At the FIP world congress 2023

This year, ECPG is collaborating with IPSF to offer a special FIP Congress Package for all pharmacy students, early career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists which offers access to the full educational programs and sessions of the 81st FIP World Congress, special pre-congress programme, accommodation, additional social programme, excursion and many more! All IPSF and FIP ECPG members are invited to register for FIP Congress via this special package. More details about this package can be found here. Once registering via the congress website, do not forget to also sign up for the ECPG Social Night on 26 September to enjoy yourself with us and network in a relaxed atmosphere!

Leadership Development Workshop (LDW)
		The 4th Leadership Development Workshop (LDW) is a collaboration between the FIP Foundation, the FIP Academic Pharmacy Section, and the FIP Early Career Pharmaceutical Group. The LDW is designed to help build and develop leadership skills for Early Career Pharmacists, Pharmaceutical Scientists and Students that they can use in future endeavours. All ECPG and IPSF members who are attending the FIP Congress in Brisbane, Australia in 2023 are invited to apply to attend the LDW on 23-24 September 2023 here. Applications close on 15 June 2023. More information can be accessed here.

At former FIP world congresses

During FIP’s world congress, the ECPG leads sessions and workshops either independently or in collaboration with FIP sections/SIGs. Topics organised by the ECPG for recent FIP annual congresses include:

• Finding the humanitarian face of pharmacy (2022)
• Act now! How pharmacists can help in the global refugee crisis (2019)
• Tackling the equity issue: Global challenges for women in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences (2019)
• Working together to score the goals: How are the FIP Workforce Development Goals being globally implemented? (2019)
• Superdrugs for superbugs: Antibiotics of the future (2019)
• The ethics forum - What does it mean to exercise "conscientious objection"? (2019)
• Professional development tools to advance your pharmacy career (2018)
• Breakthroughs in pharmaceutical nanotechnology for oral delivery of anticancer drugs (2018)
• From Theriaca to pharmacogenetic medicines: Pharmacy history (2018)
• The renaissance of community pharmacy: Is it time to let go of dispensing? (2018)
• How to achieve good public health across cultures (2016)
• The pharmacist is online: Social media for beginners (2016)
• Complementary and herbal medicines: From lab to community (2015)
• Pharmacy needs more leaders — How to respond (2015)

In 2022, we hosted our third Leadership Development Workshop in collaboration with the FIP Foundation for Education and Research and the FIP Academic Pharmacy Section. Some of the topics discussed included project management skills, succession planning, leadership styles, how to run effective meetings, and communication skills, and how young pharmacists are able to contribute in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Other activities that occur at congress are the recognition of ECPG grant/award recipients and various informal networking opportunities and receptions with other early career professionals and other members of FIP. One of the best parts of attending Ccongress is reuniting with old friends and establishing new relationships around the world!

Newsletter

We keep our members informed about FIP activities and other relevant topics via our newsletters on a bi-monthly basis. Newsletters are emailed to ECPG members via Mailchimp.

Webinars, digital events and networking events

The ECPG has created, collaborated in, and/or provided speakers for many digital events in recent years. In addition, the ECPG has been focused on increasing engagement with and between our members by holding various virtual networking events open to all members. Some highlights of recent virtual events are shared below:

1. ECPG Career Development Toolkit Workshop
The recording of the webinar can be accessed by ECPG members through this link.

2. Career paths and opportunities in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
The recording of the webinar can be accessed by ECPG members through this link.

3. Advanced role of the next generation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists in public health.
This webinar explores the initiatives that pharmaceutical scientists, pharmacists and students around the world are undertaking to promote public health within the local, national and international context. The recording of the webinar can be accessed by ECPG members through this link.

4. ECPG-IPSF benefits and opportunities.
This webinar introduces activities within FIP ECPG and the International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF). The recording of the webinar can be accessed through this link.

5. The role of youth in achieving one of the Triple Billion targets of the World Health Organization.
This webinar explores the challenges faced by students and early career professionals in accessing the health labour market to fill the 18 million health workers shortage needed to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). This webinar also addresses issues specific to young pharmacists and their contributions towards the provision of safe and effective medicines in the UHC era. The recording of the webinar can be accessed by ECPG members through this link.

6. FIP ECPG grant for professional innovation — How to prepare a successful application. The recording of the webinar can be accessed by ECPG members through this link.

7. Vaccines & special-risk groups: Pharmacy teams and all healthcare workers digital event FIP ECPG was represented by President, Safiye Çağansel, who highlighted the importance of early career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists in promoting more effective and widespread use of vaccines as well as pharmacists as vaccinators worldwide. The recording can be accessed through this link.

World Health Assembly delegation

In 2019, for the first time, members representing the ECPG were able to attend the 72nd World Health Assembly (WHA) and two representatives to 75th WHA of the World Health Organization as FIP delegates in 2022. In 2023, ECPG is represented at the 76th WHA by Safiye Çağansel (ECPG President, as an Official Delegate of FIP – pictured right), Amanda Cavness (ECPG chairperson of projects) and ECPG subcommittee members: Viktoria Gastens, Karolina Miljak, Rafa Al Khalifa and Yu Ya Hwang as FIP Full Delegates.

Collaboration with IPSF

The ECPG maintains good relations with the IPSF. The ECPG and the IPSF meet throughout the year to align various projects, campaigns and professional development activities, and to find areas of collaboration. In 2021, the ECPG collaborated with the IPSF in holding a digital event about the membership benefits of each organisation. In 2022, the ECPG worked with the IPSF and FIP's New Generation of Pharmaceutical Scientists (NGPS) Special Interest Group (SIG) to hold an Early Career Social Night at the FIP world congress in Seville, Spain. In addition to the already existing collaborations, this year, ECPG and IPSF are organising a special FIP Congress registration package with a discounted registration fee, including accommodation and an additional social programme and excursion, pre-congress weekend workshops, sessions before and during the FIP Congress and an advocacy toolkit for ECPG and IPSF member organisations and individual members.

FIP ECPG and IPSF delegates to the 76th World Health Assembly pictured together.

Follow us on social media!