Contact Person Handbook

WORDS FROM THE CHAIRPERSON OF INTERNAL RELATIONS

GREETING FROM IPSF Yet another year in IPSF has gone by we are proud of being more than 60 years dedicated service to the noble profession of pharmacy! Our predecessors have laid a strong foundation for us and it is now our responsibility to keep IPSF moving steadily forward while keeping the activity of our members constantly at its peak. Your optimism, energy, and strong conviction in the Federation’s core beliefs are the key to yet another successful year for IPSF. No doubt, this year will be filled with wonderful experiences, challenges, and many surprises!

The vast improvements in technology over the past 50 years have changed the dynamics of how we communicate and conduct business – indeed the world has become a much smaller when we can send friends instant messages from across the globe! These advances in the ways that we communicate serve many purposes and for IPSF, they do the following: (1) Keep the Federation strong (2) Keep the IPSF Executive Committee well connected (3) Keep the IPSF Contact Persons in close contact with our members (4) Keep the Regional Offices in regular contact with Executive Committee and members IPSF sees each Contact Person as a link to every student in every country, and as such, you must be motivated to share the IPSF spirit with your fellow CP colleagues and to spread this spirit to your students back home. As Contact Persons, you are required to pass on all of the information sent to you from the IPSF Executive Committee to the students in your countries. You are an ambassador for your country, and your students and recently graduated pharmacists are relying on you to pass along the latest news, campaigns, promotional materials and information in order to reap the full benefits from IPSF membership. You will never be alone in these tasks – the IPSF Executive committee is always here to provide you with support, advice, and encouragement.

This handbook was specifically prepared to equip you with the tools and necessary guidelines to understand IPSF and your position. After reading this handbook, you will be ready to prepare a plan on how you will fulfill your duties. Always remember, that you are the gateway of communication between IPSF and your member association. We are counting on you to keep the IPSF spirit alive and active at the local level!

Enjoy your time as an IPSF Contact Person – it will be one of the busiest, yet most memorable years of your entire pharmacy school career!

Yours in IPSF, The Chairperson of Internal Relations Email: internal@ipsf.org

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What is IPSF? IPSF is the leading international advocacy organization for pharmacy students, promoting improved public health through provision of information, education, networking and a range of publications and professional initiatives.

IPSF AIM - The specific objectives of the Federation 1. To establish a permanent form of contact with representative organizations of pharmaceutical students and to promote the exchange of ideas by international correspondence and by encouraging full dissemination of scientific and professional knowledge.

2. To encourage the formation and development of national pharmaceutical student organizations without trespassing upon their domains.

3. To collect opinions and information on the subject of pharmaceutical education and suggest improvements where necessary with the aim of attaining equivalence in standards of pharmaceutical education.

4. To collaborate and publish joint statements with other professional pharmaceutical bodies and international student organizations on an educational, scientific, and cultural plane.

5. To encourage and promote international student mobility.

6. To establish pharmaceutical student-managed public health campaigns globally.

7. To publish the IPSF News Bulletin and Phuture, an annual scientific supplement and to distribute fortnightly newsletters.

8. To represent the opinions of pharmaceutical students in discussions with professional governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

IPSF also aims to maintain and further develop it’s Official Relations status and to collaborate on joint initiatives with the World Health Organization (WHO), to maintain and further develop it’s Operational Relations status and to collaborate on appropriate initiatives with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and to maintain and further develop it’s Roster Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

(UN ECOSOC)

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WHAT IS A CONTACT PERSON? Since IPSF is a federation of organizations, the Contact Persons (CPs) are the key to successful communication between IPSF and its member organizations.

The work of the CP consists of introducing IPSF to pharmacy students in your organization (and possibly country), informing them about IPSF projects, campaigns, programs and calls and keeping a close relationship with the executive board of your organization to inform them about congress preparations and other important dates, events and opportunities within the Federation.

The other part of the job is to inform IPSF about how you implement campaigns and projects in your country, to be in regular contact with the Chairperson of Internal Relations, and represent your member organization in IPSF. IPSF recommends that member organizations separate the positions of the Contact Person and Student Exchange Officer in order to allow the individuals holding these positions enough time to fulfill their very different responsibilities. The CP should not have any other significant responsibilities in his/her organization. Your duties as a CP will be time consuming and you may find yourself quickly overwhelmed if you must divide your time between two executive positions. That said, the CP should still be a member of the executive board of your organization because you must have close contact with other board members in order to inform, consult with, and discuss any pending matters.

A CP can appoint assistants if necessary - especially in big organizations or countries, this might make information dissemination more effective.

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DUTIES OF A CONTACT PERSON? Congratulations on being the new CP of your organization! Please complete the following tasks:

•Send your name and address to ipsf@ipsf.org and internal@ipsf.org.

•When the Chairperson of Internal Relations (internal@ipsf.org) sends you the IPSF Contact Person Update Form, you must fill this out and send it back as soon as possible in order to get added onto the CP e-group and begin receiving important IPSF information and announcements.

•Set up a meeting with the previous CP and ask them for background information on what has been done over the past years in your organization, including any and all communication with IPSF and other relevant issues. A good hand-over from the outgoing CP to you is necessary to help you to fulfill your duties and begin working effectively from the beginning.

•Read this booklet carefully. If you have any questions, please contact internal@ipsf.org.

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After getting familiar with your new position, your tasks will be the following throughout the year:

•To keep within the framework of IPSF, the decisions of the IPSF General Assembly and Executive Committee. Minutes of the General Assembly are sent to IPSF CPs by 31st December by the Secretary General.

•To carefully study the Constitution, Domestic Rules and Standing Orders of the Federation. You can ask for them from the IPSF Secretary General by sending an email to secgen@ipsf.org.

•To be responsible for the payment of membership fees in collaboration with your organisation’s treasurer. Membership and Student Exchange fee invoices are sent electronically in OctoberNovember each year. The fee is due before the first of January of each year and should be forwarded immediately on receipt of the IPSF Treasurer’s notification. If the fee is not paid before this date, your organisation shall be deemed to be in debt and may lose some or all of its rights within the Federation. If your organisation is in debt for two years or more, you will eventually lose your membership. For any inquires regarding financial issues please, send an email to treasurer@ipsf.org.

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•To inform members of your organisation about the Development Fund and possibilities to apply for grants.

•To make sure that up to three official delegates are appointed to the annual IPSF General Assembly, the official decision making body of IPSF that meets during the annual IPSF World Congress. Official delegates should be pharmacy students or have graduated from their first degree in pharmacy less than four years ago. IPSF recommends that the CP and Student Exchange Officer are given priority when appointing official delegates.

•To complete IPSF credentials forms, send them to the Secretary General (secgen@ipsf.org) and inform official delegates to bring a printed copy to the World Congress. The credentials form ensures that official delegates can vote during the IPSF General Assembly.

•To inform your organisation’s executive board, pharmacy students, and other relevant people about IPSF activities and encourage them to carry out IPSF campaigns and projects.

•To maintain regular communication with the Chairperson of Internal Relations and your fellow CPs via the CP e-group. The e-group is one of the most effective methods to share ideas and promotion plans for the year – so stay active with and always be positive in your e-group postings. Also be prepared to offer your opinions and answer questions posed by the Chairperson of Internal Relations, other Executive members, or other CPs. •To pass on information about IPSF to members of your organisation. When you receive announcements over the CP e-group, for example, it is necessary for you to forward on this information to the students belonging to your organisation. Additionally, you can inform your students about IPSF activities by: -Requesting IPSF promotional materials from the IPSF Executive Committee and sending these materials (i.e. posters, leaflets, etc.) to schools of pharmacy in your organization -Creating mailing lists to make sending materials easier -Giving presentations about IPSF at school meetings or during other relevant events, such as national events or symposia •To fill out regular IPSF Activity Report Forms about the activities of your member organisation and send these to internal@ipsf.org and other Executive members as applicable. For example, an activity report about a Patient Counseling Event should be sent to both the Chairperson of Internal Relations and to the Chairperson of Professional Development.

•These reports need not be very lengthy, but should include responses to all questions and at least one photo of the event if possible.

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•Ideally, each IPSF CP should fill out several short activity reports for all of the IPSF activities organised.

•It is on the basis of these Activity Reports that recognition awards or certificates may be given out during the IPSF World Congress. Be sure to submit reports regularly in order to be considered for these special acknowledgements.

•To assemble the final year report of your association’s activities and send it to ipsf@ipsf.org in JuneJuly, as according to the deadline announced by the Secretary General. The report will be included in the IPSF World Congress folder and will be distributed to all Congress participants. This is your time to spotlight the activities of your associations, so be sure to make it good! *Please note that this final year report is different from the activity reports described in the previous point. The activity reports are submitted throughout the year, describe one particular event per report, and are usually short. Your final year report is expected to be longer, to provide a summary of all of your organisation’s events, and to be comprehensive.

•Needless to say, if you have been filling out the activity reports throughout the year already, this final year report task can be as simple as compiling all of these individual reports into the annual report. You will be informed more about the details (formatting of the report and the deadlines) of this report through the CP e-group.

•To write articles for the IPSF News Bulletin and/or IPSF electronic newsletters and recruit student members of your organization to subscribe to them.

•To be responsible for distribution of the IPSF News Bulletin and Phuture supplements to students, libraries, and appropriate organisations in your country.

•To inform the Chairperson of Internal Relations of any events to be held by your organisation that may require IPSF representatives, use of the IPSF promotional power point presentation, or other IPSF promotional materials. The Chairperson of Internal Relations will send an email over the CP egroup requesting tentative schedules of events for the upcoming year. When this request gets made, please be sure to email your list to internal@ipsf.org promptly.

•Be sure that you receive IPSF information regularly. This should include: -One edition of the News Bulletin per year, usually between April and July -IPSF Annual Report before or at the World Congress -Phuture, the IPSF Scientific Supplement -A fortnightly electronic newsletter sent via the CP e-group -All materials for the IPSF General Assembly (two months before the congress) -Minutes from the previous General Assembly, before 31st December If you do not receive these materials, please inform the IPSF Executive at ipsf@ipsf.org.

The following pages of the handbook are dedicated to giving you a better understanding of IPSF and its activities. On the very last page, you will find a copy of the IPSF Activity Report Form for your reference.

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IPSF HISTORY

1948 A meeting was arranged in London and a negotiating committee of four was appointed

1949 The International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation was founded by a small group of 8 countries representing 11 votes in total

1951 The first IPSF News Bulletin appeared 1953 The Student Exchange Programme was started 1961-70 Ski camps were arranged annually 1966 IPSF began co-operation with IFMSA and the World University Service in a Joint International Drug Appeal

1969 The Development Fund was established

1989 First Patient Counseling Event was held during IPSF congress

1994 The IPSF congress in Honduras approved and officially adopts Neema (a Village Concept Project) as an IPSF project

1997 The first FIP/IPSF Students' Day was held at FIP Congress

1998 The first Phuture supplement was published

1999 50th Anniversary of IPSF The IPSF-EPSA joint document on pharmacy education was launched The first Clinical Skills Event was organized

2000 The first Educational Forum was held during the 46th IPSF congress in El Salvador.

2001 The 1st IPSF-EPSA Joint Symposium on Pharmacy education took place in The Netherlands The first Regional Symposiums was held for the Asia Pacific and for the Pan American Regions

2003 The 49th Congress was held in Singapore, the first time an IPSF Congress was held in Asia The first IPSF Moving On survey research was carried out IPSF received Operational Relations status with UNESCO

2004 IPSF gained Official Relations with WHO At the 50th IPSF Anniversary Congress in Halifax, Canada, the IPSF custom-made Monopoly Board made a record 1000 Euros at Development Fund auction

2005 The first WHO-IPSF internships were started Patient Counseling booklet: “Counseling, Concordance and Communication” was launched with FIP WorldMaPS, the first joint pharmacy/medicine students symposium ever was organised

2006 The first IPSF Training New Trainers session was held before the Cairns Congress in Australia IPSF receives Roster Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

2007 IPSF begins the Anti-counterfeit Project Humanitarian Subcommittee is launched

2008 First IPSF Leaders in Training happens at APPS in Thailand Membership Promotion Committee reorganized to include individual Regional officers

2009 60th Anniversary of IPSF, First Anniversary book (1949-2009) promoted during 56th Congress in Bali, Indonesia

2010 The first Eastern-Mediterranean Pharmaceutical Symposium was held in Amman, Jordan

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IPSF STRUCTURE

Executive Committee (officers with voting rights) Subcommittees and Coordinators • President • Secretary General (2-year term) Constitutional Working Party • Treasurer (2-year term) Development Fund Committee DF Coordinator • Chairperson of External Relations Membership Promotion Committee • Chairperson of Internal Relations Regional Relations Officers • Chairperson of Student Exchange Student Exchange Committee

• Chairperson of Professional Development Professional Development Subcommittee Leaders In Training Coordinator Patient Counseling Event (PCE) Coordinator Pharmacy Profession Awareness (PPAC) Coordinator • Chairperson of Public Health Public Health Subcommittee Healthy Living and Diabetes Coordinator HIV/AIDS Awareness Coordinator Tuberculosis Coordinator Tobacco Alert Coordinator Humanitarian Coordinator Anti-Counterfeit Drug Campaign Coordinator (ACDC) • Chairperson of Pharmacy Education MO Coordinator Phuture Coordinator • Chairperson of Media and Publications Editorial Board Design and Creativity Subcommittee(DCSC)

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Executive Committee (co-opted officers with no voting right) • Chairperson of IPSF Congress Reception Committee (2 year term) Links the IPSF executive with the Reception Committee (RC) and represents the RC during the executive meetings ensuring good communication.

• Chairperson of Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) Oversees the Asia Pacific Regional Working Group and preparations for an annual regional symposium (APPS) Please visit apro.ipsf.org • Chairperson of Pan American Regional Office (PARO) Oversees the Pan American Regional Working Group and preparation for an annual regional symposium (PAPS) Please visit paro.ipsf.org • Chairperson of Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) Oversees the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Working Group and preparation for an annual regional symposium. (EMPS) Please visit emro.ipsf.org • Chairperson of African Regional Office (AfRO) Oversees the African Regional Working Group and preparation for an annual regional symposium.

(AfPS) Please visit afro.ipsf.org Executive Committee (additional offices that current executive members are appointed to) • Vice President • Permanent Officer Lives in The Hague, The Netherlands, location of the IPSF Secretariat

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MEMBERSHIP IN IPSF Full Membership Full Membership (FM) is granted to national associations that represent the majority of pharmacy students in their nation. A nation is defined as being a community of people with a government that is recognized by the United Nations. Full Members are entitled to all privileges of membership in IPSF and have the right to put motions forward and vote at the General Assembly of IPSF. Membership in Association Membership in Association (MiA) is granted to associations that represent pharmacy students. These associations can be faculty based, regional, or national. Members in Association are entitled to all privileges of membership in IPSF but cannot vote at the General Assembly.

Individual Membership Pharmacy students and graduates of up to four years after their first degree in pharmacy can apply to be an Individual Member (IM) of IPSF. Privileges of membership include participation in IPSF Congress, General Assemblies, receiving IPSF publications, right to apply for Development Fund Grants, participation in Student Exchange Program (SEP) and IPSF-WHO Internships. IPSF has approximately 20 Individual Members from 18 countries all together, and from 10 countries that do not have IPSF member organization (Full Member or Member in Association).

To express your interest in Individual Membership, please email external@ipsf.org

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IPSF ACTIVITIES In this part you will find a lot of useful information on IPSF projects, campaigns and programs. Please forward all relevant information to the executive committee of your organization and pharmacy students in your country.

We in IPSF also hope that your organization will find campaigns and projects that can be implemented in your country.

PUBLIC HEALTH PROJECTS IPSF has currently six public health projects: Humanitarian Campaign, Tobacco Alert Campaign, HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign, Tuberculosis Campaign, Healthy Living and Diabetes Campaign, and Counterfeit Medicines Campaign. IPSF also participates in World Health Day, a global WHO campaign held annually on various health care themes. If you want to know more about these projects please contact Chairperson of Public Health at publichealth@ipsf.org HUMANITARIAN CAMPAIGN The Humanitarian Subcommittee are developing campaigns for you to get involved in. For further information please visit humanitarian.ipsf.org. For more information, please contact our IPSF Humanitarian Coordinator at humanitarian@ipsf.org.

TOBACCO ALERT CAMPAIGN Following in the footsteps of the World Health Organization (WHO) which selected smoking as one of its main targets for action, IPSF decided to implement a campaign which aims to promote the role of pharmacists in the management of tobacco cessation and tobacco control, as well as educate pharmacy students to be role models for a healthy lifestyle.

IPSF’s Tobacco Alert Campaign has grown to be one of the most popular initiatives of the Federation.

IPSF developed a Code of Practice on Tobacco Control to encourage member associations to take more active roles in promoting a tobacco-free world.

World No Tobacco Day on May 31st each year is an important date in the IPSF calendar.

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HIV/AIDS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN The number of individuals infected with HIV/AIDS has reached epidemic proportions across growing parts of the globe. Lack of awareness and education, limited resources, difficulty in access to medications and widespread misconceptions about this virus are all contributing factors in the spread and difficulty in the management of the disease.

With these facts in mind, IPSF created the HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign, which is a framework for assisting pharmacy students world-wide to encourage the fight against HIV/AIDS. This campaign does not only provide knowledge to target groups but, as a true public health campaign, it addresses attitudes and beliefs and focuses on cultivating the skills of pharmacy students and practitioners so that they may positively impact the health of those affected by HIV/AIDS. IPSF encourages all of its members to take every opportunity to increase awareness and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. IPSF encourages and supports its members to run campaigns on December 1st, in recognition of World AIDS Day and carry out activities for this important public health campaign throughout the year.

TUBERCULOSIS CAMPAIGN Tuberculosis (TB) is an incredibly widespread disease and is becoming increasingly relevant to many countries worldwide.

The goals of the IPSF TB campaign are to improve the public’s knowledge about TB, while developing skills as pharmacy students and young pharmacists that help enhance understanding and knowledge of TB prevention, care and management.

In May 2004, IPSF became the first professional organization representing pharmacists or pharmacy students to be admitted to the Stop TB Partnership. Through our TB campaigns, IPSF promotes and supports the Global Plan of the Stop TB Partnership 2006-2015: Actions for Life – Towards a World Free of Tuberculosis.

HEALTHY LIVING AND DIABETES CAMPAIGN The Healthy Living and Diabetes Campaign, was launched in 2005. It aims to raise awareness of a healthy lifestyle in the prevention and care of diabetes and to encourage proactive rather than reactive health promotion. The objectives also include training and motivating pharmacy students to move towards multidisciplinary collaboration in planning events and campaigns while bringing awareness to a globally significant issue.

World Diabetes Day is marked on 14 November each year, with IPSF members paying particular attention to the specific theme of each year’s campaign – focusing on a specific health-related aspect of diabetes.

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WORLD HEALTH DAY In addition to the official Public Health Campaigns, IPSF actively promotes World Health Day on April 7th each year, raising awareness of a chosen theme among both pharmacy students and pharmacists as part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team.

IPSF believes that pharmacy students and young pharmacists are in a unique position to positively influence young people to adopt healthy lifestyles. As members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, it is not only our responsibility, but also our privilege to help prevent the spread of diseases and be reactive in their prevention.

IPSF COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES CAMPAIGN IPSF has launched a new public health campaign on counterfeit medicines.

Substandard and counterfeit medicines are a rapidly growing and serious concern to public health. The project was set rolling in August 2007 and it is targeted to healthcare students.

The purpose of the project is to create an educational toolkit on counterfeit medicines.

The main goal of the campaign is to provide healthcare students with sufficient awareness and knowledge required to effectively combat forged medicines at the grassroots level in the future. The project will focus on providing students with information on the threats of counterfeit and substandard medicines to worldwide public health and hence get them committed in the combat against these products. Information will be distributed through a website, CD, materials for presentations and lectures and workshops at IPSF events.

The basic materials are available in English, French and Spanish. For more information please contact at counterfeit@ipsf.org IPSF HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES IPSF member organizations have already organized a few humanitarian activities, such as Vampire Cup (Blood Donation Day), Collecting of toys and books for children, Clothes’ Collecting, Christmas Bazaar etc. By supporting local activities IPSF would like to encourage all member countries to continue with their work.

By exchanging ideas, creating materials for humanitarian activities, and helping each other, we can manage to organize at least one local humanitarian activity per year in every member country. This is the goal we would like to achieve this year. By organizing a Humanitarian Campaign, member countries will become involved in IPSF Public Health Reward System.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION IPSF has a number of opportunities for students to improve their patient counseling and clinical skills and become well-rounded pharmacy professionals. Students may go on exchanges to foreign countries via the Student Exchange Program or attend regional or international events with allied health professionals. They may also mobilise their colleagues to participate in one of IPSF Moving On Research Projects or participate in the training program.

IPSF recognizes that education plays an extremely important role in preparing pharmacy students for practice and other professional activities. Hence IPSF is committed to ensuring quality pharmacy education. The Federation strives to provide pharmacy students around the globe with avenues to broaden their knowledge base. In addition, professional development initiatives in IPSF advocate and promote the role of the pharmacist as an integral member of the health professional team.

Activities aim to encourage the development of core skills required by pharmacists to optimize health outcomes.

Moving On RESEARCH Moving On is a series of original, questionnaire-based research projects on issues relevant to the profession and education that IPSF conducts on an international scale. Apart from addressing pertinent issues in pharmacy education, the projects are a platform for pharmacy students to be engaged in scientific research and for student-led advancement of pharmacy education worldwide. Project findings will be published in academic media. The following topics have been addressed so far Moving On I – Academic Mobility Moving On II – Pharmacy Curricula, Student Learning Experience and Quality of Education Moving On III – Emerging Pharmacists and their Intention to Migrate LEADERS IN TRAINING Training is a leadership and capacity-building program which provides students the avenue to acquire and develop essential knowledge and skills that may not be explicitly taught in pharmacy curricula.

It is conducted in an interactive, cascade manner. Professional trainers train IPSF leaders in a variety of topics such as leadership styles, presentation skills, group dynamics, project development and more in small group workshops.

These trained leaders then organize training sessions for IPSF members at international, regional and local levels. For more information contact Training Coordinator at training@ipsf.org

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PHARMACY PROFESSION AWARENESS CAMPAIGN (PPAC) Although important to healthcare, it is a challenge for the pharmacy profession to communicate effectively to the public about the role, scope, and importance of the profession. Pharmacy students are the pharmacists of tomorrow. They are the future leaders of the profession and can be key players in increasing awareness and changing attitudes towards the pharmacy profession. Through the Pharmacy Profession Awareness Campaign (PPAC), IPSF aims to make pharmacy a more recognizable and publicly visible profession. The Chairperson of Professional Development (pd@ipsf.org) can give you further information on PPAC.

PATIENT COUNSELLING AND CLINICAL SKILLS EVENTS (PCE AND CSE) IPSF believes that communication skills and clinical knowledge should be core components of pharmacy curricula worldwide to improve medication management for patients. Patient Counseling Events and Clinical Skills Events are organised on international and local levels to promote the role of a pharmacist in patient care.

Patient Counseling Events demonstrate and promote the importance of communication skills in drug therapy and disease management. Clinical Skills Events are designed to test and develop pharmaceutical knowledge as well as problem solving, verbal and written communication, and clinical skills. Such events are conducted in fun and competitive environments.

IPSF teamed up with the FIP Pharmacy Information Section to jointly produce a booklet on patient counseling - Counseling, Concordance, and Communication: Innovative Education for Pharmacists.

It provides an overview of patient counseling, demonstrates how patient counseling works and provides insight into the mechanisms of hosting your own event. The booklet is available electronically on www.ipsf.org If you want to know more about Patient Counseling or Clinical Skills Event please contact Chairperson of Professional Development (pd@ipsf.org)

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STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM The IPSF Student Exchange Program (SEP) allows pharmacy students to experience pharmacy practice in another country. Almost 600 pharmacy students have the opportunity every year to take part in this mobility program. Participants have the opportunity to experience firsthand the way pharmacy works in another country, meet with pharmacy students from different places and exchange ideas and information.

Student exchanges run throughout the year, but most exchanges take place between May and September. The length of exchanges can be one to three months and students may select from host sites in community, hospital, industrial and university based pharmacy settings. Information about countries participating in the Student Exchange Program is available at the website www.ipsf.org. A new list of countries with a lot of valuable information is available at http://sep.ipsf.org Applications are filled in and then viewed by Student Exchange Officers online in the Student Exchange Database. Room is often provided by the host, while board, travel expenses and insurance are usually the responsibility of the student.

The task of the Contact Person in regards to the Student Exchange Program is to liaise fully with the Student Exchange Officer of his/her association to provide all applicants with relevant information on IPSF and its projects, in order to facilitate the exchange of ideas with other students when successful applicants go on exchange.

If you are interested in starting SEP in your organization, please contact the Chairperson of Student Exchange at sep@ipsf.org Important: It is of utmost importance that the student has both health and liability insurance before an exchange takes place, as IPSF merely facilitates, and does not coordinate Student Exchanges, and is not responsible for any circumstances resulting in misfortune. It must be stressed that IPSF can give no guarantee that a host will be found for each applicant. This depends entirely on the student organization in the host country.

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IPSF AT FIP CONGRESS The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and IPSF collaborate on a Students’ Day program held each year at the annual FIP congress. The program is based on a particular theme that is deemed timely and of interest to pharmacy students. It is an opportunity for pharmacy students and young pharmacists to meet with colleagues from other countries and to interact with pharmacy practitioners.

In addition, IPSF also holds joint sessions with FIP sections such as Pharmacy Information Section, Academic Pharmacy Section, Hospital Pharmacy Section and Young Pharmacists’ Group. FIP congresses were organized in Istanbul, Turkey, September 2009 and in Lisbon, Portugal, September 2010. The next, 71st FIP Congresswill be held in Hyderabad, India, September 2011. To find more about FIP Congresses visit http://www.fip.org/www/?page=congresses

INTERNSHIPS IPSF offers internship places at the Stop TB Secretariat and at many World Health Organization (WHO) Departments at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Through these, IPSF members are given the opportunity to broaden their experiences and to gain an invaluable insight into the public health sector.

Follow the CP e-group announcements and discussions to find out more about these opportunities.

WORLD HEALTHCARE STUDENTS’ SYMPOSIUM IPSF has been collaborating with the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) in acknowledgment of the need for the various healthcare disciplines to work together for the benefit of the patient and the profession.

In November 2005, the 1st World Medical and Pharmacy Students (WorldMaPS) Symposium was held in Saint John’s Bay, Malta. At this largest ever international meeting between pharmacy and medical students, future cooperation between both healthcare professions and students were discussed. A Statement of Beliefs on interdisciplinary collaboration was developed. The 2nd World Healthcare Students’ Symposium (WorldHSS) was held in November 2007 in Albufeíra, Portugal and involved nursing, physical therapy, and other related professions. The 3rd multidisciplinary event was organized in Alexandria, Egypt November 2009.

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IPSF PUBLICATIONS The main publication of the Federation is the IPSF News Bulletin, which is circulated annually.

Students and recent graduates from member and non-member organizations write articles that are published in the News Bulletin. Members thus have an opportunity to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences with the rest of the pharmacy world.

The IPSF News Bulletin is a medium for information about current student events and activities and expresses the members’ opinions on current topics of pharmaceutical interest. It has a global circulation of approximately 2000 copies.

A supplement on a specific scientific topic, Phuture, is published each year. It includes opinions from different health professionals and students around the world. IPSF also contributes with articles to the International Pharmacy Journal (IPJ), published by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), and to organizations and journals interested in the future of pharmacy.

IPSF Newsletters are another IPSF publication that is sent by e-mail approximately every two weeks to IPSF members. They contain activity reports from the executive, promotion of members’ activities, reports from allied organizations, etc.

It is the task of the CP to forward it to the other pharmacy students in their country. A PDF version of the newsletter is also available online on the IPSF website.

The IPSF Contact Person plays an important role in submitting articles to IPSF Publications and in distributing the finished publications in their home countries. It shall be the responsibility of the Contact Person to write articles about IPSF (if possible) to the professional, student, and other journals or magazines in their own countries.

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IPSF DEVELOPMENT FUND (DF) The Development Fund (DF) was established in 1969, over 40 years ago. Since then, its main goal has been to give each and every pharmacy student an equal opportunity to fully participate in IPSF activities.

The Development Fund was created to help people to participate in IPSF Congresses. In addition to this, it can now support students when they are taking part in the IPSF Student Exchange Program, running IPSF Campaigns, or paying IPSF membership fees.

When making decisions on DF Grants, applicants coming from developing countries are prioritised.

The Development Fund is steered by the Development Fund Committee that consists of three members and the IPSF Treasurer. It is chaired by the Development Fund Coordinator (df@ipsf.org).

Also the Chairperson of Student Exchange and the Student Exchange Committee may take part in the decisions on Student Exchange grants.

The main source of the DF funds is charity auctions held during the IPSF World Congress and the Regional Symposia. The idea behind the auction is that congress participants bring unique and genuine items from their home countries. Some items are even especially tailor-made for the auction.

Other income sources are donations and congress profits. IPSF congresses are non-profit events but in the occasion of any profit, the congress host must donate part of the profit to the Development Fund according to the Constitution. If you wish to donate money please contact the Treasurer (treasurer@ipsf.org).

Each year, the DF Committee sends out calls for applications to DF grants. All applications must be sent on an official application form by the deadline set by the DF Committee and they must follow the instructions as explained in the application form and call for applications. Calls are distributed through the IPSF website and IPSF e-groups; IPSF Contact Persons are responsible for distributing the calls and applications further nationally to their members.

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IPSF WORLD CONGRESS The focal point of IPSF activities is a 10-day congress held in a different country each year. The congress aims to provide an international forum for the review and discussion of all subjects, which may advance the objectives of the Federation and those of pharmacy students throughout the world.

It is also an ideal opportunity to improve relations between countries, student organizations and individual students. The next IPSF Congresses will be held in Hatyai, Thailand in August 2011 and in Egypt in August 2012. The program includes: General Assembly (GA): Reports, policy statements, and future IPSF Projects are discussed and voted upon by Full Member organizations. Elections for the Executive Committee for the following year are held. All official delegates must attend the GAs. Delegates’ Interviews will take place shortly after arrival. These are informal meetings where the IPSF Executive Committee and official delegates have the opportunity to get acquainted and answer any questions delegates may have. This is also the event when the Secretary General asks for the credentials form of the delegates. The credentials allow Full Members to vote and contain important information about Members in Association. Both Full Members and Members in Association should submit their forms to the Secretary General.

Scientific Symposium and Poster Exhibition: A full day event, where guest speakers address the audience on aspects of a specific topic, followed by a discussion involving the congress participants and their views. Congress participants can submit posters relevant to the symposium topic.

Patient Counseling Event: A patient counseling event has been held annually on an international level since 1989. Participants are given a “pharmacy scenario” and after 10 minutes reading time, they should counsel the patient on all aspects of the prescription and determine the underlying situation. The event is videotaped and the student is evaluated on competence and communication skills. All are encouraged to participate and learn from this educational experience.

Workshops: Small discussion groups to investigate areas of pharmaceutical interest. Topics usually include regional matters, public health campaigns, the Student Exchange Program, preparatory meetings for the Patient Counseling Event and training sessions on various topics.

There are also workshops specifically for IPSF Contact Persons, to allow CPs from around the world to meet one another in person and discuss issues such as promoting IPSF in their own countries and IPSF activities they have taken part in over the last year.

Development Fund Auction: This fund is used to help students from developing countries participate in IPSF activities. Money is collected from an auction of donated gifts that participants bring from their home countries.

Educational Symposium: This is a full day event where international guest speakers pre-sent on a topic connected to pharmacy education and run workshops to generate ideas and stimulate discussion.

Social activities: The Reception Committee of the host organisation has the responsibility of keeping the participants entertained while they get better acquainted. Activities usually include a Traditional Night, an International Evening, and a Congress Ball/Gala.

The Congress is the most important activity of the Federation. For Full Members, it gives the opportunity to influence the future of the Federation by using their voting rights and making decisions on proposals during the General Assembly. For all members, it is an opportunity to make new suggestions, contribute opinions, and share their ideas with colleagues from all over the world.

Information on applications, visas, accommodation, board and program can be found at the congress website.

PARTNER ORGANISATIONS International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) FIP was founded in 1912 and its aim is the development of pharmacy in the international sphere as a profession and as an applied science, as well as expanding the role of the pharmacist in the field of public health.

FIP supported the formation of IPSF in 1949, and since then a good relationship has been established and maintained. FIP provides office facilities and office supplies for IPSF that is one of the most important forms of support.

Each year, IPSF organises FIP/IPSF Students’ Day at the FIP Congress and in addition to this, several joint-sessions with many FIP Sections. IPSF regularly publishes articles in the FIP International Journal and quotes this official FIP publication in the News Bulletin. In 2005 a Patient Counseling Booklet was launched jointly with FIP. For more information, visit at www.fip.org.

World Health Organization (WHO) Since the beginning of the 1980s, IPSF has been seeking active contact with WHO. In 1992 an official working relationship was established between IPSF and WHO. It was a major achievement of the Federation to be granted Official Relations status with WHO in 2004, thanks to the efforts put forth by Executive Members at that time. IPSF is the second student organisation to be granted such status. IPSF continues to actively participate in WHO initiatives while collaborating on many new joint projects, such as the anticounterfeit medicines project. IPSF also offers internship places for IPSF members within various WHO departments .

IPSF sends representatives to WHO Executive Board Meetings and World Health Assemblies. For more information visit at www.who.int.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) IPSF has had Operational Relations status with UNESCO since 2002 and IPSF is working with UNESCO on improving higher education and ethics in pharmacy. The Moving On II and Moving On III projects have been presented at the UNESCO meetings on Higher Education on various occasions. In addition to the Higher Education meetings, IPSF is sending its representatives to other UNESCO meetings such as General Conferences and Executive Board Meetings.

For more information please visit www.unesco.org.

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Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA) CPA is a non-governmental organization representing professional pharmaceutical societies from over 40 Commonwealth countries and over 1200 pharmacists from the Commonwealth as personal members of CPA. IPSF has mainly collaborated with CPA on www.pharmacistsfighttb.org web forum. CPA recognized IPSF’s significant contribution to the pharmacy profession by bestowing upon IPSF the Albert Howell Award in 2007, the highest form of recognition given by CPA. For more information please visit http://www.commonwealthpharmacy.org/ European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (EPSA) The European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (EPSA) is a European organization which represents over 120,000 pharmaceutical students in 32 European countries. The aim of EPSA is to develop the interests and opinions of European pharmacy students and to encourage contact and cooperation between them. IPSF and EPSA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, detailing how they support each other and how they collaborate. For more information visit at www.epsa-online.org.

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) IFMSA’s mission is to offer future physicians a comprehensive introduction to global health issues. Through their programming and opportunities, they develop culturally sensitive students of medicine intent on influencing the trans-national inequalities that shape the health of our planet. To provide students a multidisciplinary platform, IPSF and IFMSA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Collaboration is done in Training, Moving On projects and multidisciplinary events. For more information visit at www.ifmsa.org.

United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) IPSF is a Non-Governmental Organization in Roster Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. IPSF receives invitations to UN ECOSOC meetings and can name delegates to the three main buildings (Geneva, New York, Vienna) of the United Nations. For more information visit at www.un.org/ecosoc

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