i t u c ittee Comm e xecuti x

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Ms. Angela Sester, Secretary General 2012-14

7 Stars pharmacists know their i³ factor!

At the 3rd IPSF African Pharmaceutical Symposium in Zimbabwe, Ms. Chaibva, President of Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe, introduced the idea of the seven stars in “Pharmacist in the

body of the Federation is the General Assembly, where Official Delegates represent their Member Organisations to take decisions with regards to the work in the upcoming year. In the 59th General

Health-Care Systems” as part of her inspirational opening speech.

Assembly 2013, 58 Member Organisations were gathered together. Since the European Regional Office was established, the Executive Board now consists of 15 members. During my mandate, this involvement in decision-making was perfect preparation for our future role as pharmacists!

While I was following the speech, I found that these attributes have many parallels to IPSF’s teamwork during the past year.

While I was following the speech, I found that these attributes have many parallels to IPSF’s teamwork during the past year.

Care-givers: What would IPSF be without its youngsters? Those fresh students who attend their first congress, full of excitement and ideas! Arriving for the first time to a Congress means jumping into the unique international environment with both newcomers and experienced professionals who will invite you to discover IPSF and share their experiences and stories. The team spirit makes you feel like you’re at home – with your IPSF family! In summer 2013, about 400 students joined the World Congress in the Netherlands while many more participated in the regional events in Tanzania, Japan and Columbia.

Decision-maker: The highest decision-making

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Communicator: With the Patient Counselling Event, IPSF trains pharmacy students in a key area of competency that they will need as members of a patient—focused profession. In three global IPSF events from 2013-14, PCE introduced the arts of counselling to students, and many national competitions were established. As the global voice of pharmacy students, four policy statements were released at the 67th World Health Assembly 2014.

Leader: In the Leaders in Training programme, participants can improve their leadership skills in areas such as project management, time management, strategic planning, and communication. After only a few trainings, you can observe how the participants start to take the lead. I had the pleasure to being trained in the first IPSF Trainers Development Camp in Warsaw 2014,

Manager: In my roles as Treasurer, Internal Relations to Contact Persons, and Secretary General, I managed the Constitutional Working Committee. As in every business, financial and human resources are limited. Within the team, we learned about how to handle these constraints.

foundation for the perfect pharmacist. Back in Zimbabwe, a rather unconventional speaker Mr. Dexter Tagwireyi gave an inspirational talk titled, “Who says pharmacists are not barrier breakers?”

He summarized these attitudes in the following formula: “innovative x inventive x initiative = i³”!

Life-long learners: At IPSF Congresses, we provide an international learning experience with Symposium days full of lectures, poster competitions, and the platform to exchange experiences from everyone’s individual studies.

These events encourage students to learn beyond their own curriculum. Even as a pharmacist who has graduated from school and spent four years in IPSF, I’ve learned that there’s always more to discover.

Teachers: In IPSF you can not only learn, but also teach. For instance, in different public health campaigns, student pharmacists teach attendees about diabetes, HIV, and tobacco. IPSF is promoting a range of these campaigns to the public and I believe that this is a perfect exercise for both patient counselling and educating the next generation of pharmacists.

These seven stars are a lofty goal, but through IPSF I believe every student can improve while having fun– Let IPSF add colours to your student life! The rainbow is composed of rain and sun – of work and fun!

He claimed that every pharmacy student carries this i³ factor, but the student must be aware about these essentials and play these special cards. Innovation comes with knowledge, and pharmacy students have access to high-quality education. With this knowledge, everyone can always be creative and come up with solutions that nobody may have thought of before. And once you come up with such an idea – don’t let it fade on scratch paper – take the initiative to step forward. Don’t wait for somebody else’s initiative.

It’s fun, it’s fresh, it’s IPSF – reach out to the seven stars and know your i³ factor! But be aware… you never know where it will lead you!

Now that you know the seven stars in the IPSF sky, what is this i³ factor about? Is it a zodiacal sign?

Is it fortune? All of the aforementioned skills are attributes that require a certain attitude to lay the

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and I hope to meet many more students in the future as a trainer myself!

Mr. Laurens Oort, Treasurer 2013-15

Money or more money?

That is the question.

Some say that the President is the most important position in any Executive team.

Some say it is the Secretary General. Cleary, those people have never been the Treasurer.

The Number 1 position has to be the position of Treasurer.

No need for the public smile and tiresome politeness the president needs, no need for the hours of typing and filing of the SecGen. In a world where everyone and everything is dependent on money, who has the power? Right, the Treasurer.

However, not everyone is fit to become Treasurer.

A Treasurer needs a certain connection with money; A Treasurer either loves the smell, the feel, the look or the energy money gives. A Treasurer loves to swim in it, loves to spend day and night with it.

When a Treasurer has to spend money his heart bleeds as if he loses a child. Only if the Treasurer is confident his children will be in good hands and will be used for the good of mommy the Federation will the Treasurer give money to other Executives. The nose of a Treasurer has a special ability, an ability only shared with the Chairperson of External Relations. The nose of a Treasurer is able

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to smell a profit from a great distance, like a shark can smell blood from afar. And just like that shark the Treasurer will put his teeth into it as quickly as possible and will never let go. The coordination between the hands and eyes of a Treasurer are astounding. The way a Treasurer can recognize and count money – no matter what currency – is as fast as a Prometheus-class starship travelling at warp 9.99. Whenever a Treasurer walks into a bank, he feels at home. When it’s a clear night with a full moon, when you listen carefully, you may hear the sound of a Treasurer hunting for money in the dark. If you ever think a Treasurer is getting bored, give him an Excel file full of numbers. After the shortest amount of time the Treasurer will have organized it, counted it, added it or stored it to your hearts’ desire. Anytime. A Treasurer will stick to his savings like Captain Jack Harkness stuck to the TARDIS until the end of time itself. And like Captain Jack, the Treasurer will survive anything.

You know who was a great Treasurer? Robin Hood.

That smart fox really knew how to handle money.

Now, please do not be frightened of a Treasurer.

Even though there might be something genetically wrong with some, this is not yet proven to be because of the position in a large cohort. So far the excessively high copy number of the EURO gene seems to have no effect on the

This love for money is what a good Federation needs. The International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation needs an Incredibly Perfect Supervisor of Finances (IPSF).

A Treasurer is therefore some kind of superhero.

Incredibly Perfect Supervisor of Finances

A Treasurer would have counted how many times the word Treasurer is mentioned in this article, like you would count your M&Ms after sorting them to color. Are you fit to be a Treasurer?

Yours truly, Laurens Oort

Oliver Queen, Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark must have been excellent Treasurers.

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appearance or social behavior of the Treasurer.

Some studies suggest that when treated with a high concentration of money in subjects with a high copy number induces an induced heart rate, higher brain activity and slightly elevated oxytocin levels. However, this proved to be nonlife threatening. On the contrary; The Treasurer seemed to be more vigorous and faster than usual. You can compare it with Peter Parker being bitten by a genetically mutated spider, giving him heightened senses. And just like Peter Parker a Treasurer fights for the good: The good of keeping the money safe and put it to good use.

Mr. Jakub Weber, Chairperson of External Relations 2013-14

External till the very end Dear IPSFers around the world, as you are reading the IPSF publication of the year, my mandate is about to end. And for me this is a great chance to look back to a year full of fun and friendship, but also full of work and stress.

It all has started at the 59th ISPF World Congress in Utrecht, The Netherlands, when I was given the opportunity to serve the Federation as its Chairperson of External Relations. It is a huge portfolio covering basically everything in IPSF. IPSF has partners through all different portfolios and this was one of the challenges I faced: to stay informed what is happening in all aspects of IPSF life. To know everything from budget to public health campaigns and professional development projects. And to find suitable partners who would have similar priorities and approach as

we have, and make them realize, that the start of collaboration with us is the key turning point they were so desperately waiting for...

As one of my priorities for the year, I decided to work intensively on resource mobilization, since this is a huge potential for IPSF but not yet fully utilized. And so, together with the Corporate Relations Committee, we hunted people, collected piles of names and contacts to various companies, investigated on their Corporate Social Responsibility programs and developed Tailored Partnership Proposals… and what for? Results are still to be revealed, but we can say they know us.

They will know who we are and what we want, when we knock on the doors. And this is what matters.

If you ask for major accomplishments (or also the nightmare, sometimes) of the mandate, I would say, the MoU. There were two important Memoranda of Understanding – with European Pharmaceutical Students´ Association (EPSA) and World Healthcare Students´ Symposium (WHSS), which needed to be revised during this year.

The one with EPSA cost us a lot of energy and sleepless nights. There is saying stating that if your counterpart in negotiation starts to dislike you, you are doing good job. Based on this, I believe

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The one on WHSS was piece of cake, comparing the EPSA one. But still sometimes it drives you crazy when you have to wait a month for a reply.

And when you have eight stakeholders, you can imagine… But in the end, we completely restructured the document and welcomed two new partners and the project is alive and doing better than ever...

Of a mention, as an outstanding event of the year, is also the World Health Assembly which I had the chance to attend as part of the IPSF delegation. The assembly itself is amazing and if you are attending with a group of dedicated IPSFers, it is even better. We worked hard, from dawn to dark, but we enjoyed it. A lot. It was really horizon-broadening event and I am really grateful I attended. I do recommend to all of you to apply for IPSF delegation next year. Truly lifelong experience.

And the world of pharmacy is even smaller and I am already looking forward to meeting you at different conferences and events, to see you there as the “important people” on the stage. And then, I will say – “hey people, can you see the guy/girl at the podium? I know him/her, I worked with him/ her…” Oh yes. I am looking forward to it.

IPSF is all about opportunities and for me, it is an opportunity to make a difference, to change the world, an opportunity to make an impact. And this is what counts in the end.

And what is IPSF for you?

We are here, we are waiting for you, IPSF is here to change your life!

Viva la pharmacie!

Jakub Weber

What to add? It will be hard to say goodbye, although I know that we will most definitely see each other again because the world is small.

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we (with my “partner in the crime” – Ms Parand Akhvan) did well. But finally, in the end, we were able to find common language and compromise, so the MoU is ready for approval of the General Assembly.

Mr. Jason Hong, Chairperson of Internal Relations 2013-14

My experience as Chairperson of Internal Relations Greetings New and Old IPSF-ers, My name is Jason Hong, your Chairperson of Internal Relations. I am a hospital pharmacist back in my home country, Malaysia. I am writing this article of mine in the small pharmacy in the Emergency Department of the hospital I work in.

Probably by the time you have read this the 60th World Congress has already started or passed and most people would think how did time passed so quickly? Not a year ago, I found myself on European soil and representing my country in the Netherlands. The experience was a total mix of emotions as anxiety, joy, fear and pride burst inside of me when I got this position as the Chairperson of Internal Relations. Taking the first few steps as the new chairperson was a whole different story compared to being a CP. You are layed out with the different portfolios and leadership roles you have to learn to manage everything quickly.

I have to admit the year has been a rocky one for me as I am also starting my first job as a Hospital Pharmacist back home in Malaysia.

The struggle to balance real-time work and IPSF has put me in a dilemma on things.

However, it did not take my IPSF spirit away as

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the contact persons of IPSF have great IPSF spirits within them. I must say due to my obligations, I am rather envious of the other executives as they got the opportunity to visit the various countries for events. Therefore, the simple online meetings with the CPs and other Executives have been a great way for me to interact and learn about the culture and practices.

The communication with CPs in my opinion has been great as I got to meet various personalities that really intrigued me. To coordinate so many of them is not always easy, but I feel blessed to be given the opportunity to serve this federation during my mandate. Coordinating CP meetings being one of my main duties in IPSF has been a real torturous puzzle for me. With so many variables like availability, time zones, inter-regional communication and etc to be considered, I always

At the start of my mandate, the individual membership portfolio suffered a rough patch however it was resolved later by the appointment of a new Membership Coordinator. I worked closely with our treasurer, Laurens and the Membership coordinator to process the applications. Up to now we had more than 100 applications. However, only 13 had fulfilled their application with proper payment.

A new part of my portfolio, which I have worked closely on is the Membership Promotion. This portfolio used to be part of the portfolio of the Chairperson of External Relations.

and membership Promotion Committee for their contributions. This experience would not have materialized without the encouragement from Ms Marwa the previous Chairperson of Internal Relations and Mr Eric So and I am truly grateful.

Lastly, not forgetting, my wonderful executive team who were always there to support me during my times of trouble. The value of friendship only grows though the times of hardship.

Best wishes from Malaysia, Jason Hong IPSF Chairperson of Internal Relations 2013-14

It has been a great effort to recruit new member countries to our wonderful IPSF family. This year we have a good 9 associations joining us and I am proud of my team for being such a supportive force in this mission. I want to give a very special shout-out to Mr. Mina Esmat of Egypt for his great effort in the EMRO and also the AfRO region.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my great Membership Coordinator,

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have a headache just to get the optimum and right groups together!

Ms. Miranda Law, Chairperson of Student Exchange 2013-14

My experience as Chairperson of Student Exchange It has been quite a year. Full of trials and errors along with changes, hopefully, made for the better. When I first realized I was coming into this position, I questioned if I would ever be able to do a good job at it.

I can look back at the year and say I did the best I could, working with the best Student Exchange Committee (SEC) I could ever have imagined having, and together, we tried to make SEP a quality program for every member of IPSF. We worked with creativity, taking some risks, and putting in lots of hard work. Now, before anything else is said, I give well due credit to my SEC, who, in my opinion, made 75% of everything that was done this year possible (I was the 25% in the background pushing everything along its way). With them, and their dedication to our monthly meetings and their work, we re-vamped communication avenues, SEP promotions, SEP support foundations, and implemented countless new ideas.

A new method of communication. This year was the launch of the “SEP Digest�. It was the trial of a new venue for communicating anything and everything that happened in SEP, sent monthly to only the SEOs. Everything from important

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events from past months and future months, reminders for deadlines and links to surveys and meeting sign ups were reported. I like to imagine, that even if not every SEO was reading it, at least knowing that they COULD read it made them feel like they had more control and understanding of the program.

Work, Work and more Work. At the first SEC meetings, I asked the team if they would be ok with being sectioned off into regional liaisons and providing in depth support for developing SEP associations and also those new to SEP within their region. Their cooperation in attending all our meetings and willingness to work on any assignment needed made huge strides forward this year (read more details in the article on SEC!). At our in person meeting in Den Haag, we revised SEP documents, brainstormed new

friendships with my fellow executive members, SEC, and the many SEOs I have worked with over the year. I will dearly miss the laughter and the bonding time we had. IPSF and the friendships I have made will always hold a bit of my heart wherever I end up. Viva la Pharmacie, Viva la IPSF :)

My favorite moments. With such a crazy year, I come out of it with some amazing memories. During the SEC in-person meeting, the time we spent working was arduous, to say the least, but the bonding time we spent exploring the country together gave me laughs and memories that will stay with me forever.

EM2 was also a meeting that was full of unexpected laughter. Despite our long days of work that lasted, sometimes, until midnight, being on an executive team that is so supportive, funny, caring and creative has made this the BEST experience I could ever ask for.

At the end. My time as the Chairperson of Student Exchange has allowed me to grow in new

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structures for the big sister program, created a new SEP winter timeline, talked about new ideas for incorporating graduates into SEP, created new disciplinary guidelines, and planned for world congress sessions. I hope that our efforts for improved support made the life of SEOs all over the world just a little easier. Without this team, SEP would not be where it is today, and they have all my gratitude and appreciation for their work this past year.

Mr. Khaled Mostafa, Chairperson of Media and Publications 2013-14

Humanity, Skype, and other stuff!

I consider myself one of the luckiest people to write for the third consecutive year to the biggest IPSF publication, the Annual Bulletin!

This year, I was planning to continue improving the IPSF’s publications and identity, my focus was to decrease the amount and increase the publication’s quality. Establishing constant communication channels with all the committee members and coordinators was one of my goals to make sure everyone is productive in his/her job. I promised also to support the other IPSF portfolios in achieving their plans and projects, and of course to establish the new IPSF website.

In addition to that, IPSF identity and branding was one of the most important projects to be taken care this year.

IPSF’s Media and Publications portfolio had its part of improvements at many levels. Whether it’s the launch of the new and branded IPSF Online Store and shipping many merchandise materials orders, or improving the IPSF identity and securing its consistency through issuing the IPSF Brand Book. We have also doubled our digital exposure through many channels and revamped our blog to a modern, branded and responsive channel for our members. With the help of the Media and Publications team, we have

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assisted other IPSF portfolios in producing a lot of successful projects and initiatives. A complete plan for a new IPSF website has been made and approved by the Executive Committee for immediate execution. We have also issued the IPSF Partnership Prospectus to serve the External Relations portfolio in getting more funds. In the Media and Publications committee, we have been working as hard as we can to fulfill the needs of the Federation and to make sure that every product represents IPSF well. To be honest, the portfolio is really huge and stressful at all levels.

One of the turning points of my life was joining IPSF; I found myself and my interests in IPSF. I remember the first time I heard about IPSF. It was on my bus ride to my first day at the Faculty of Pharmacy in 2007. I forgot about the lectures and

Working in IPSF resembles an opportunity for me to try to carry out what I believe in. I believe in humanity and social development, I believe in our potentials, and in our abilities to create a brighter future for the coming generations, a future where we can eradicate the frowns of people in pain and draw a smile, a glimpse of hope.

Last but not least, there are no words that can be written here to express my feelings that have made this a monumental journey. I would like to say thank you to all the people who supported me during the journey. It has been a great pleasure to be a part of IPSF family and work in such a multicultural environment.

It’s really sad that I couldn’t make it to the World Congress in Porto. I’m about to start hating these 2 words from now on; visa and Skype!

See you all soon somewhere, and when ever you’re coming to Egypt let me know, you’re always welcome!

Stay safe everyone and keep in touch!

With love from Cairo!

Khaled

My fifth IPSF year is about to end, and during the journey that started early in 2009, I have had the honor to work in the regional and international levels of IPSF. I have also had the honor to be among the team of the Egyptian Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (EPSF) who won the IPSF Sydney J. Relph award in 2010-11, and the Reception Committee team who organized the 58th IPSF World Congress 2012 in Hurghada, Egypt.

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everything else, and spent the whole day listening to stories about IPSF.

Mr. Fahmi Fuady, Chairperson of Pharmacy Education 2013-14

My Adventure with IPSF:

Together, Improving Global Pharmacy Education Dear IPSF’ers, Greetings from Istanbul, the city where Europe meets Asia.

My name is Fahmi Fuady and I’m going to share my adventure with IPSF. The adventure starts way back in 2011 when I was a participant in the 57th World Congress in Hat Yai, Thailand. Being new to the Federation, that experience made me realize about how big the world of pharmacy is and IPSF gives us a real opportunity to connect with such a wide network of students. After my experience in Thailand, I have gotten the chance to attend several other international student events and at some point I decided that attending these events was not enough, I needed to make some contributions.

This led me to my first position in IPSF as Phuture

FIP Education Initiatives (FIPEd), and its main objective is to collect better evidence on how we, as pharmacy students, perceived our learning experience throughout our degree.

The data collected from the survey will allow worldwide comparisons and mapping of the quality of pharmacy education. Accordingly, this will provide us a strong foundation for the development of better policies and strategies to move global pharmacy education forward. This survey is significant because it allows every one of us to share our thoughts about our education and contribute to improve it in the future.

Coordinator in 2012. After a year being responsible for the educational publications of the Federation, during the World Congress in Utrecht last year I was trusted with my current position.

This year a lot of our effort for the portfolio has been focused on promoting Students’ Learning Experience Questionnaire (SLEQ).

The survey is conducted in collaboration with

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The projects that we did to promote the survey have shown encouraging result; overall we managed to raise about 3000 responses from pharmacy students all over the world this year.

The number may not seem that much, especially

I have to admit that during my mandate, I have not been the best in managing the balance between my personal life and my work with IPSF. I even had to abandon my initial plan for the portfolio because of this. However, despite everything that happened I’m glad that we managed to do all these projects to promote SLEQ because it will open so much more opportunities for IPSF and pharmacy students in general to directly advocate for the improvement of pharmacy education

to everyone who has worked so hard for the pharmacy education portfolio this year.

My biggest adventure with IPSF might come to an end very soon, but I am very excited to see what’s coming up next.

Please keep your support for IPSF and Pharmacy Education. Viva la Pharmacie!

Yours sincerely, Fahmi Fuady

globally as well as locally.

Throughout the year, I have worked with so many amazing people who keep encouraging me to move forward. A really big thank you to Amber my best partner this year; without her hard work we would not be able to make such progress for SLEQ. For Sheena, Barbara, and David, thank you very much for always being there and listening to my trouble.

The whole executive committee has been very supportive and patient despite my entire flaws and I can’t thank them enough for that. And last but not least, a huge thanks IPSF Annual Bulletin

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if we recall that IPSF itself represents more than 350 000 pharmacy students, but it’s a significant increase from the previous year and it’s enough for us to start analyzing the data.

Ms. Sheena Patel, Chairperson of Public Health 2013-14

YOLO: You only live once, but Family comes first!

If you had told me a year ago that I would be traveling to Europe at least three times, I would have laughed right in your face! My mother does not like me traveling much and would not allow

This year I was very lucky to expand my ‘Family’ to include 15 more amazing people! This new Family is the current IPSF Executives and I have really enjoyed getting to know each one of them

me to travel that often to Europe especially in the span of one year!! No way was that happening!

But that is exactly what happened to me! I made the decision to run for the IPSF exec team and one year later I write about my experience.

over the past year! The IPSF execs and I have shared so many great experiences and they have truly become my second Family. I know I can call them 20 years from now and it will feel like we just saw each other yesterday. I love the one decision I made to become an IPSF exec and I hope that you as IPSFer will be inspired to not only live life in the moment but also remember what is important most to you. For me it is Family but for you it could be something else.

YOLO: it’s the motto I live my life by ever since my car accident two years ago. I want to experience and see everything, but above all to me Family comes first.

After I was elected IPSF Chairperson of Public Health, I immediately told my mother. She has been the inspiration and motivation for everything I do. She was very happy to hear about what I had done and was very proud of me, even telling her friends at work about all of my accomplishments and travels. I am so blessed and lucky to have her in my life and now that I have graduated Pharmacy School I will spend more of my time fostering her hopes and dreams just the way she has done it for me all of these years.

As you can tell Family is very important to me.

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I would also like to include 20 more people to my ever-growing ‘IPSF Family’ and that would

But even with these plans I always stick by the motto of ‘You only live once’, so why not go for it? Why not take that trip to Brazil and see the Olympics? Why not help my mum buy books for children in Africa? Live for the moment but never forget what is important to you and in life.

‘You only live once’ still comes back even throughout my position. When I wanted to implement a new project like the TB Poster Competition or a Facebook picture competition for Diabetes Day I figured what is the worst that could happen? That the project is not successful and no one participates? So what? There are worst things that could happen so why not live for the moment. I know some of my projects may not be hugely successful but at least the point is that I tried, I learned and we move on.

As a new chapter begins in my life with starting a job as a Pharmacist in a retail (community) setting I have many plans for the future: traveling, weddings, volunteering, etc.

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be my Public Health Committee. We have definitely grown close between our skype meetings, Whatsapp chats, and even our work in expanding Public Health (especially with Anticounterfeit drugs and Medicine Awareness) for IPSF members! I love all of our conversations, games, and just in general fun times we have had and will have in the future!

Mr. David ÄŒechlovskĂ˝, Chairperson of Professional Development 2013-14

Aro: A story about overcoming challenges and continuing to move forward!

Dear friends of the Federation, A wise person once said, that IPSF wouldn’t mean anything without its members. Therefore, everything that IPSF does either directly (developing projects) or indirectly (partnering with stakeholders), is for its students and recent graduates. Personally I think the main value of the Federation is to provide students all around the world with personal and professional development opportunities. The Federation is here for each of you, to serve as a platform where you can grow, exchange know-how and experience.

Let me share a story with you. Imagine there is a young painted dog called Aro, who was born in captivity.

Aro played with his toys and enjoyed living life to the fullest (like an IPSF event participant, discovering and enjoying all opportunities).

Since Aro was small, he had shown good hunting senses (showed signs of useful skills for an NGO), therefore one day Aro was transported and released into the open area of Hwange National Park (like a freshmen). Aro was extremely happy, because he was no longer confined to a small cage, and he could explore a completely new world. A pack of painted dogs accepted Aro, who learnt to

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interact with his new friends, have fun and went hunting for real (a stage of happiness). However the wilderness was dangerous, and therefore Aro had to be careful. There were many lions and hyenas that could attack him, impalas and kudus that could kick him and many other dangers.

(There was a need to act wisely and responsibly, to pay attention to detail and to think in advance).

Together with the pack throughout the years he learnt how to track prey, how to hunt in a team, collaborate with others, how to dig a hole for breeding, and how to take care of puppies. Aro with his skills became an important part of the team (like an elected member to an international IPSF position, who contributes by developing, planning, implementing and executing projects).

However the cruelty of people knows no bounds, unfortunately it happens that the majority of the pack was caught in wire snares, traps created by poachers, prepared to catch and kill various animals. They were unfortunate victims that died a slow and painful death, just for nothing.

(No matter how careful you are, bad unexpected things happen, therefore you have to be strong to overcome them). Aro, a few female pack members and several puppies survived. They formed a new pack and Aro was chosen as an alpha male. (Aro is like a person elected to be an IPSF Executive or a graduate who starts a new job). What happens

The reality of this metaphor, when I was elected to the position, everything seemed perfect. My mind was filled with ideas, my body was shaking with energy, and my heart was full of passion. My first emails sent, the first team meeting conducted, the first articles written and the first project launched. As the time flew by the issues started to arise. Some projects did not work as they should have, some people let me down as they stopped communicating, some miscommunication appeared, some tasks were not achieved and the feeling of despair consumed me.

happy about my decision to run for Professional Development. What I am trying to do is to be completely honest to all the future candidates and students that will be involved. You can be sure that during the year there will be many ups and downs. People will let you down, but they may also surprise you and help you out. You will prepare to expect the unexpected. Time will be your enemy. Procrastination will mislead you from your way, and your friends will acuse you of not going out with them anymore. Your family might not understand why you are closed in your room sitting by the computer every day. Your mood will suffer from a bipolar affected disorder and many more.

Despite of all these challenges I encourage each of you to become involved and run for a position, because this is the greatest, most magnificent, self-growing experience you can get as a student.

School will not prepare you for the reality, for the dangerous world out there. But IPSF will, because it is a fight for survival against important corporations and other NGO’s.

You might feel surprised, confused or even discouraged, because everyone claims how amazing the experience is to be part of the Federation.

Of course I have a similar opinion, because I am

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Executive Committee

next? How hard was it for him to survive simply as a pack member? Now, Aro was the leader of the pack responsible for everyone, how much harder will it be? How many challenges are out there?

Who will survive? The future is uncertain and nobody knows what will happen. However based on Aro’s experience I trust him, I believe in him and I hope he and his pack will be all right.

Mr. Prosper Maposa, Chairperson of African Regional Office 2013-14

My experience as Chairperson of AfRO The Chairperson of a regional office position can be very confusing. Being part of the Executive Committee, Regional Working Group and also assisting the Reception Committee hosting the Regional Symposium needs adequate coordination for the position holder not to lose track of the bigger picture. However it is not always about the ability of the Chairperson but also about being able to fit into the different teams to ensure that they remain efficient, motivated and avoiding conflicting roles. It is also necessary for the Chairperson to practice a little bit of emotional intelligence as some situations can be very unorthodox.

My year as the Chairperson of the African Regional Office was filled with learning points which I feel will be very important to document for the next generation of leaders. Being responsible for representation of a diverse region requires a lot of patience and understanding of different cultures. This understanding helped me realise how different people are and how best to communicate with responsible individuals from different countries in order to achieve measurable results. Meeting new characters everyday always gives that unifying feeling that enables to unlock some of the untapped energy.

What I learnt the hard way during my term office 22 IPSF Annual Bulletin

is that there is no substitute for direct human interaction.

My advice to the next team is to organize more face to face meetings as these are really handy in formation of a collaborative team that will be ready to take up challenges as they come.

Face to face interaction helps in understanding team members individually and also appreciate some external factors that could interfere or affect delivery on some of the duties that are stipulated for different portfolios in the Regional Working Group and the other complementing committees. The first step to assistance in a team is understanding the challenge and the best way

Part of my duties as the Chairperson was to initiate and direct the goals and projects of IPSF within the African Region. During the 2013 – 2014 mandate we sought to promote and encourage non-member countries ‘within the African region to become members of the Federation. It is not always on a silver plate but it is possible. Where there is a will there definitely is a way and reaching out is easy when all the countries are participating.

Every now and again language comes in as a barrier to some of the membership promotion campaigns. The Chairperson (me) was reaching

those that could not it is my hope that we will meet each other at the 60th IPSF World Congress in Porto, Portugal and future IPSF events. Coming together is only the beginning, coming knowing each other is progress and each time when we are able to work together our results and success is guaranteed.

out to the West African countries which are largely French speaking and he did not know any little bit of French. Yes a little bit of the Google translator and a lot of French speaking team members came in very handy but it is high time I start investing in French lessons maybe I can be made useful in future.

Consider the chairpersons of the regional offices as specific leaders whose mandate is to engage the world whilst putting into perspective the relevance of all matters in discussion to the region. So my duty this year was to ensure that decisions that needed to be made would take into consideration the African perspective. After all has been said and done the most important part the IPSF African Regional Office are its members hence we are only as successful as our members participation. With this I would like to thank all those that voiced their concerns as this makes positions such as mine more realistic.

For those that attended I hope you all enjoyed the breath-taking 3rd IPSF African Pharmaceutical Symposium in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and for

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Regional Offices Executive Committee

I think is getting it first hand and minimizing assumptions.

Ms. Meng San (Dora) Lee, Chairperson of Asia Pacific Regional Office 2013-14

“Language barrier is a big issue here but luckily health brings us together.”

It is hard not to notice that Asia Pacific Region is the most “widely spread” region…but I did not realize that this meant I had to fly so often when I first took this office. Luckily, I am from Taiwan, which is

makes everything else easier. We could sit in one room and discuss what we’ve done in public health campaigns and describe it in anyway we want. Eventually, we proved two things.

right in the middle of the region. This minimized the expenses and solved the geographic issue right away. On the other hand, language barrier wasn’t as easy to dissolve.

One: body language definitely is the spice of all workshops, and two: the conscience of human beings can broaden the knowledge we have now.

Our potential is way beyond our imagination. The bottom line is, the chemical reaction is happening, now we have seen the pathway and it just takes a bit more time than other parts of the world. Thus, APRO’s role is to find or simply be the catalyst, to motivate them (our members), be super patient, and create a platform for them to freely express their ideas. Good things are worth waiting for.

My name is Meng San Lee, but most people known me as Dora Lee (yes, we need a nick name because it’s easier to pronounce and remember).

My first flying experience was in 2011, to Asian Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS) in Indonesia and then to the IPSF World Congress (WC) in Thailand. Since then, I haven’t missed an IPSF WC or APPS. I therefore know how troubling English can be for the Asians and at the same time, how difficult it is for the participants from the “Pacific” to blend in.

All these experiences and gaps forced me to embrace the fact that we may have difficulty communicating, which is the core issue in IPSF’s Asian Pacfic Region.

This however united us as a region. Despite how different we are, I wanted everyone to focus on what we have in common. It’s a simple idea that

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I initiated the Good Pharmacy Practice-education (GPPed) for this. This is a platform for students to talk about GPPed so we can have a common topic in health. I also brought in FAPA (Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations) to show students what it is really like to be on a professional level. I also flew to Japan to make some contacts; I think we all agree that Japan has good health system and they hold some keys to the answers for healthcare. It’s such a pity that we miss this information simply because we can’t read Japanese, Korean or Thai. Language barrier can precipitate indifference, then vicious circle,

Another very crucial thing for being a Chairperson is to see who’s got the potential. I was Regional Project Officer in 2012-2013 and now the Chairperson of APRO. I met some people who helped me and now I am ready to pay back this favor, pass on the torch, as if it is the rite of passage.

world for us to explore.

So, it’s not about the language anymore, the barrier is still there but it’s not an obstacle anymore, you see? Just give us more time and you will be amazed.

I took a year off for this position; I flew 13 times in 12 months. I had several arguments with my family but once they knew what I am doing, then they were proud of me. I have had my birthday in World Congress four years straight, and I met hundreds of good friends around the world; we talked about very different but important things in life. I have the power to change things and I always do what I think is right. I mean, what else does a student want? What else can a person want?

It’s difficult to see the world now, at our age. But in here, you see through other people’s eye, and once we got in, got hooked, you know there is a

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and I think that is the most hazard thing in IPSF. So I tried everything I could to help our students and I believe, when people start being involve, the world won’t let them down.

Ms. Essra Noureldin, Chairperson of Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office 2013-14

My experience as Chairperson of EMRO My name is Essra Noureldin, a recent Pharmacy graduate from Sudan and serving as IPSF Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office Chairperson for 2013-2014.

My involvement with IPSF have started in 2011 when I attended the 2nd IPSF Eastern Mediterranean Pharmaceutical Symposium in Doha, Qatar, which made me fall in love with the federation, and inspired me to move on forward in the work of my local association as well as in the work of the federation.

At that time I wouldn’t have imagined that I would be serving as the chairperson of EMRO in couple of years, but as they say when you get an opportunity presented to you, it will lead directly to another.

With that said, choosing to be part of IPSF has been the best decision of my pharmacy school and career.

Managing a regional office is a very challenging job as the portfolio of the regional chairperson position involves both, your duties of managing the office and your duties as an IPSF executive as well.

The Eastern Mediterranean Regional office has 26 IPSF Annual Bulletin

made huge steps these past years, numerous online meetings were held, and with EMRO being a young region compared to the others, it has been one of our term priorities is setting a strategic plan for the office to help the upcoming Regional Working groups in the smooth running of the office.

Membership was a main focus this year, we worked in reaching and promotion of IPSF to the non-member countries and reaching to the already established associations and help Whom in the process of forming new associations in the countries that didn’t had already established associations, so we have been in contact with new countries like Afghanistan, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya.

And for the regional projects, we were working on the restructuring of the focus projects and establishment of new ideas.

The Biggest event of the office is the fourth IPSF Eastern Mediterranean Pharmaceutical Symposium (EMPS) which will be held in Monatsir, Tunisia from 18th to 23rd of August and hosted by ATEP, Tunisia. Much effort was put into promotion, support to the reception committee and detail planning, and I believe it will be another successful event, as huge efforts and hard work from the IPSF

who made this task possible, and to my execs who were always supportive.

Even though there is a lot of other work that I had to do as The IPSF EMRO Chairperson, I would like to accentuate the work as an IPSF executive, being part of such an executive committee is no easy task.

Yours In IPSF.

Regoinal Offices

team and the Reception committee have been done so far.

Essra

There is always a lot of work and obligations for everybody, and I am really blessed to have had such a great executive to work with, I really believe everybody did a great job!

This year was undoubted a challenging term but it was truly exceptional. As a chairperson I had a chance to attend the second and third IPSF Executive meetings held in Den Haag, The Netherlands and Porto, Portugal respectively, Executive meetings were a great opportunity to discuss the matters of the Federation and the region with the rest of the executives.

This year was a life time experience that was full of memorable events and moments, there are never enough words to say about IPSF so I would just like to say thank you for my Regional Working Group,

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Ms. Parand Akhavan, Chairperson of European Regional Office 2013-14

My experience as Chairperson of EuRO “Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others” – Rosa Parks

during the year proved to be more than I could have imagined.

Dear reader, Let me first introduce myself. My name is Parand Akhavan and I am your Vice-President and Chairperson of the European Regional Office. I am 23 years old and in the first year of my Master in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences.

By the time you get to read this, the 60th IPSF World Congress is probably approaching its end.

Ten days have flown by faster than you could imagine. For those of you who are new, you probably discovered why people keep returning to this event. In ten days you meet up with old friends, get to know new people, party, learn, have meetings, attend the General Assembly, see sights and experience the culture. Now take that and spread it over a period of 365 days and you will have an executive year.

My first international congress was the 58th IPSF World Congress in Hurghada, Egypt. Right then and there I fell in love with IPSF and made the decision that as soon as my executive year with the K.N.P.S.V. was up I would run for a position in IPSF. So last year in Utrecht, the Netherlands, I ran for a position. I took on the challenge of being the first Chairperson of EuRO. A huge task which

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Usually a Regional Office is run by multiple people who together are part of the various departments of IPSF, run the regional projects and social media and have the Chairperson to represent the voice of the region in the Executive Committee. This year all of this was on me and it was, as many said, insane. It really was too much work for one person especially considering I was doing a full time internship with it.

Thankfully I had an amazing team who helped tremendously where I needed an extra set of hands and I am glad that the CPs agreed to open the calls for two more positions with the European Regional Working group.

Regoinal Offices My successor will be beyond thankful. Yet, regardless of all the work, it has been a year I would not trade for anything in the world. The interaction with members puts into perspective why we work so hard. The interaction with the team reminds me of how beautifully divers IPSF is not only in culture, races, religions and traditions but also the aspects of our profession we focus on.

So what does Rosa Parks have to do with this?

Well, the work we do, the choices we make in IPSF are passed on from one generation to another. It is because of the students in 1948, who decided to bring students from all over the world together to discuss our profession and to learn from one another, that we now have this amazing Federation. Together we are IPSF. With much IPSF love, Parand Akhavan

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Mr. Lucas Ercolin, Chairperson of Pan American Regional Office 2013-14

Impacting and Developing

“To the infinity and beyond” – Buzz Lightyear To grow we need to keep the track, create new things and make it public. With this ideology we from the IPSF Pan American Regional Office started the mandate, during the 59th IPSF World Congress. The PARO team, with eighteen hard working members, showed their face and achieved the following: More impact Considering that the impact can be quantified by how many people it reached and the quality of its publications. I will avoid talking about quality and will ask you to consider this. The IPSF PARO Facebook’s page raised its number of “likes” in almost 68% from the last mandate. Now we have almost the same number of “likes” that the others regional offices. The page’s views show that PARO members increased their activity during the year, showing that people didn’t only like the page, but that they keep following it.

The Regional Symposium is back!

The last time that PARO held the Pan American Regional Symposium was in 2008, in Mexico (which is not a member today). And now in 2014 we will have it again in Brazil, organized

by CACIF. 30 IPSF Annual Bulletin

This will happen in August 24th to 30th and will have students from all over the American Continent and even from other regions. An old dream of the Region is now true.

Successful ideas PARO, after the Sunglasses in Egypt and Netherlands, developed for this summer the PARO Flip Flops that became ready before the Executive Meeting 2. We do not it to be only a success between the Executives, but worldwide.

For this we started the IPSF PARO Flip Flop Giveaway promotion, which has given two pairs for two students from Colombia and Poland. This promotion reached more students than any other publication from PARO. The Pan American Regional Symposium, with the promotional video that shows the College Restaurant, helped IPSF to reach Brazil like never did before.

Joint work is the spirit and the language A Regional Office, Executive or any other organization that do not have a joint work cannot reach its maximum. With this principle the Regional Working Group made a revolution.

Almost no post, project, meeting or event were made by individuals.

Regoinal Offices The successful translations, which made PARO reach all of our members, even those who do not speak English, are part of this philosophy.

Almost all projects had the participation of other officers, even when they were not related to the portfolio.

New projects, new projects everywhere The IPSF Projects in PARO can be divided in two groups: The Series and the PARO Projects. The Series were ten during the mandate (Diabetes Awareness month, Health Living, Hepatitis Day, Immunization, Valentine’s Day, Vampire Cup, World AIDS Day, World Blood Donor Day, World Health Day and World Tuberculosis Day) and are characterized by a small number of posts during some period. They were informative and in some of them showed the opinion or research on the subject.

of Public Health started this campaign, inviting people to do creative new campaigns.

The Professional Development Project came from the questioning: “How can PARO have more leaders?” For this we developed the PARO Grant that will pay the LIT registration for those who participate on this project, which wants to show to the students how important is for the pharmacist to have leadership skills.

For the future With a strong and active Regional Office, the possibilities are infinite. How much can we go further is reserved for the future. But for now, what we can to is to work hard to reach our very best.

The PARO Projects were the “IPSF PARO Creative Diabetes Campaign” and “IPSF PARO Professional Development Project”. In order to show that Health Awareness do not need to be complex and with a huge number of participants in order to have impact, we from PARO with the Chairperson

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Mr. Eric So, Mr. Marouen Ben Guebila & Ms. Van Duong, Advisory Board 2013-14

Our Experience as IPSF Advisory Board The IPSF Advisory Board exists to provide experience and guidance, when needed, to the IPSF Executive Committee. Members consist of three former members of the immediate past executive committee, which must be from different member countries. This year, the IPSF Advisory Board members are Mr. Eric So (CAPSI Canada), Mr. Marouen Ben Guebila (ATEP Tunisia), and Ms. Van Duong (APhA-ASP USA). Eric started his IPSF journey in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 2008, Marouen began in Thailand 2011, and Van attended her first congress in Hatyai, Thailand in 2011. We have all served as university representatives, committee members, national officers, and executive members, and the IPSF spirit is very bright in all of us.

Being in the Advisory Board of IPSF is certainly a different experience than from being on the Executive Committee. It is perhaps the best transition between the student life and work life with a smooth transition to leave IPSF after being involved for many years. This year, we completed our duty to provide the best and most appropriate advice to the Executives committee as a whole. We have been following the workings of the Executive Committee and Regional Offices. Although we have all passed on our executive duties, our work with IPSF continued on many different levels.

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Eric has been involved in Professional Development Events for many years in IPSF, and this year was able to stay active locally by attending CAPSI’s Professional Development Week (PDW) 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. He will also be present to judge the Patient Counselling Event and Clinical Skills Event Workshop for the 60th IPSF World Congress in Porto, Portugal and the 13th IPSF Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Marouen was involved with Pharmacy Education and especially with integration of emergent countries and new members. He attended some parts of Executive Meeting #2 and the World Health Assembly (WHA). He also helped with EMPS organisation as well as ATEP national congress. Van’s work in IPSF involved developing and strengthening the regional structures. This year she was active locally as APhA-ASP’s National Project Coordinator while serving as PARO’s Immediate Past Chairperson.

Throughout our term we have kept our communication channels open and have proactively reached out to Executive Committee and Regional Offices. The Advisory Board has provided support and advice to the Executive Committee when asked or as required, either individually or collectively. We wish to thank the Executive Committee of 2012-13 in giving us this

huge honour to be the Advisory Board of 2013-14.

Regoinal AdvisoryOffices Board

It has been tremendously humbling and rewarding to continue following the workings of the Federation, and we hope that our advice and opinion were constructive to the development of the Federation and the Regional Offices.

Ms. Van Duong

Mr. Marouen Ben Guebila with Mr. Richard Horton, Editor-in-chief of The Lancet magazine

Mr. Eric So with Ms. Carly Stoneman, the CAPSI IPSF Contact Person

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P c i h l h t l t b l ublic a u a e P e H H h H h t l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a H e H e H c H i c l i c l i b l ublic b u b u P u P P h h t l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a H e H e c H i c H i c l i c l i b l b u b Publ u P u P P h h t l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a H e H e c H i c H l i c l i c b l i b l u b u b P u P u P h P h h t l h t l t a l t a e l a e a H e H e c H i c H l i c h Pub Health Publ ealth Publi ealth Public a H e c H i c H l i c l i c b l i b l u b b u u P P lth P c Health Pu h h t l t l a a e e H e H i c H l i c l i c b l i b l u b b u P h alth P lic Health Pu c Health Pu t l a e H H i c l i c b l i b l u b u b P u P u P P h h t l h t l t a ealth l a e a e H e H c H i c H l i c l i c b l i b l u b u b P u P u P h P h t l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a H e H e H c H i c l i c l i c b l i b l u b u b P u P u P h P h t h h t l t l a a Heal ublic Healt e e H H c i c l i l i b l b u b P u P u P h P h t l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a H e H e c H c H i c l i c l i b l b u l b u b P u P u P h P h t l h t l ic Hea Public Hea Public Healt ublic Health b u P h P h t l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a e H c blic H th Public H h Public He i l b u u P P l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a e H c blic H th Public H h Public He i l b u P P l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a H e H e H c H i c l i c l i b l ublic b u b u P u P P h h t l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a H e H e c H H ic c l i c l i b l b u b Publi u P u P P h h t l h t l h t a l t a e l a e a H e H e c H i c H l i c l i c b l i b l u b u b P u P u P h P h h t l h t l t a l t a e l a e a H e H e c H i c H l i h Pub Health Publ ealth Public alth Public a e H e c H i c H l i c l i c b l i b l u b u b u P u P P h th P t h l t h l t a l a e a e a H e H e c H i c H l i c l i b c l i b l u b u b u P u P P h t h l t h alth P l t a 34 IPSF Annual Bulletin

Mr. Muhammad Azhari, Public Health Awareness Co-ordinator 2013-14

My name is Muhammad Azhari -- people usually call me Ajay, and I am from Indonesia. I am currently finishing the final year of my Bachelor’s degree at the Bandung Institute of Technology

and revising the Diabetes toolkit, conducting an essay competition during World HIV/AIDS Day, making a video about tobacco (special thanks to Bárbara (IPSF PARO Regional Officer) and all

(ITB) and will hopefully be a pharmacist soon. It’s an honor for me to hold this position as the IPSF Public Health Awareness Coordinator 2013-14.

the Contact Persons involved in this project), and setting up a poster competition to educate people about the danger of tuberculosis.

My story of being involved in IPSF started when I attended APPS 2012 in Taiwan. During that time, I was filled with IPSF spirit for the very first time. This feeling became stronger during my participation in Leaders in Training (LIT) in APPS 2012. The joy, friendship and the brand new professional experience it brought to me encouraged me to become more deeply involved in IPSF life, both in my association (as a Contact Person) and in IPSF APRO (as a Subcommittee).

During my term, I got a lot of guidance and help from Sheena Patel, who is the Chairperson of Public Health 2013-2014. She was always there whenever I needed support and guidance. To be honest, some things did not went very well due to my health issues few months ago. However, the Public Health Team had my back, and it eased my workload.

The first time I held this position, it was not easy. Together with the Chairperson of Public Health, the other Public Health Coordinators, and the Public Health Committee, I had a lot of responsibility, particularly with concern to global health awareness. However, as time went by, things got a lot easier as we helped each other in creating awareness of public health issues to the society around the globe.

Some examples of things that I have done during my term as coordinator are upgrading

Almost one year has passed, and I realize that I have learned many valuable things.

Two important ones were time management and project planning, which will support my professional life and career in the future.

Once again, I would like to say thank you for all support, help, friendship, and knowledge. Get involved in this unforgettable experience, dear IPSF’ers, wherever you are -- you won’t regret it!

Viva la pharmacie!

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Public Health

PH Awareness Co-ordinator, A Journey

Ms. Melissa Laub, Humanitarian Co-ordinator 2013-14

My Experience as Humanitarian Co-ordinator I applied to be the Humanitarian Coordinator because I viewed it as a great opportunity to help people and meet IPSF members across the globe.

Through this position, I have seen that we can do great things when everyone is working toward the same goal. I would like to highlight the projects we worked on this year: The Regular Vampire Cup is an ongoing blood donation campaign that has grown substantially over the past few years.

More than 12,000 units of blood were collected in 2013, which means IPSFers helped up to 36,000 people in need! The final numbers for the 2014 Regular Vampire Cup will be announced later this summer.

As humanitarian coordinator, I have the opportunity to read every country’s event reports. I am constantly surprised by the creativity of IPSFers and impressed at how they are encouraging people to donate blood. We also held the second annual LIVE Vampire Cup, in which four countries participated. During the LIVE cup, donations were posted online in real time.

The total number of donors was 1,644 and units of blood were 1,618 L. Both of these campaigns promote friendly competition among countries, instill a sense of pride in their IPSF organization,

36 IPSF Annual Bulletin

and save lives around the world!

In addition to the Vampire Cup, we also promoted Plan, Books for Africa, and Pharmabridge. The mission of Plan is to improve the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries.

Books for Africa collects and distributes books to children in need in Africa. Pharmabridge is a program created by FIP that collects textbooks for pharmacy schools in developing countries. There has been interest in these programs from several different IPSF chapters, and we are excited to see what projects may happen in the future.

One big advance we made this year was updating all of our information on the IPSF website, which has helped to spread awareness of the Humanitarian Campaigns. I highly encourage everyone to read more about these projects on our website. Holding a humanitarian campaign is a wonderful way to promote involvement in your IPSF chapter while also helping those in need.

Ms. Bรกrbara Scoralick Villela, IPSF PARO Regional Projects Officer 2013-14

At the start of my mandate, to be honest, there were many things about the position of Regional Projects Officer (RPO) that I had no idea about.

Naturally I knew I would work with projects within PARO but I got a much better opportunity than expected. Turns out that RPOs are coopted members of the Public Health, Pharmacy Education, Professional Development and Policy committees.

As RPO, I got to work with a great team (Regional Working Group and 2 coordinators) to push even further the PARO region in terms of public health.

pharmacy school. In Pharmacy Education I got to be a part of many internal processes such as internship applications, poster competitions and development of publications (which prepared me for one of my biggest tasks of the year). Policy was the hardest committee as policy writing was not my forte but it helped me to grow so much as a professional. The last committee was the Public Health, preparing me for life. As a team we worked on many campaigns, video endeavors, logistics for events such as the World Health Assembly, among others. My main task over the last few months was Public Health SPOT and I hope all the readers get to see it soon.

Our focus this year was to create content for our members to share and be inspired by. I would say this worked out very well and if I had just one advice for my successor it would be to take this even further and strive for member participation.

I can see PARO growing more every year and I am so glad to have been a part of this process.

My secondary function was to assist in any way possible the committees I was part of and I took this very seriously. It was such an amazing opportunity and my knowledge of IPSF grew exponentially.

The highlight of the Professional Develpment for me was the IPSF Patient Counselling Online Event, pushing me to learn more about clinical skills as this was not an important part of my training in

I would like to encourge everyone to have an active role in IPSF, even if you are just a co-opted member of committees. Might be hard work but it is a small price to pay for so much knowledge gained and so many new friends. Thank you all for an amazing year.

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37

Public Health

Expanding Horizons

r D v P l e t a D n n l e t o a i n n s m e s o p i e o s m f l nt Pro sional Deve ment Profes nal Develop nt e s o p i e o s m f l s p o e e r o f v l P e o e r D v P nt l e t a D n n l e o a i n n s m e s o p i e o s m f l s p o e ent Pr ssional Dev pment Profe onal Develo e i e o s m f l s p o e e r o f v l P e o e ment fessional D lopment Pr ssional Dev m p o e e r o f v l P e o e t r D v P l e t a D n n l men e o a i n s m s o p i e o s m f l s p o e e r o f v l P e o e t r D v P e t D n l e a pmen rofessional n m o p i o s l s p e e o f v l P e o e t r D v P n l e opme Professiona velopment fessional D lo e o e t r D v P n l e e t a D n n l m e o a i n s m lop s o p i e o s f l s o e e r f v l P e o e t r D v P n l e e t a D n n l m e o a p i n o s m l s o p i e e o s f l s o e e r f v P e o e t r D v P n l e e t a D n n velopm nt Professio Developme Professional v l e e t a D n n l m e o a p i n m o p i o s l s evelo ent Profess e e f v e o r D P l e t a D n n l m e o a p i Develo ent Profess nal Developm nt Profession D l m e o a p i n o s m l s o p i e e o s f l s o e e r Dev f v P e o t r D P n l e t a D n n l m e o a p i n o s m l s o p i e e o s f v l s e o e e r D f v P l e o t r D P n l e t a n n l m e o a p i n o s m l s o p i e e o s f v l s e o e e r D f v P l e o t r a D P n l e t a n n m e o a p i n o s m l s o p i e e o s f v l s e o e e r D f v P l e o t r a D P n n l e t a n n m e o p i n o s m l s o p i e e o s f v l s e o e e r D f v P l e o t r a D P n n l e t o a n n m e o p i o s m l s o p i e e o s f v l s e o e e r D f v P e o t r D P n l e t a ional n n m e o p i o s m l s p i e e o s f v l s e o e e r D f v P l e o siona velopment fessional D lopment Pr s 38 IPSF Annual Bulletin

Working as a hospital pharmacist in Australia, it has given me a very real appreciation for the importance of clinical pharmacists in patient care. It has been an honour to serve as Clinical Skills Event Coordinator this term, and have the opportunity to encourage young pharmacists to think clinically, and about the whole patient from an early point in their career.

It is crucial that reliable resources be used and this often means checking multiple references to get the best answers. Organising the questions for the World Congress and regional symposiums proved to be a great challenge and required a lot of assistance from other specialist pharmacists.

I would like to thank Jaiyi Gong, Lee Ross and Melissa Teo for their help in preparing the questions and cases.

Building on the success of the clinical Jeopardy in 2013, we look forward to running this competition again in 2014. This allows for a fun and entertaining environment where clinical knowledge can be explored and both participants and spectators can test their clinical knowledge. With a heated competition in 2013, this year is sure to be an

exciting one!

The new initiatives for this year involve creating a collection of free references for all students, to encourage the use of credible references in everyday practice and explore the incredible and ever-changing amount of information available.

The aim is also to put together a database of clinical questions for the benefit of pharmacy students anywhere and at any time.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a very sincere thank you to David and the rest of the Professional Development team for their support, both professionally and personally, over what has been a very difficult year. It has been such a blessing to be surrounded by so many wonderful and driven people, all working towards creating opportunities for young pharmacists to be their best.

Clinical pharmacy continues to grow and I encourage everyone to take every opportunity to experience what it is to be a clinical pharmacist, and continue to expand their knowledge.

Viva La Pharmacie!!

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39

Professional Development

t nt Ms. Catherine Brown, Clinical Skills Event Co-ordinator 2013-14 ent My Experience as CSE men Co-ordinator me pm opm lop elo This position has opened my eyes to just how clinical resources and guidelines are velo many available across the world. eve Dev De l De al D nal ona ion sio

Ms. Mafalda Koppensteiner, Compounding Co-ordinator 2013-14

One great challenge called Compounding!

From the first time that I came in contact with compounding while studying Pharmacy, I immediately fell in love with this pharmaceutical activity, and realized how crucial and important the pharmacist’s role is in compounding.

Whenever a specific drug is needed with special requirements to treat a patient, compounding is the way to obtain that drug, and pharmacists are the only ones with the theoretical and practical skills to accomplish that. So, when I discovered that IPSF had created the Compounding Event, I decided that I wanted to organize and be a part of the development of this incredible event. When I applied to the position, I knew that it would be a new experience and without a doubt a whole new challenge. But after almost a year, I can’t even start to describe how amazing it was to work on an IPSF event! I was able to organize and structure a fresh event, with my scientific and academic experience, and it turned out to be quite the challenge but was really fulfilling. Not only did I improve my working skills and gained new ones, but also had the pleasure to meet and work with wonderful people, and also realized how diverse pharmacy can be.

40 IPSF Annual Bulletin

It was without a doubt an amazing year and I am very thankful to have had this great opportunity to take part in IPSF as a Compounding Coordinator.

It was a new and exciting experience for me, and it was certainly rewarding to contribute to developing a new IPSF event. I strongly encourage all pharmacy students to get involved with IPSF, with all its events and activities and get into the IPSF spirit. By becoming part of this exciting world, you can come in contact with all kinds of cultures, make new and wonderful friends, improve your working skills and learn how pharmacy works on a global scale.

Mr. Dickson Fung, Patient Counselling Event Co-ordinator 2013-14

My interest in being patient counselling event (PCE) coordinator this year sparked when I won the Advanced PCE in Japan at the 2014 AsiaPacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS). The role as coordinator never failed to surprise me, with the complexities and thoughts required to make things happen in IPSF. Writing cases was harder than I imagined due to the strict guidelines they needed to follow, but it truly helped expand my pharmaceutical knowledge.

During my term as coordinator, I ran into some stumbling blocks so unfortunately I was not able to achieve as much as I hoped in the year. I helped the Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) promote PCE as their focus project for the year by providing them with PCE cases coupled with guidelines as to how to approach a PCE case. A blank marking sheet was also provided so students could better understand what a judge looks for in PCE. The solution for the cases were not provided however, as the students were told to provide their responses by posting on the APRO Facebook page or to email APRO’s projects coordinator and we would provide personal feedback to their responses.

David Cechlovsky, took on most of my duties. He put into place an idea that I pitched to him earlier, the idea of having PCE cases through Facebook where people can provide their responses through comments. David further enhanced this idea through having multiple patients, whom would comment on your response to make it a more realistic patient counselling experience. This event was a success and managed to reach much more students than the congress and the regional symposiums.

Overall, I am very thankful to have been given this opportunity to work as coordinator even though I was unable to fully perform the role due to unexpected events.

Nonetheless, the IPSF team truly advocates for the profession to create better pharmacists for the future.

Viva La Pharmacie!

Later in the year, due to unexpected events, I was unable to fully complete my duties as coordinator and the Chairperson of Professional Development,

IPSF Annual Bulletin

41

Professional Development

My Experience as PCE Co-ordinator

Ms. Amira Hesham, PPAC Co-ordinator 2013-14

Changing the paradigm of “Drug Oriented” to “Patient Oriented” I’m Amira Hisham from Egypt, the Coordinator of the Pharmacy Profession Awareness Campaign.

Three years ago, I was a student member in the Egyptian Federation. After being active in the activities they did, I started to join the IPSF world.

This year was like a journey through the IPSF world, and unfortunately it’s about to finish, but it has definitely been a year full of achievements.

I had the chance to be a part of a great team, and was surrounded by supportive friends. Being able to work with such motivated people allowed me to bring changes, and encouraged me to move forward.

The progress that we have made throughout the whole year would have never been possible without the help of the entire team.

I made one of my goals to make the Pharmacy Awareness Campaign (PPAC) this year a little more public among students. Pharmacy awareness campaigns delivered through social media turned out to be very effective, an efficient way to alert the public, and convey a message to the maximum number of people with minimal costs and expenses.

So, in January, the Competwition was conducted, which was a Twitter contest and was aimed to reach a wide range of audiences including

42 IPSF Annual Bulletin

pharmacy students and their communities.

The community reached the aim of the campaign by tweets, and it was hoped they would show their increased trust in pharmacists.

In some countries, the profession of pharmacy is perceived by the majority of society as “Thieves and Sellers”. “Thieves” because the prices of drugs change every couple of months according to the drug manufacturers, and “Sellers” because they are suppliers of drugs that don’t provide the necessary information and care. The situation is confusing and we tried to fix it. I believe that the PPAC has a lot of potential to develop great projects at a large scale.

I hope that the IPSF world grows day-by-day, and month-by-month. I can’t say how thankful I am to the fellow members of IPSF. Here is where I can feel the magic of IPSF, and the sense of accomplishment. I will forever remember this year and the people who I shared it with.

Professional Development

R E D OR !

NOW

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43

c m u n r d o a i y Ed E t h a y P c c a u n d o i m n E r t o a a i y t c c h a a u P c u d E cy Ed tion Pharm Education y c a m n r o a a i y t c c h a a u P acy Ed ation Pharm y Education armacy Educ io t c c h a a u P c d m u n E r macy ucation Pha acy Educatio harmacy Ed ati P c d m u n E r d o a i y E t c h a y P c c a ma u n d o i m E r t a a y t c c h a a u P c d m u n E r d o a i y E t c h a y a P c c a m u n r d o i m E r t a a y c c h a a u P c d m u n E r d o a i y E t c h a y a P c c a m u n r d o i a m E r t a a y c c h a u P c d m u n E r d o a i y E t c h a y a P c c m a u n r d o a i m E r t h a a y c c h a u P d m u n E r d o a i y E t c h a y a P c c m a u n r d o a i m E r t h a a y P c c h a u P d m n E r d o a i y E t c h a y a P c c Pharm y Education armacy Edu ion Pharma E t c h a y a P c c m a u n r d o a i m E r t a a y c c h a u n Ph P d m n E r o a i y t c h a y a P c c m a u n r d o a i m E r t h a a y c c h a u P d on P m n E r o a i y t c h a y a P c c m a u n r d o a i m E r t h a a y c c h a u P d ion P m n E r o a i y t c h a a P c c m a u n r d o a i m E r t h a a y P c c h a u n P d o i m n E r o a at i y t c h a a P c m u a n r d o a i m E r t h a a y P c c h a u n P d o i m n E r t o a a i y t c h a a P c m u n r d o a i m E r t h a a y P c c h a u n P d m n E r o a i y t catio c h a a P c m u n r d o a i m E r t h a a y P c c h a u n P ucatio harmacy Ed ation Pharm y Education ar P c c h a u n P d o i m n E r t o a a i y t c h a a P c duc m u n r d o a i E t h a a y P c c h a u n P d o i m n E r t Educa n Pharmacy ucation Pha acy Educatio Ph d o i m n E r t o a a i y t c c h a u a P c Ed du ion arm 44 IPSF Annual Bulletin

Ms. Lily Chong, Internship Co-ordinator 2013-14

My year has gone by in a blink of an eye. The term has not been easy, as it was a relatively fresh portfolio when I first started. For me, it was about creating a balance between work commitments

members, we were able to secure 5 placements covering an array of different pharmacy fields, including public health, pharmaceutical policy making, communication and marketing. We

and my passion for pharmacy education.

were more than thrilled to have the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), Alliance for Health Promotion (A4HP) and the WHO Department of Non-Communicable Diseases as our official hosts this year.

Why internship coordinator, you ask? Well, having been through the years as a student and a recent graduate myself, there is no doubt that it is a challenge to secure work placements in hospitals, community pharmacies, or industry, let alone opportunities in Public Health in this competitive environment.

Being able to realise internship opportunities for fellow colleagues gave me a sense of gratification, especially after a long day at work. Of course, a lot of effort went into it - from promotion and recruitment, to shortlisting and logistics.

The one thing that was imperative was communication (yes emails! With a glass of wine).

It’s about building and maintaining relationships with existing and new NGO partners, as well as liaising with interns to ensure the smooth running of their internships.

Time management, teamwork, and networking are just a few skills I’ve honed. I’m sure there’s plenty more to learn, especially when you are working with such a dedicated and resourceful team -- Fahmi, Sheena, Radek, Putri, Khaled, WaiLing, Angela, Jakub, Laurens and many more.

It has been a rewarding experience and a great pleasure working with like-minded individuals who share the same passion for pharmacy. If there’s one thing I could improve on, it would be to attend more international events to meet my fellow IPSFers!

There will be more internships coming your way, so keep a close eye on our website!

Viva La Pharmacie!

This year, with the support of the IPSF committee

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45

Pharmacy Education

Opening doors, creating opportunities

Ms. Amber Liu, Pharmacy Education Research Co-ordinator 2013-14

IPSF, an enduring vision.

It has been rather difficult to come up with the direction for this annual bulletin. I thought about condensing my annual report to a more readable format, but the more I reflected, the more I knew that my annual report is as concise as it could be.

What is meaningful here, is examining how my piece of the puzzle fits into the whole picture.

At the start of the term, I was searching to discover how I would be able to add value to IPSF as an education research coordinator.

The vision that was shared with me through the amazing executives this year and our enthusiastic president, was very inspiring. It embodied the long-term vision of continuing the proud traditions of IPSF while adapting our Federation to the ever-changing landscapes in the profession of pharmacy. An objective aimed to elevate our Students’ Federation on the world stage via impact-building through all our activities, large and small, as represented in each portfolio. In my case, it was to successfully coordinate projects in collaboration with our stakeholders, and to conduct/coordinate new research that would further demonstrate our collective professional competencies and capacity. I believe I have facilitated the building of this portfolio’s foundation (kindly refer to my annual report for supplementary reading). My

46 IPSF Annual Bulletin

future vision for this position is an adaptation of the research coordinator role to the foundation of IPSF along with policy, and public health portfolios as an IPSF pillar. For one brilliant research framework can cross the expertise of all these portfolios, and I am excited to see the fruits of collaborative effort in the area of impactful outcomes and quality data generation.

The overarching vision of IPSF is the key; it is the strategy that can guide our work with every step. Personally, it is a treasured feeling to be contributing to something I believe in, something that I know has a positive global impact and is greater than myself. Seeing IPSF as a whole – to really be apart of, and experience the spirit of this Federation, is very different from merely partaking in its functions and events (although that’s a great way to start). Working within IPSF has been invaluable. Beyond meeting some of the most marvelous people, I got a chance to work with them. It was team experience at an international level indeed, along with lessons on intercultural norms you can’t easily find just anywhere. The experience has truly expanded my mind and my heart. In looking forward to the coming years of IPSF, I would like to toast to the legacy we have all collectively built together.

Viva la Pharmacie!

Pharmacy Education IPSF Annual Bulletin

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E t h g t S c n n x a e e E h g d t c u n x t e E han S d t e u n t g e S n d x a e u E t h g t S c n n x a e e E chang tudent Exch ge Student hange Stud E t S c n n x a e e E h g d t c n u n x t e E S d t e u n xcha t g e S n d a e u t h g t S c n n x a e e E h g d t c n u Excha e Student Ex ange Studen xchange St nt e E h g d t c n u n x a t e E h S d t e u n t g e Exc S n d a e u t h g S c n x a e E h g t c n n x a e E h d t c e u n x t g e E S n d t a e u t h g S c n x a e E h g t c n n x a e E h d t c e u n x t g e E S n d a e u nt t h g S c n x a e E h g t c n n x a e E h d t c e u n x t g n a h ent E ange Stude xchange S c x E t n e E h d t c e u n x t g e E S n d t a e u n t h g e S c n d x a e E h g t c n n x a e E h d t c e u n x t g e E S n d t a e u n t h g e S c n x a e ud E h g t c n n x a e E h d t c e u n x t g e E S n d t a e u n t h g S c n x a e ude E h g t c n n x a e E h d t c e u n x t g e E S n d t a e u n t Stude Exchange S ent Exchang tudent Exch ge S n d t a e u n t h g e S c n d x a e E h g t Stu c n n x a e E h d t c u n x t g e E S n d t a e u n t h g e e Stud t Exchange S dent Exchan Student Exc n a e u n t h g e S c n d x a e u E ge St nt Exchang udent Exch e Student n a t h g e S c n d x a e u E t h g t S c n n x a e e E h d t c ng u n x t e E S d t a e u n t h g e S c n d x a e u E t h g t S c n n x a e e E h g d t c n u n x t e E S d t e u n t h g e S c n d x a e u E t h g t S c n n x a e e E h g d t c n u n x a t e E S d t e u n t g e S c n d x a e u E t h g t S c n n x a e e E h g d t c n u n x a t e E h S d t e u n t g e S n d x a e u E t h g t S c n n x a e g de tE ch 48 IPSF Annual Bulletin

Ms. Tereza Štipková, Member of Student Exchange Committee 2013-14

“What is the Student Exchange Committee actually doing?” This question appeared in heads of some of us during last World Congress in Utrecht and might have appeared in yours too. At that time, being curious past-SEOs excited to bring our work to the next level, the ten of us formed the Dream Team lead by Miranda (Chairperson of Student Exchange) to make all the exchanges happen in the best way possible. Even if it might not appear that way, SEP indeed is a very complex thing with many people working on different levels. SEC is the backbone of the programme, assuring that SEP runs smoothly in every participating association and all the rules are followed, improving weaknesses and being a constant support to SEOs. When accomplishing our goals, the pure essence of our work was team spirit and task delegation.

Having a wonderful motivating leader, monthly online meetings and even an in-person meeting in Den Haag made all our work more efficient and more pleasant! Our tasks included leading the

SEO online meetings, spreading SEP spirit to new countries such as Austria, Denmark, Argentina or Iran, which are now successfully participating in the programme. We all acted as Big Sisters to new SEOs and helped them develop the programme in their countries and deal with all the workload.

Moreover, there were online trainings carried out to strengthen the skills of creating a host site as well as new SEO crash course trainings. Some of us worked on the SEP Grant to be allocated to those who need and deserve the support while others reallocated the placements given to countries according to their varying needs throughout the year. We focused on promoting the less popular countries to students via Spotlights and SEOs shared a bit of their culture and creativity in our photo competitions. As a team, we’ve made a lot of changes to push SEP forward by creating numerous guidelines and drafting improved versions of punishments, grant and other essential issues that could mean a step toward enhanced transparency and fairness.

Having experienced a year within SEC Dream Team has been tremendously enriching and fun at the same time. The ability to affect a lot of things happening “in the background” of IPSF biggest project with the visible outputs in the end is worth all the effort.

On behalf of Student Exchange Committee 201314 Tereza Štipková

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Student Exchange

SEC Yearly Reflections

t n i a t o c i i a t on C c n i a u c n i u m n u o m m C o m m C n o m o C n i t o n i a t o c i i a t c n it on Co i a u c n i u m n u m m C o m m C n o m o C n i o t o C n i a t o c n i i a t o c n i i a t u c n i a u m n u m m o m m C n o m o C n i o t o C n i a t o c n i i a t c n i a u c n i u catio m n u m m o m m C n o m o C n i o t o C n i a t o c n i icatio ommunicat Communica n Communi io t o C n i a t o c n i i a t o c n i i a t u n ic u m n u m nica m o m m C o m C n i o t o C n i a t o c n i i a t o c n i i a t u c n i a u c m n i u m n m u o m m C o m C n o o C n i a t o c n i i a t o c n i i a t u c n i a u c m n i u m n m u o m m C o m m C n o o C n i t o c n i i a t o c n i i a t u c n i a u c m n m m o m C o muni on Commu C n o n i t o i i a t c n i i a t u c n i a u c m n i u m n m u o m m C o m m C n o m o C n i t o n i a t o c n i i a t u c n i a u c m n i u m n m u o m m C o m m C n o m o C n i t o n i a t o c i i a t u c n i a u c m n i u m n m u o m m C o m m C n o m o C n i o t o n i a t o c i i a t c n i a u m n ic u m n m u o m m C o m m C n o o C n i t o Com n i a t o c i i a t c n i a u c m n i u m n m u o m m C o n o i t Comm ication Com nication C a c i n u u m n m u o m m C o m m C n o m o C n i t o n i a t o c n Co i i a t c n i a u c n i u m n m u o m m C o m m C n o m o C n i t o n i a t o c i i a t on Co c n i a u c n i u m n u o m m C o m m C n o m o C n i o t o n i a t o c i i a t c n ion C i a u c n i u m n u m m C o m m C n o m o C n i o t o C n i a t o c i i a t c n i a tion u c n i u m n u m m C o m m C n o m o C n i o t o C n i a t o c i i a t c n i a u c n i ation u m n u m m o m m C n o m o C n i o t o C n i a t o c unica cation muni nicati 50 IPSF Annual Bulletin

Ms. Dominika Stefaniak, Blog Co-ordinator 2013-14

IPSF is just the beginning of a journey…

This is a favourite quotation of mine by the Polish journalist, Ryszard Kapuściński.

It really gives a sense of what IPSF is to me. My journey started in Utrecht, when I attended 59th IPSF World Congress. It was one of the many trips that I have taken but this one will remain in my memory for a long time. It was my first experience attending such a big event where I met students from all over the world. From the first days I felt “IPSF spirit” which gave me that extra kick of motivation when I needed it the most. It pushed me to apply for the position of Blog Coordinator.

And it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. Few months just passed by and I still feel the same excitement about IPSF as I did last year.

publish and keep abreast of what’s happening in IPSF. But, it was worth it! I spend few amazing months working with articles. Some of them put a smile on my face, the other were inspiration for me and helped me stay motivated. None of them were the same. There was always a story behind every blog post.

Blog Coordinator is still a new position and it breaks new ground. There is a space for everyone who wants to be a part of the IPSF team. At the same time IPSF Blog provides many opportunities for creativity and new ideas.

With only 30 days left before 60th IPSF World Congress and 4 months before handover I think that this is not the end, but a beginning, an important new step in the future.

This year was a great lesson to become more organized. Very often I’ve had a hard time organizing my days to accommodate all the tasks. I had to send out queries, reply emails, edit,

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Communication

“A journey, after all, neither begins in the instant we set out, nor ends when we have reached our door step once again. It starts much earlier and is really never over, because the film of memory continues running on inside of us long after we have come to a physical standstill.“

Ms. Wai-Ling Lieuw, Marketing Co-ordinator 2013-14

My Experience as Marketing Co-ordinator Being the Marketing Coordinator was an amazing experience and honour to me as I found my portfolio very important for IPSF Social Media and raising awareness of IPSF. During the year I was managing the IPSF Facebook fan page, Twitter, Youtube Channel, and LinkedIn page among other things. To make these online platforms catch the public’s eye, I tried creating engaging posters and posts. The work load was huge at times but once I got to it, I could spend hours on it which gave me a proud sense of feeling.

As the Marketing Coordinator, I got the chance to communicate with most members of the IPSF Executive Committee during the year since most projects or activities require promotion and/or a marketing strategy.

So I would like to thank all of those who encouraged, supported and trusted me to go for this position.

In particular, Khaled, IPSF Chairperson of Media and Publications, who shared his great amount of marketing knowledge with me, and motivation that he gave to seek for perfection in everything we do!

I would like to encourage everyone to be part of this big family, and to not take life too seriously.

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We are a students’ association after all, being a student comes only once in your lifetime so make the best of it now. It’s important to learn from each other and to grow from it!

Finally, I would like to say thank you to this awesome Federation, who gave me so many friends, connections, experience and of course the IPSF Spirit!

I had the chance of working with a really motivated team and this was the thing that made me enjoy it all so much this year. I can’t wait to see you all at the World Congress. Catching up once a year is just not enough for me!

Vive la pharmacie!

Kisses from The Netherlands!

Mr. Endriean Prajitno, Merchandise Co-ordinator 2013-14

My Experience as Merchandise Co-ordinator

The current snapshot of this journey is that I’m fulfilling the recently created merchandise coordinator position (MeC). Since it’s a new position, I can already hear you think: “What were your tasks?” Well, my task was to manage the freshly-launched IPSF Online Store (please take a look at http://ipsf.tictail.org) and manage its merchandise items. In order to launch the Online Store, we needed to choose a practical platform with an easy interface where we could sell our items safely and where our members could be provided with an easy and secured access. After this, all the small details like website visuals, searching for a shipping company, inserting shipping fees for each and every IPSF country (which caused me to get RSI) and the juridical part had to be done. And of course, promotional materials were also needed before and during the

launch in order to inform our members about the great launch.

After the launch of the IPSF Online Store, I had to maintain its stock by re-ordering the items and also come up with ideas for new merchandise items. By the time reading this article, I’m sure the new items are already displayed in the Online Store, if they are not sold out already. ;)

During a journey, you will come across other travelling people on your path. In my case, during this project I had to communicate, work together and contact with very motivated people.

I’m pretty sure I couldn’t manage this project in a fun, creative and playful way without the help from these great people. I’d like to thank you guys who traveled together with me and make this journey come to a great end. I’m not sure where my next pharmacy journey will lead me to, but I’m very sure it will be an unforgettable one.

Beloved reader, my name is Endriean Prajitno and it was a real honour to fulfill the merchandise coordinator position 2013-2014.

Thank you.

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Communication

My international pharmacy journey started in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, when I signed myself up for the student team of the FIP 2012 Centennial Congress. During the congress I was able to taste some of the warm international ambiance, which really overwhelmed me. Looking back, I must have caught the international spirit during the FIP Congress, because many (international) pharmacy congresses followed afterwards including the IPSF WC 2013 in my hometown Utrecht.

Mr. Kees Scheffers, Development Fund Co-ordinator 2013-14

Becoming active in IPSF – One more thing on my list Dear IPSF-minded pharmacists, Seven years ago I started my pharmacy study in Utrecht, the Netherlands. That’s right, which was the location of the last IPSF World Congress. Also, right at the beginning, I became active in the local student association and later in my first year in the K.N.P.S.V. This led to my appointment three years later in the executive of the K.N.P.S.V. as treasurer of the association. Then, on a warm summer night, I was visited by a mysterious magic entity... THE IPSF SPIRIT! We decided it was time to organise the IPSF World Congress in 2013 in Utrecht and that meant that we were going to bring out the bid for hosting at the IPSF World Congress in 2011 in Thailand. With a bit of help from my parents, I managed to make the trip to Hat Yai, Thailand and witnessed how the Reception Committee convinced the General Assembly to let the K.N.P.S.V. host the Congress in 2013. At that particular WC in Utrecht, I got reinfected with the IPSF Spirit and when the call for the Development Fund Coordinator came, I knew this was the one thing missing in my student life so far.

My year started off with some confusion about my Development Fund (DF) email account since I was unaware I had such account. After figuring that out, I also learned a lot about Google Groups, since that’s what you work with if you’re in an IPSF position. Furthermore, I learned that half of all the 54 IPSF Annual Bulletin

emails Gmail worldwide processes are from IPSF CP’s and SEO’s and since I was in all their email groups, and it wasn’t unusual to receive over 30 emails a day. After my handover (a Skype meeting with the former DF Coordinator, Milanka Marunic) I could finally begin my job. What I did in my year can be found in my Annual Report, but I will try giving an impression by highlighting some of the special moments for you: - Numerous Whatsapp messages with the Treasurer, Laurens Oort.

- Emailing with over 300 potential applicants for one of the four grants of the DF. - Intensive contact with Miranda Law, Chairperson of Student Exchange, about the SEP grant.

- Trying to review 92 application forms for the SEP grant in one weekend.

Now the year has come to an end and my DF Committee and myself have done a lot of work. My motivation was to see what it was like to be active on an international student level and how I would experience all the emails throughout the year. I can say that I’ve seen all of that extensively and I have enjoyed working for the DF and IPSF a lot. I hope that with this article in the Annual Bulletin, I gave an insight in what it means to be active in IPSF. I can fully recommend it to all ambitious pharmacy students who want to experience IPSF from within!

Mr. Dušan Jasovský, Policy Co-ordinator 2013-14

Influencing the future of our profession in a way we want.

The pioneering position of IPSF Policy Coordinator was established during the ‘13/’14 mandate, due to the need for sustainable, transparent and trustworthy policy presence in the global health arena. Currently, IPSF has a dominant position there when it comes to the representation of pharmacy students and young pharmacy graduates globally.

This privilege entails an extensive responsibility for any policy interventions conducted by IPSF and provides pharmacy students with novel policy room where constructive criticism and the subsequent shaping of their future take place.

Fundamentally, an increasing awareness about health advocacy and proactive employment of our youth members with policy instruments results in more transparent and genuine outcomes. It helps shape the world in a way we want, as an upcoming generation of health professionals.

In these past months, I’ve been privileged to be a part of the team that aimed to achieve the abovementioned fundamental goals. We coordinated activities relating to equitable access to medicines, antimicrobial resistance, counterfeit medical products, and other interdependent

global health topics.

More importantly, we introduced an interprofessional education side event during the last World Health Assembly as a pillar for our future policy activities. This topic represents a discussion platform where young health professionals and students can share their vision of future healthcare chain collaboration and create a preliminary clinical synergy to assure better health outcomes and compliance. That might be an exemplary case of how the convergence of student-led organizations’ ideals and health advocacy activities could be reflected in real-life practice, such as at the clinical level.

From the current federation’s standpoint, there is a trajectory towards active daily-based strong policy face internally and externally. This is especially true today, when the milestone of the international development agenda, year 2015, is approaching. We, the future impactful health professionals, can and will play a crucial role in it.

To sum up, it was an intense year with its ups and downs, providing me with contagious IPSF spirit and a remarkable experience.

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Ms. Ana Baskalovic, Corporate Relations Co-ordinator 2013-14

A year as IPSF’s Corporate Relations Co-ordinator Upon reflection on my term as Corporate Relations Coordinator, I am pleased to share that the experience was consistently rewarding, always enlightening, and incredibly informative. Having

Jakub, the Corporate Relations Committee, and myself worked to create an ambience, which contended to confront challenges with an assertive and perseverant attitude, such that

the opportunity to correspond with numerous corporations alongside a skilled partner, Jakub Weber, the current Chairperson of External Relations, and a supportive Corporate Relations Committee, has opened many doors in building professional relationships with future IPSF Partners, as well as future colleagues. Together we have worked to solidify a comprehensive and structured Partnership Prospectus, collaborated on reaching out to many organizations (TEVA, LexiComp, Fagron, Novartis, BoehringerIngelheim, Sandoz, and more!) as well as developed ideas for unique fundraising initiatives, which could not only strengthen Partner affairs, but also advertise IPSF and communicate our purpose on an elevated platform. An effective way we were able to establish new connections with corporations was attending pharmacy conferences and fairs at which eager company representatives were accessible. Collaborating at these events is especially beneficial because face-to-face communication often imparts lasting impressions and allows for more personally executed follow-ups.

all obstacles could be met with a constructive outlook, thus making them more comfortably, overcome. Being prepared to approach problems from various angles, practicing patience even in the presence of pressing matters, and balancing workload with deadlines are just a few of the valuable skills one may expect to develop in such a position.

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Apart from teamwork, and learning to deal with (often unplanned) hurdles, this position promises the rewards of knowing that one is part of a greater whole. Working for IPSF and being swept up in the IPSF spirit is exhilarating. Having the opportunity to collaborate with inspiring colleagues who lead by example creates an inherent desire to reach for newer heights and test one’s own boundaries.

I can only hope to continue working in stride with such motivating peers in the pursuit of our common ambition: to expand pharmacy practice and promote our profession through the compassionate, patient centered nuances integral to its craft.

Ms. Nikoo Akhoondi, IPSF Representative in WHSS Joint Working Group

Learning together, to Work together, and Enjoy together!

Inter professional education occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other which leads to an effective collaboration and improvement of health outcomes.

In recent years by increasing the medical errors the quality of care and patient safety are taken into consideration. To this end, service-oriented team-based collaboration among professionals as a practical solution for improving the quality of health services has been proposed.

A necessary step for preparing a “collaborative practice-ready” health workforce is IPE which is enable to respond to the health needs better than an untrained workforce. In line with the importance of this issue a WHO Expert Committee in 1977 noted a worldwide trend towards team work. It described that a well-determined group with members from various types and degrees of knowledge and skills is able to reduce the loss of energy and time as well as donating more efficient services.

The IPE develops the ability of students to share knowledge and skills collaboratively and thereby provide individuals and the community with health care more efficiently. This efficiency will lead to less costs and more concentrated useful

services which can help societies to achieve UHC (Universal Health Coverage).

As far as health care professions are working as a team in the healthcare system, they need to learn team work collaboration in a group of people with various professions resembles to their job environment. As people are younger they are able to learn more so the IPE is better to be started for the undergraduate students; when the interdisciplinary differences haven’t overcome the individual differences yet!

According to the tendency in healthcare systems and the major stakeholders’ policies to promote the IPE in the curricula of the health professions, students’assemblies are one of the most important groups which are able to distribute these policies.

So the World Healthcare Students’ Symposium is a great opportunity for experiencing IPE with students from all over the world. We, the IPSFers, are able to manage our programs based on IPE and IP collaborations to internalize these principals for all of the worldwide pharmacy students to meet a more efficient healthcare system in the near future.

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Mem e b m Me e b m e Mr. Amr Bedier, Membership Co-ordinator 2013-14 sM b m e M rs My Experience as m e M s r e Membership Co-ordinator Mem bers e M s r mbe M s r e b m M s r e b em s r e b Mem r e b m Me e b m e M b m e M rs m e M s er m I had the opportunity to deal with none M bers members of pharmacy students all over the e M world in a significant way, responding to s r e b their questions and inquiries on how to join, M s r and so on, which made me in need of having e b m the largest amount of accurate information M s r e b concerning IPSF. m s r e b em s r e b em I am Amr Bedier, 22 years old, I am from Egypt, and currently finishing my studies in The Faculty of Pharmacy Cairo University; I had the pleasure of serving IPSF as the Membership Coordinator 2013-14.

I was infected with the amazing IPSF spirit after participating in the organizing committee of the 58th IPSF World Congress, Hurgada, Egypt, and then doing the Leaders in Training (LIT) international program and took a part at the 59th IPSF World Congress, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Undoubtedly, it was a challenging term and initially, things were hard to some extent, especially with my delayed appointment in addition to existence of the position for the first time, but I worked under supervision of Mr. Jason Hong Chairperson of Internal Relations to quickly develop a plan of work to conform with the general plan of the Federation as a whole.

Through working for this term, I gained every day new experiences which expanded my horizons and developed my relationships, beside that it added to my experience of life a lot on a personal view by meeting new friends and working through a multicultural environment . I have realized the significant influence of IPSF on pharmacy students, communities, and also the pharmacy profession in general. Now I do believe that we are serving one the most professional organizations ever.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all of those who encouraged, supported and trusted me to go for The Membership Coordinator position, thanks to my beloved family EPSF executives, and member associations for their continuous support, Thanks should also goes for all IPSF Executives members, Regional Working Groups and all The Membership Promotion Committee Members. Thank you IPSF for an amazing year.

VIVA La Pharmacie!!

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s s m r r e e e b M b s s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m m r e e e ers M b M s s m r r e e e b M b s s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m m r e e e ers M b M s s m r r e e e b M b s s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m m r e e e M b M bers s s m r r e e e b M b s s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m s m r e r e e e M b M b s s m r m r e e e b M b s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m mbers embers Mem ers Member embers Me e b M b M s m s m r e r e e e M b M s s m r r e e emb e b M b s m m r e e e b M b M s m s m r e r e e e M b M b s s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m m r e e e M b M s m s m r e r e e e M b M b s s m r e e b M Mem s Member s m r e e M b s m m r e r e e e M b M b s s m s Mem rs Member embers Me ers Member e e M b M b s s m r m r e e e e b M b s m m r e rs M e e M b M s s m r r e e e M b M b s s m r m r e e e e ers M bers Memb Members M bers Memb M s s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m m r e e e M b M bers s s m r r e e e b M b s s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m mbers embers Mem ers Member embers Me ers b M b M s m s m r e r e e e M b M s s m r mb r e e e b M b s m m r e e e e b M b M s m s m r e r e e M b M s s m r r e e embe e b M b s m m r e e e e b M b M s m s m r e r e e e M b M b s s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m m r e e e b M b M s m s m r e r e e e M b M b s s m r m r e e e e b M b M s m m r e e e M b M s m s m r e r e e e M b M b s s m r e e b M Mem s Member s m r e e M b s m m r e r e e e M b M b s s Mem rs Members embers Mem ers Member e M b M be IPSF Annual Bulletin

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Otto Föcking Award Winner 2013:

ZPSA, Zimbabwe

By Ms. Mitchelle Masuko Chairperson of the 3rd IPSF African Pharmaceutical Symposium 2014 IPSF, A Field Of Unlimited Possibilities Greetings from Zimbabwe.

Awareness Campaign to mention but a few, making 2013-2014 the most active year for ZPSA so far.

I am Mitchelle Masuko, the 3rd IPSF AfPS Chairperson. My involvement in IPSF over the years has been one of the most amazing experiences in my career as a pharmacist. As CP for ZPSA (2013-2014), I had the opportunity to get an overall appreciation of IPSF activities and the role that we as students play in bringing change to the pharmacy profession.

Though still a growing association at that time, “IPSF baby“ as some would say, ZPSA had a delegation of 22 participants at the 2nd IPSF AfPS in Tanzania. This was a milestone for the association, as it also opened up a range of possibilities. Allow me to say Zimbabwe was on fire because we participated in all activities both educational and social and managed to not only take home winners for PCE, CSE and the ESSAY COMPETITION, but also to win the bid to host AfPS 2014. Winning the Otto Fokking Award at the 59th World Congress in Netherlands was the icing on top of the cake. Having the award was like a kindle to the fire within the association since we managed to add more IPSF activities to our calendar, including; World Pharmacist day commemorations, LIT and Pharmacy Profession

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Under the theme: Integrating Emerging Technologies in Pharmacy for the Improvement of Public Health Delivery in Africa, the 3rd IPSF AfPS 2014 held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe was a dream come true for ZPSA, AfRO and IPSF. The symposium saw participants from Africa and beyond flock the town and the IPSF spirit did not only infect us, but we also infected the town since an amazing Diabetes Campaign was carried out as part of the program. In the spirit of embracing new technologies, the educational symposium was robust with renowned speakers from Africa.

Among them was a young professor, Dexter Tagwireyi from the University of Zimbabwe who challenged the pharmacy students to

Regional Assemblies were a stretch as usual, but most importantly fruitful. The focus project for AfRO 2014-2015 is Pharmacy Profession Awareness Campaign, an activity that will assure that students as future leaders tomorrow are key in increasing awareness and changing attitudes towards the pharmacy profession. This will ultimately make it easier for the other public health activities to run smoothly once the profession is publicized.

Being the chairperson of the IPSF AfPS and Contact Person for ZPSA at the same time was both exciting and challenging. Sleepless nights and the joy that came with a completed task became

routine. The amazing teams I got to work with; the ZPSA Executive, the AfPS Reception Committee, RWG and IPSF Executive only improved this.

Having experienced all this, I have come to realize that ability is of little account without opportunity and problems become opportunities when the right people join together. Together as IPSFers, we can Invent, Innovate, Initiate and bring change to the face of the earth going beyond expectations in improving health delivery.

Viva Le Pharmacie Mitchelle Masuko 3rd IPSF African Pharmaceutical Symposium Chairperson

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be Innovators, Inventors and Initiators “The I cubed factor”. He referenced pharmacists in our rich history who invented Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Pepsi. “Pharmacist are barrier breakers,” he explained “and where there is a problem we see an opportunity.”

Ms. Chou Wan-Hsuan, Contact Person of PSA-Taiwan (Taiwan)

Work locally, effect thoroughly pharmacy power of anti-tobacco in PSA-Taiwan In Taiwan, each pharmacy school has their own service team. They go to different areas to offer basic physical examinations, spread public health knowledge, and promote awareness of the

students participated and earned the certification.

pharmacy profession every year.

This year, PSA-Taiwan sought the government’s support and consulted the national pharmacist’ association for professional advice. We then launched an anti-tobacco program via the service teams, lectures, competitions and the internet. We aim to work locally while gradually influencing the country.

There are basically 6 parts of the program.

First, we turned to The Pharmaceutical Society of Taiwan (PST) and had some pharmacists teach courses to pharmacy student volunteers. In the training courses, the students learned about smoking in Taiwan, the roles doctors and pharmacists play in smoking cessation programs, and how to talk to patients when they come for help to quit smoking. The students were awarded a certificate as an “antitobacco ambassador”. A total of 6 courses were held in 5 pharmacy schools. Approximately 200

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Second, we targeted school-aged children, who have the most potential in supporting family anti-tobacco efforts. Pharmacy students used the knowledge and skills they learned in the training courses to teach the youngsters about the dangers of tobacco through lectures, which were presented as either speeches or stage plays. In total, 6 lectures were taught in different areas of Taiwan via the service teams. Approximately 300 children were reached.

Third, 2 lectures were targeted at the elderly.

Pharmacy students talked to them to get to know about their families’ smoking habits and how to initiate conversations about smoking cessation. A total of 100 people joined the lectures.

Fourth, we launched competitions calling for creative “no-tobacco family” logos. 4 logos were designed.

The anti-tobacco ambassadors also set up booths on campus, distributing fliers and official anti-tobacco booklets offered by Health Promotion Administration, the government department in charge of national public health. The students also went to classrooms to educate their peers about smoking cessation.

Members

Finally, we set up pages online to share facts about smoking and the ideas from our antitobacco program. 155 people liked the page and an estimated 1900 people have read posts on the page.

Approximately 2500 people were reached throughout the entire program. We believe that this public health effort will keep on spreading as those people share what they’ve learned.

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Ms. Roselyne Moin, Contact Person of KEPhSA (Kenya)

My Experience as Contact Person Hamjambo wenzangu (Swahili for: “How are you, my colleagues”).

My name is Roselyne Kapkarich Moin from Kenya. I am currently a pharmacist intern, having completed my Bachelor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Nairobi; and I am serving as Contact Person for KEPhSA Kenya 2013-14. One of the interesting things about me is my middle name Kapkarich. In Kenya, middle names are given to children based on the time or an event during which they were born. Now in my case (Kapkarich) Kap- means ‘of’ and -karich means ‘medicine’; hence my name with some translation is Roselyne ‘of medicine’ Moin.

Now on matters concerning the association I represent. KEPhSA (Kenya Pharmacy Students’ Association), previously known as NUPSA (Nairobi University Pharmacy Students Association), is a constituted body that represents pharmacy students and recent graduates in Kenya. It was established in September 2013, with three founding universities (University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology), and has about 900 members collectively.

KEPhSA being a new association faces various challenges but I believe that it is the attitude that matters most. Less of “what is KEPhSA doing for me?” and more of “what can I do for KEPhSA?” would be a great start. The most encouraging aspect of my work has been the support I have received from the past contact persons, IPSF 64 IPSF Annual Bulletin

executive members, and the KEPhSA executive committee. The most amazing experience has been interacting with like-minded individuals from various parts of the continent. It is not everyday where one receives phone calls from countries they could never have imagined and wonder ‘how did they get my number’, or have meetings with people from 6 other nationalities and realize ‘we are not so different after all’. I have learnt a lot about people, even more about myself, and have greater appreciation and passion for my country.

Kenya is a wonderful place to be. The country boasts of various game reserves, several prehistoric sites, beautiful beaches off the coast of Mombasa, the great wildebeest migration from Masai mara to Serengeti; and most importantly the very hospitable people. There is a Swahili proverb: ‘Wageni ni baraka’ meaning ‘guests are a blessing’ so you are invited to experience our amazing country. The more the merrier.

Picture of all past Contact Persons during KEPhSA’s first LIT

Mr. Patrick Gassenbauer, Contact Person of AFÖP (Austria)

Exponential growth

World Congress in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Since then, a lot has happened and I want to briefly tell you about my motivation and thoughts.

Once you start getting involved on a voluntary basis, many people ask: “Why are you doing this in your spare time? Why are you doing this for free? What are you getting out of it?”

Fair questions, right? Many of you who are reading this will have a different answer, but what I can tell from active two years in our association is: you learn a ton of important lessons.

You need to make things happen and not stand still. You not only need to motivate yourself, but help others get out of their comfort zone. You need to think about others and not just yourself.

On your path, you will meet and get to know heaps of friends, have more opportunities, and probably also have more fun than most of your fellow students. It’s just amazing to travel the world and meet people who will arrange a place to

sleep, show you around, party, and also help you if needed. Once you experience such greatness, you’ll come to the conclusion that you wish you’d discovered these opportunities years ago.

You will grow like a tree with a strong foundation and widespread connections. The answer to the question at the beginning is going to be obvious once you have taken action that will inevitably lead to tremendous growth of your personality and skills. It is going to be a win-win situation you give and receive at the same time. You have to overcome fears that are scary to conquer, and you’ll often take action when you are tired and just want to relax. But let me tell you something, my friend: You won’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in the pocket. Take action and don’t just wait for the next big opportunity because it might not arise as soon as you want. See the good in things and don’t be afraid to fail. See failure as a chance to grow and become the strongest version of yourself. Enjoy your journey and most importantly -- have fun!

Viva la pharmacy, Patrick Gassenbauer

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Hey there! Time goes by so fast. For one year, I have been the first Contact Person (CP) of the Austrian pharmacy students’ association (AFÖP).

We joined IPSF with an epic start at the 59th IPSF

Ms. Lina Salama, Contact Person of EPSF (Egypt)

Changing the World; One Event at a Time Let me introduce myself currently: I’m Lina Salama, EPSF’s Vice President and Contact Person 2013-14 and I have friends from 84 countries worldwide. I represent a 32-year-old federation and I am the contact person holding the Guinness World Record, where EPSFers set a new GWR for the most Blood Glucose tests taken in 24 hours. To add to this, the International Diabetes Federation ranked EPSF 8th worldwide, due to the awareness campaigns held through 2012-2013. I took part in saving up to 25,000 lives this year through EPSF Blood Donation Campaign and I believe that we, students, are changing the world!

Rewind.

Now let me introduce myself a few years back: A student who wakes up, goes to university, attends lectures, comes back, studies, sleeps, wakes up the next day and repeats the same cycle for years.

“What happened?” you may ask. Well, during my 3rd year at university, I decided I wanted to do something more with my life. The society expects of us, students, to study, then once we graduate, we can benefit the society with our education.

Nothing else is expected from us during those years of study.

I decided that I didn’t want to wait until I graduated to do something. I wanted to start there and then, and I did, once I joined the EPSF Local Association at my university. Thereafter, I was introduced nationally to EPSF, regionally to EMRO, and globally

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to IPSF. Through the Public Health campaigns, I was literally able to use my medical knowledge to change misconceptions, correct misinformation that could lead to fatalities and save lives.

The Professional Development Project enabled me to shape a better future for the pharmacists and thus impact the whole healthcare system.

Through the Pharmacy Education events, I was able to help other students develop and grow.

As a result of being involved in SEP, symposiums and congresses, I was able to see how similar we all are despite our language and cultural differences.

By being a CP, I was able to make connections worldwide, learn from different countries, share visions, convey messages between EPSF and the federation, and have my words read by students worldwide (just like now!)

Through my involvement with IPSF and EPSF, I have learned much more than I did during my 5 years of study. I discovered that students are actually capable of making a change and having a positive impact in the world. I saw students changing thousands of lives through the campaigns and events. I discovered that nothing is impossible if we work hard enough, and discovered that there is no need to wait to change the world. By being an IPSFer, you can start now.

Ms. Carly Stoneman, Contact Person of CAPSI (Canada)

My name is Carly Stoneman and I am the past Contact Person and current Student Exchange Officer for CAPSI. There are a number of hot topics that our executive council has been working on. The 10 faculties of pharmacy across Canada already have or will be transitioning from a Bachelor of Science to an Entry Level PharmD degree by the year 2020. This program will provide students with more advanced clinical skills and knowledge which will help us to be more prepared, as the role of the pharmacist continues to evolve in Canada. Depending on the province in which a pharmacist resides, they may be able to provide immunizations, order lab tests, prescribe for minor ailments and even initiate prescription drug therapy.

be impressed with the amazing talents that our students have! The funds raised from this event go towards local charities and also to fund their local CAPSI initiatives. This year we will also hold a National Mr. Pharmacy competition at our annual conference, featuring the winners from each of the 10 schools of pharmacy.

In addition to the annual competitions that we hold, we have been considering implementing an evidence based medicine competition, which would be similar to IPSF’s group clinical skills event. We are also considering a business plan competition whereby students will be able to showcase their entrepreneurial skills by creating a business model that will capitalize on opportunities available to pharmacists. This coming year will be the first where each of the 10 schools will hold their own Mr. Pharmacy competition. Male students from each class compete in events such as formal wear, a talent show and a personal interview.

The evening is always a blast and I continue to

Viva la pharmacie!

As for me, I will be graduating this August and continuing my training by completing a one year hospital residency. I will be completing rotations in distribution, critical appraisal, general medicine and a number of specialized clinical rotations. I look forward to spending the next year improving our Student Exchange Program so that students will have an organized, educational and fun time experiencing pharmacy in Canada.

CAPSI National 2014-15

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My Experience as Contact Person

International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation PO BOX 84200 2508 AE Den Haag The Netherlands Tel: +31 70 302 1992 Fax: +31 70 302 1999 Email: ipsf@ipsf.org Website: www.ipsf.org

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