News
HaMIS is organising some interesting sessions for the FIP World Congress 2023 in Brisbane. Find out more at the congress website!
About us and our objectives
FIP’s Health and Medicines Information Section (HaMIS; previously known as the Pharmacy Information Section) was founded in 1951 at FIP’s 14th general assembly in Rome. The membership has gradually broadened to include pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists from all over the globe who are interested in information related to health and medicines across a number of different capacities. A global map depicting the countries where HaMIS members are from |
HaMIS endeavours to offer:
- A forum to share knowledge about information issues relating to pharmacy, medicines, medical conditions and health, including public health;
- Avenues for networking between groups providing information and information services to patients and health care professionals;
- Avenues for networking between groups conducting research related to health and medicines information; and
- Opportunities to enhance public health and the work of the pharmacy profession through information programmes and related initiatives.
Health and medicines information underpins pharmacy practice across all disciplines. Areas of interest include:
- Strategic development of medicines information;
- Pharmacists as health and medicines information experts;
- Information needs of health care professionals, patients and consumers;
- Development, dissemination, and use of health and medicines information to help optimise patient care, pharmaceutical care and public health;
- Patient empowerment;
- Health and medicines information as a tool to improve medication adherence;
- Health literacy;
- Development of health information technology and information delivery;
- Novel formats of health care communication, inclusive of social media, mHealth, Internet resources and other electronic resources;
- Writing and publishing health and medicines information resources;
- Medicine and poisons information services;
- Pharmacovigilance efforts;
- Global access to health care information;
- Medicines formulary information development; and
- Advertising and promotion of medicines.
How we work
Every four years, officers of FIP’s Health and Medicines Information Section (HaMIS) are elected. They include a President, Secretary and Treasurer.The Executive Committee consists of these three officers, the Immediate Past President, and three to six Section members elected to provide geographical balance. The current Executive Committee (2020-2024) comprises the following members:
President |
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Boyan Todorov (Switzerland) |
Secretary |
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Bidhata Khatri (India) |
Treasurer |
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Froukje Harkes-Idzinga (Netherlands) |
Representative for Africa/Middle East |
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Luna El Bizri (Lebanon) |
Representative for the Americas |
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Amy Kruger Howard (USA) |
Representative for Asia/Pacific |
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Vivien Tong (Australia) |
Representative for Europe |
Position remains vacant |
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Immediate Past President |
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Parisa Aslani (Australia) |
IPSF Representative | ![]() |
João Guedes |
ECPG Representative | ![]() |
Renly Lim |
In addition to these positions, there are two Representative-at-Large positions, which do not necessarily represent a certain region of the world. Both positions are currently vacant.
The current statutes of the Health and Medicines Information Section were adopted by the FIP Council in 2014. Click to download the HaMIS statutes in PDF format.
HaMIS activities
More information on HaMIS activities is available here.
Annual report
The HaMIS annual report is available here.