Janet Chairperson of IPSF Asia Pacific Regional Office To all my dear IPSFers, My name is Janet Mirzaei. I am honoured to serve as Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Regional Office for 2015-16. I first heard of IPSF in March 2014 when I was in the middle of my pharmacy degree and wanted to make more use of my time instead of solely focusing on the academic side of pharmacy. I saw an online post about APPS Malaysia 2014 and decided to take a chance and registered for the event. As I sit here, writing this introduction after attending eight IPSF business trips in the span of one and a half years, I can safely say attending APPS 2014 was the best decision I have ever made. I have met many incredible people along the way and despite coming from different backgrounds, our passion for improving health care and promoting the skills of our profession to the wider community is what unites us, no matter where we are in the world. The Asia Pacific Regional Office has a long history with its establishment in 1999 and its first Symposium in Singapore in 2001. Since then, we have had incredible growth, now representing nearly 20 as88
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sociations and about 55,000 students. Our primary objective as the Regional Working Group (RWG) is to promote the objectives of IPSF on a regional scale. This includes providing a platform for pharmacy students and recent graduates to exchange knowledge, experiences, and ideas; providing opportunities for professional development and international exchange; and, participating in advocacy for improvements to pharmacy practice and health systems.