Interview with FIP YPG Professional Innovation Grant 2018 winner — Aniekan Ekpenyong
Thanks, Aniekan for joining us for this interview.
How long have you been in FIP and what brings you to where you stand now?
I became a member of the FIP in 2016, about 4 years now. Primarily I became passionate about FIP because of my deep involvement in IPSF as the Contact Person for PANS Nigeria, Regional Secretary for the African region, and Policy Coordinator. This exposed me to the important work the Federation was doing in representing the global interests of pharmacists. Therefore, the FIP for me was a transition from studentship to the larger international pharmacy world.
Can you tell us about your project “Developing adequate human resources for Pharmacy in developing Countries”?
My project was an exploratory study to investigate and understand the pharmaceutical workforce capacity in Nigeria. Evidence demonstrates a global health workforce shortage, with the African region suffering the most. In particular, the number and density of pharmacists in all sectors of practice are quite low, compared to other regions of the world. It is well known that to have a workforce that can be planned for, there needs to be an understanding of what currently exists.
Before I carried out my project, it was challenging to determine the number, density, and distribution of pharmacists in each sector and geopolitical zones/states, making workforce planning and projection difficult.
Therefore, my project aimed at assessing the capacity of the pharmacy workforce in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 36 states of Nigeria with the overall objective of obtaining evidence to inform pharmacy workforce planning and policy development in the country.
Do you think your project achieved its purpose? If Yes how? If No, what could have been done to achieve it?
Yes, it did. The two primary recipients of the research were the FIP and PSN (Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria). FIP is always involved in pharmaceutical workforce capacity research to update the global pharmacy workforce repository and for this to be achieved, accurate and current data is essential.
Thus, the project provided accurate data based on the research that was robustly done which enabled the scarcity of the pharmaceutical workforce to be revealed. Secondly, the PSN used the report as part of its advocacy tool during the advocacy for the passage of the new Pharmacy bill at the Nigerian parliament in 2019.
How did you get to know about FIP YPG grants and did you encounter any challenge while putting the ideas together?
My position in IPSF provided me with exposure to a wide network of individuals within the FIP. Through this, I met Pharm. Seun Omobo, who suggested and encouraged me to apply for the opportunity.
Challenges are likely to abound during the ideation phase of any project. Most times, it can be challenging for young pharmacists to have a full grasp of a problem, due to lack of experience. Therefore, it is worth reaching out to pharmacists and mentors with experience in the sector of interest for their inputs into your research proposal. The experience of the old and the passion of the young then come together to provide a proposal that is worth considering for a grant.
You must have felt really happy after getting a positive response. Could you share some benefits or exposure you have gotten from winning the grant?
Yes, I was excited, and it has been a turning point in my life.
Most importantly, the discourse around the pharmaceutical workforce capacity in Africa and the need for accurate and up-to-date data within the policy environment in Nigeria has been elevated. On a personal level, this is something I consider very essential and I am thankful for the impact the research has made. In addition, winning the grant afforded me the opportunity to present my work at the FIP World Congress in Seoul, South Korea. Also, the project enabled me to work with top academics from high-ranking universities in the United Kingdom, who I learned from throughout the project period. Another thing to add is that young pharmacists and pharmacy students have drawn inspiration from the award and have been applying and winning research grants in different areas of pharmacy practice. Stimulating the problem-solving and research skills of these demographics is another thing I am happy and grateful for.
Any message to YPG members who may think they don’t stand a chance of winning the grant?
Just go ahead and do it! Submit the idea, the idea generation process is training. Embrace it.
If you are passionate about a thing and you believe that you have got an idea on how to provide a solution, you should go ahead and submit it. If the time is ripe for your idea, you will get the grant and if not, keep refining it or look at other organizations that can fund your idea. Don’t give up! Keep pushing for it.
Lastly, could you share the pros and cons of applying for a grant?
Pros
1. Enables your idea to be funded and brought to life.
2. Winning a grant improves your credibility and opens doors to win other grants.
Cons
1. The process of applying for grants can be tedious and time-consuming. It has to be balanced with other priorities.
2. The emotional/mental impact that might arise when not selected is a demotivating factor. The success rate for most grants is very low.
