Newsletter 79 - Exec introduction

Jan Röder 24 Czech Republic President

Dear IPSFers all around the Globe, I am happy to introduce myself and new executive team here.

My name is Jan Röder and I am at the time student of 5th year Pharmacy school, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. My home town Hranice is situated in central-east part of Czech Republic. My hobbies are playing music, basketball and spending time with my friends.

My involvement with IPSF started in year 2007 when I represented Czech Pharmaceutical Students´ Aassociation (CPSA) as a Official Delegate in 54th IPSF World Congress in Taiwan where I met a lot of pharmacy friends all around a world and got completely infected by IPSF spirit. From that time I was actively involved in IPSF as Contact Person for Czech Republic and started to spread IPSF name in my country as CPSA Sec-gen (2007-2008) and later as a CPSA President (20082010). I have attended almost all following IPSF World congresses, 55th in Bali and 56th in Slovenia.

It is indeed a great honour and in the same time big responsibility to serve you as IPSF President 2010-2011. This position is very chalenging, but this passionate and highly motivated team which was elected this year move IPSF towards new horizons with all our hard work and entusiasm! I am looking forward to upcoming year spend all around you and I am looking forward to meet all of you inupcoming 57th IPSF World Congress in Thailand!

Vive la Pharmacie!

Lærke Arnfast 22 Denmark Secretary General

Dear fellow IPSFers, I am Lærke Arnfast, a 4th year student at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

My first IPSF experience was participating as an official delegate in the 54th IPSF World Congress in 2008 in Cluj, Romania, which complete swept me of my feet.

Since then I have been infected with the spirit of student organisations, having held various positions within my national pharmacy students’ association, Students of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SoP). I also had the chance to represent my national organisation again at the 55th IPSF World Congress in 2009 in Bali, Indonesia and at the 56th IPSF World Congress in 2010 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

I am very honoured to have been elected to serve you as IPSF Secretary General, and I do hope that I can live up to that responsibility. I hope that this year will be full of great achievements, letting IPSF grow even stronger and even more contagious.

I look forward to work with you and meet you at the 57th IPSF World Congress 2011 in Hat Yai, Thailand.

Viva la Pharmacie!

Tomáš Valena 24 Slovakia Treasurer

Dear IPSFers all over the world, I´m happy to share some words with you after the fantastic 56th IPSF Annual Congress in Slovenia. Everybody says that the first IPSF congress is the best (totally agree), but this one was special for me too.

My name is Tomáš Valena, I´m a 24-year- old pharmacist from Slovakia – currently living and working in central Slovakia. Everybody is welcomed to visit me in my home town Banská Bystrica. I like hiking, picking mushrooms, taking pictures, volunteer work and spending time with my friends and family.

My first involvement with IPSF started in summer 2007, when I spent a great time on SEP in Serbia (thanks Slaviša). After that experience I realized that there is a big difference in the Serbian and our Slovakian association. That´s why I started to be actively involved with SPSA as Chairperson of Foreign Affairs 2007-10 and Board of Trustees 2010-12 and with IPSF as well (Official Delegate 54th to 56th IPSF Congress, Student Exchange Officer 2007-2010, Student Exchange Committee 2008-10, Leaders In Training trainer 2009-10) and now, IPSF treasurer for the year 2010-11.

This position is very challenging for me but I have full trust in our Executive team that together we´ll make this year THE IPSF year. I´m really looking forward to the year 2010-11 and seeing you all at 57th IPSF congress. In mean time please keep up the great work at your IPSF/national/local level and help us spread the IPSF spirit all over the world.

Vive la pharmacie.

Dimple Modi 23 USA Chairperson of Pharmacy Education

Hello IPSFers, I am Dimple Modi, currently pursuing Masters in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Southern California, USA. My tryst with pharmacy student organizations and IPSF dates back to 2005, while I was obtaining a Bachelors degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai, India. I was introduced to IPSF through my involvement in various volunteer and leaderships roles in IPA-SF. My passion for IPSF grew further with the attendance of two Asia-Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposiums and my role as the CP from IPA-SF and IPSF-APRO LIT Coordinator. I am extremely excited to continue my journey in the pursuit of my passion for pharmacy profession and IPSF. As Chairperson of Pharmacy Education, I wish to contribute towards building and strengthening the IPSF culture amongst our fellow pharmacists across the globe.

I believe education is a vital link that connects us all across the globe. I am looking forward for an exciting year ahead. I am glad to have got a chance to contribute back to pharmacy on the whole through IPSF, which has contributed in my growth.

I hope to see you all at the IPSF World Congress at Thailand in 2011. On a personal front, I will be applying to doctoral programs in USA over the next year to continue my graduate education.

Overall, I am positive that this year will be one of my most memorable ones with the current exec and IPSF as a whole :) Viva La Pharmacie!

Eric So

Canada Chairperson of Professional Development

Greetings to all IPSFers!

My name is Eric So, from Vancouver Canada. Currently, I am a practicing community pharmacist and a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia.

This will be my fourth year involved in International Pharmacy Student Federation (IPSF) and it is a tremendous pleasure to be this term’s Chairperson of Professional Development.

At first, like most of you, I was attracted to the travel opportunity at my first congress in Cluj-Napoca in Romania 2008, but I was captivated by the IPSF spirit and by all the participants I met. As a result, I became involved as the Patient Counselling Event (PCE) coordinator, Clinical Skills Event (CSE) coordinator, and a Leaders in Training (LIT) participant over time; all of which are key portfolio in the Professional Development.

I look forward to meeting and working with you, and I hope you will be captivated by the IPSF spirit too.

Vive la Pharmacie!

Sharon Leung 24 Canada Chairperson of Public Health

Dear IPSFers! “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.� ~Brian Littrell This is the quote that I used for my first presentation at the IPSF Congress in 2006, in Taipei, Taiwan. This quote still holds a special place in my heart today because it reminds me everyday to dream big for the sake of our patients, colleagues and pharmacy profession.

My name is Sharon Leung and I am a recent pharmacy residency graduate from Vancouver, Canada. My IPSF journey began as a LEO in 2005, which later led me to my involvement as a CP, SEO and various other portfolios under the IPSF umbrella. It is a great honour to be involved with the executive committee this year and to be able to carry on the IPSF spirit!

I look forward to working with everyone in this upcoming year!

Viva la pharmacie!

Vladimir Obradovic 26 Serbia Chairperson of Internal Relations

Dear friends, It is great challenge to be part of amazing team and to do all good and useful things for pharmacy worldwide.

My duties are numerous, but I’ll be very glad to succeed in sharing information and news, improving projects and campaigns of IPSF. And, the most important, to convince every single student and young pharmacist to join our lovely federation and spread wonderful spirit.

I am looking forward to have good cooperation and support from all members and to try to increase IPSF to the highest level ever.

Best regards,

Jane Ho 26 Taiwan Chairperson of External Relations

Dear IPSFers around the world Greetings from Taiwan! I am Jane Ho, the Chairperson of External Relations 2010-2011.

This is my second year on the IPSF Executive team as I was the Chairperson of Public Relations 2009-2010.

My IPSF experience started in 2007 when the World Congress was held in Taipei, Taiwan.

I am hooked ever since! I attended the 2008 Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS- Regional Symposium held by the Asia Pacific Regional Office of IPSF) in Thailand and the IPSF World Congress in Romania as the Official Delegate for my national association, the Pharmaceutical Students’ Association of Taiwan (PSA-Taiwan). I was elected as the Regional Relations Officer (RRO) of the Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO) of IPSF for 2008-2009, had a wonderful year interacting with pharmacy students in the region and finished my term in the 2009 APPS in Malaysia. The experience lead me wanting to interact internationally with students worldwide, hence I ran for the position of the Chairperson of Public Relations in the 2009 IPSF World Congress in Bali, Indonesia and was successfully elected.

As this is the first year for the position of the Chairperson of External Relations, I hope to shape the portfolio, extending it to its full function, whether it may be contacting more non-member countries in getting them to join IPSF or maintaining as well as establishing new collaborations with different organizations internationally.

Working in IPSF has taught me a lot of the different skills such as communication, team work, problem solving , critical thinking and more, which are generally not taught in class and can only be learnt by interactions with others, especially in student organizations.

I highly encourage and hope to see more pharmacy students from around the world actively involved in IPSF! Hope to meet you all in the 2011 IPSF World Congress in Hat Yai, Thailand.

Vive La Pharmacie!

Bastien Venot 24 France Chairperson of Medias and Publications

Dear friends around the world, I am Bastien Venot, french recent graduate, doing an extra year in my faculty.

It is a real pleasure to be responsible of Medias and publications for IPSF. Being part of this team is the greatest achievement I did in my life. I would like to thank you here for giving me this opportunity.

My IPSF experience started in Bali, but I got infected by this international spirit for the first time in Novi Sad, 2008 during the EPSA congress.

Regarding my plan of actions this year, I will do my best for the Federation to have a really nice website, and regarding the publications, I am expecting you to send me some articles all the year long regarding your activities.

I would like to say that I am not the only one responsible of the Newsletters, I am working with the Editorial board and regarding the designs, including these ones, I would like to congratulate Ines Harzallah for the great job she does.

I hope to meet you in Thailand next August.

Vive la Pharmacie!

Melissa Teo 25 Australia Chairperson of Student Exchange

Dearest IPSFers around the world, Greetings from the Chairperson of Student Exchange 2010-11!!

My name is Melissa Teo and I am currently a registered pharmacist working in Adelaide, Australia. I am originally from Malaysia and came to Adelaide to study Pharmacy in 2004. I have been living in Adelaide ever since. It is indeed a great honour to be elected as the Chairperson of Student Exchange for 201011!

My involvement with IPSF began in 2007 when I was elected as the Student Exchange Officer and Contact Person for National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA). Since then, I have fallen in love with IPSF! I attended my first IPSF Congress in Romania in 2008 as the Official Delegate of Australia. It was an absolutely awesome experience and one I will never forget!

Student exchange is an area I am passionate about as I believe in spreading the IPSF spirit, the Pharmacy experience and each country’s culture to everyone across the globe. I hope to be able to improve SEP to a new level. This role would be a challenging one but I am certainly looking forward to sharing the ups and downs with the members of the Student Exchange Committee, Student Exchange Officers and of course, the members of the Executive. I am sure we would have lots of fun and move IPSF forward in ways we have never imagined before!

Hope to meet YOU at the 57th IPSF World Congress in Thailand!

Vive la Pharmacie!