Recap of 78th FIP World Congress 2018 in Glasgow: Leadership Development Workshop, Session Presentations, Meetings, Elections, Recognitions, and Socials
By Diana Ching
The 78th FIP World Congress of 2018 was held in Glasgow, Scotland in the UK. If you didn’t have a chance to attend Congress this year or if you want to revisit some of the fun memories, keep reading on!
Leadership Development Workshop (LDW)
This year was particularly unique because the Leadership Development Workshop was held for the first time. Because of the overwhelming interest to participate (over 300 YPG members), applications were required to select 20 candidates to participate in the two-day workshop. Topics included, but was not limited to, project management skills, succession planning, leadership styles, how to run effective meetings, and communication skills. This inaugural event would not have been made possible without the help of the FIP Academic Pharmacy Section, such as Drs. John Pieper and Toyin Tofade. Our hope is to continue this workshop at every Congress, so please stay tuned for more updates for the 79th FIP World Congress in Abu Dhabi.
Session Presentations
If you haven’t read the latest FIP International Pharmacy Journal issue, please check it out here! The theme of this year’s Congress in Glasgow, UKwas “Transforming Outcomes.” This issue highlights the many positive changes already occurring within our pharmacy profession. One of our YPG members, Prateek Jain (India), is featured on page 26!
Of the 50+ sessions to choose from, there were 4 sessions that were led by 8 of FIP YPG members.
Professional Development Tools to Advance Your Pharmacy Career (YPG Session C4) — 4th Sep
- FIP YPG Member Speakers: Miranda Law (USA), Israel Bimpe (Rwanda), Miranda Sertić (Croatia), David Steeb (USA)
- Organised By: FIP YPG in collaboration with the FIP Academy Pharmacy Section, the FIP Social and Administrative Pharmacy Section, the FIP SIG on Pharmacy Practice Research, and the IPSF
- Summary: This session discussed the various professional development tools young pharmacists and established career pharmacists have used to advance their pharmacy career. It also identified various professional avenues to help reach individuals’ long-term goals. Ayodeji Matuluko (Nigeria/UK) describes this session in more detail here.
Breakthroughs in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology for Oral Delivery of Anticancer Drugs (YPG Session A4) — 5th Sep
- FIP YPG Member Speaker: Prateek Jain (India)
- Organised By: FIP YPG in collaboration with the FIP Industrial Pharmacy Section and the FIP SIG on Formulation Design and Pharmaceutical Technology
- Summary: This session addressed the key challenges that can be overcome through development of innovative strategies for oral delivery of chemotherapy medications. Not only does it provide insight on the benefits to the cancer patients, but it also describes the potential business opportunities and how to maximise the returns on investment.
From Theriaca to Pharmacogenetic Medicines: Pharmacy History (YPG Session D7) — 5th Sep
- FIP YPG Member Speakers: Uroš Čakar (Serbia), Halil Tekiner (Turkey)
- Organised By: FIP Working Group on the History of Pharmacy in collaboration with the FIP Academic Pharmacy Section, the FIP Clinical Biology Section, the FIP Community Pharmacy Section, the FIP Health and Medicines Information Section, the FIP Hospital Pharmacy Section, the FIP Industrial Pharmacy Section and the International Society for the History of Pharmacy
- Summary: This session describes the history of medicines around the world holistically and the evolution of therapies within these countries. The focus is on understanding the history of medicines and how to capitalize on this knowledge to advance future medicines.
The Renaissance of Community Pharmacy: Is it Time to Let Go of Dispensing? (YPG Session D10) — 6th Sep
- FIP YPG Member Speaker: Brendan Murray (Ireland)
- Organised By: FIP Community Pharmacy Section in collaboration with FIP YPG
- Summary: This session discussed the need for the role of pharmacists to shift away from dispensing duties to more health promotion and disease prevention by redesigning and transforming pharmacy practice. More specifically, the discussion was focused on how community pharmacists can advance their role by incorporating the latest technology to improve direct patient care.
Meetings
Another unique thing about this year for YPG was that we held two business meetings during Congress instead of one because there was so much to discuss with the members. The first meeting was held on 3 Sep and was led by the three steering committee members, John Ly — Chairperson (Australia), Tommy Chen — Project Coordinator (Taiwan), and Yuri Jung — Public Relations Officer (South Korea). After general introductions and steering committee reports, there were several propositions of changes and motions to be decided on, which continued on to discussions in the second meeting. The second meeting also ended with elections for steering committee positions. If you have never attended a FIP YPG business meeting, I would highly recommend attending to understand the intricacies of our membership. It also is a good opportunity to voice your opinion, participate in the discussion, and vote.
Elections — New Steering Committee Introduction
During the FIP YPG second business meeting (5 Sep), elections were held for the 3 steering committee positions: Chairperson, Project Coordinator, and Public Relations Officer. All candidates were able to provide a 5-minute speech and allotted a Q+A session after each candidate’s speech. The results were very close, but the final decision for the 2019–2020 Steering Committee was the following individuals:
- Carolyn Dewart, Chairperson (USA)
- Sherly Meilianti, Project Coordinator (Indonesia/UK)
- Diana Ching, Public Relations Officer (USA)
The three of them are eager and excited to be leading the group of YPG members and have been working closely with the current steering committee member to ensure a smooth transition of roles.
More Recognition of YPG Members
- 2018 Ton Hoek Scholarship — Katie Kuecker (USA)
- 2018 Grant for Professional Innovation — Jack Collins (Australia)
- Poster Presenters — Congratulations to all YPG members who presented a poster! Unfortunately we were unable to capture photos of each YPG poster presenter, but we are proud you are showcasing your work on an international level as a young pharmacist!
Socials
For every Congress, there are always a lot of opportunities of networking and attending social events. Some events attended by YPG members included the BPSA reception and Fun Run. The main event hosted by YPG and IPSF was the International Night on Tuesday (4 Sep), which cost €35 per person (ticket included drinks and catering). The event was such a success that people tickets were all sold out! So tip for next year, make sure you purchase the tickets early because it is the one event at Congress you don’t want to miss! People brought food from their home countries, dressed in their countries’ traditional outfits, and performed dances!
As you can see, this Congress was one you did not want to miss, but we understand that it may sometimes be difficult to attend. If you weren’t able to attend this one (and for those of you who were able to attend), we hope to see you at next year’s Congress in Abu Dhabi 22–26 September! Click here to stay tuned for updates on the 79th FIP World Congress!
Article contributed by Diana Ching (Publication Coordinator, FIP-YPG 2017–2018 Subcommittee)
