Inspiring the Future: Highlighting the Impact of BPS Support of YPG
By: Nicole Savant, Brian Cicali, You Zhuan Lee, and Estelle Yau
Fifty years ago, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) took a bold step into ensuring that the scientific challenges of the future would be appropriately addressed, by founding the Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences (BPS). Created to showcase the scientific aspects of pharmacy, the BPS has continually been at the forefront of discovery and science-based practice innovation. Years of effective collaboration and exceptional research generation has established the BPS as a well-recognized and meaningful contributor to the global field of pharmaceutical sciences.
However, the impact of BPS is not only externally focused. Since the founding of the Young Pharmacists Group (YPG) in 2001, the BPS has continually supported the projects and initiatives of the next generation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. BPS has supported YPG attendance at its meetings for years and has actively collaborated on several past projects. Such notable partnerships between YPG and BPS have been the buddy programme at the FIP World Congress “First-Timers” Meeting in 2017 and 2018, the mentorship programme, and research membership.
With the addition of YPG liaisons to the newly re-structured Special Interest Groups (SIGs), the opportunities for YPG collaboration with BPS members has reached new levels. In the past year alone, YPG and BPS SIGs have co-hosted webinars and submitted FIP World Congress session proposals that further display the growth of the partnership between YPG and BPS. Specifically, webinars to introduce multiple BPS SIGs (Pharmacy Practice Research, Drug Delivery and Manufacturing, New Medicines, and New Generation of Pharmaceutical Scientists) were conducted to further encourage YPG members to be more engaged with the activities of the SIGs. A session proposal on antimicrobial stewardship was also submitted successfully for the 2020 FIP Virtual Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress (PSWC 2020).
Throughout all of the collaborative projects between YPG and BPS, there is a unifying theme present: advancing the future. Each of the projects that BPS collaborates on with YPG has an element of working towards inspiring the next generation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists to make a difference in the world. Each opportunity highlighted above was not merely a significant event or project; it was a meaningful interaction and insightful moment of guidance with BPS members who were passionate about enlightening the young and early career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists of YPG. This two-fold interaction is how BPS helps young pharmaceutical scientists and pharmacists the most; BPS is not simply about highlighting the newest research, it is also focused on helping to foster the young pharmaceutical scientist or pharmacist who will create the next big breakthrough.
With the support of BPS, the future of YPG and FIP looks bright. At present, there are multiple webinars and at least one project in development between YPG and BPS SIGs that promise to further the connection between the two groups. Congratulations on the first 50 years BPS! All YPG members are looking forward to the next 50 years of BPS collaboration, and the global impact that we will make together.
