Ask Your Pharmacist FirstPromoting the role of pharmacists as providers of healthcare in the communityAcross Europe, Governments and the general public are expecting pharmacists to play a more active role in the provision of healthcare in the community. More than ever before, pharmacists have a primary care role and are the first port of call for consumers with a minor health problem.GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare is working with pharmacists across Europe to support their role as primary care experts through its “Ask Your Pharmacist First” initiative.

Ask your Pharmacist First is a unique partnership between GSK and pharmacists currently operating in more than 20 countries in Europe. Its objectives are to:• Help promote pharmacists as experts• Encourage people to visit pharmacies more frequently• Provide training for pharmacists and assistants so they can offer the best professional advice to their customers

This support programme incorporates consumer advertising and extensive pharmacy training materials.The most recent example of GSKs Ask Your Pharmacist First initiative in action can be seen in the area of obesity.In January 2009 GSK received a non-prescription licence for alli (orlistat 60mg). alli is the first non-prescription weight loss aid to receive a licence from the European Commission. The centrally granted marketing authorisation means alli is being launched in all EU member countries by the end of this year followed by its launch in other European countries as well.

Facts on obesityThe prevalence of obesity has risen three-fold or more in many European countries since the 1980s. In 2005, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that by 2010, 150 million adults in Europe would be obese1.Obesity is fast becoming a public health issue of epidemic proportions and presents pharmacists with an unrivalled opportunity to support those wanting to lose weight, helping to elevate their role in public health.

What is alli?alli is a weight loss aid for adults who are overweight with a BMI of 28kg/m2 or more and should be used with a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet. alli can help people lose 50 percent more weight compared to dieting alone. So for every two kilograms lost by dieting, alli could help lose one kg more. Pharmacists are ideally placed to help provide customers with information and support whilst they are undertaking a weight-loss programme.

Pharmacy support and training through Ask Your Pharmacist FirstGSK is offering comprehensive training to ensure that pharmacists and pharmacy assistants are fully informed about alli and the support programme. To date more than 182,000 pharmacy staff in over 57,130 pharmacies across Europe have been trained, whole training has also taken place in more than 14,212 “Ambassador” pharmacies. The training includes workshops, distance learning and comprehensive detail aids.

This is a great example how GSK is working closely with European pharmacists to help people to live a healthier and longer life.

! References1WHO. The challenge of obesity in the WHO European region.Fact sheet Euro/13/05. 2005. Available from: www.euro.who.int/document/mediacentre/fs1304e.pdf

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Dear Reader,

The first edition of the 17th volume of the EPSA Newsletter is the first newsletter I have had the honour to make in my mandate.

I have put a lot of effort into collecting different kind of articles so that there is something interesting to read for everyone. You can find articles about different events that has happend during the spring and summer, such as the 11th EPSA Summer University, and an article about this years’ theme on patents, generics and counterfeits. You can also find interviews with Hans Linden, who is the Executive Director of EUFEPS, and a famous EPSA Alumni, Timo Mohnani, who was EPSA President in 2003 and is now an EPSA HLM. In addition you can find interesting training articles written by our Training Officer, a Statement of Opinion worked out in collaboration with EAFP - and still there is more to discover in this edition of the EPSA Newsletter!

I would like to thank António Valério for his great design work on this newsletter.

I hope you will enjoy your reading!

Edited by:Anette Aaland KrokaasEPSA Vice President of Communication 2009/2010epsa.vpc@gmail.com

Photography on the front page: Bojan Davinić 3

Table of contents---------------------------------------------------------Presidential words 4---------------------------------------------------------11th Summer University 5Crete, Greece - July 2009---------------------------------------------------------SSFB Summer Camp 6Third edition---------------------------------------------------------First European Parkinson’s DiseaseSummer School! ! ! 7---------------------------------------------------------Leadership Summer School 8Split, Croatia - July 2009---------------------------------------------------------The first EPSA - IFSA - IAAS joint symposium of medicinal herbs 11---------------------------------------------------------eYouwins 2009 12Another great intercultural event---------------------------------------------------------Our favourite LS 14---------------------------------------------------------NoPSA - Rising from the dust 16Norwegian Pharmaceutical Students’ Association---------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------EPSA trainings 19Improving soft skills all over Europe---------------------------------------------------------Cultural Awareness! ! ! 20How to behave in international settings---------------------------------------------------------Patents, generics and counterfeits 22- facing the pharmaceutical challenges of today---------------------------------------------------------How to obtain a pharmaceutical license in different European countries 24---------------------------------------------------------EPSA’s voice heard at the EAFP Conference in Oslo 26---------------------------------------------------------Joint Statement 27«Preparing the Pharmacist for a Future in the Delivery of Pharmaceutical Care»---------------------------------------------------------Interview with Timo Mohnani 28Alumni corner---------------------------------------------------------Interview with Hans Lindén 30EPSA Board of Trustees member--------------------------------------------------------- EPSA Contacts 31---------------------------------------------------------

Dear EPSA Friends,

It is a great pleasure for me to extend to all of you some words as introduction for the f i rst newsletter of the EPSA team 2009/2010. It happens just few days before the 6th EPSA Autumn Assembly in Genoa, Italy, so I guess I have the right adrenaline and motivation, both necessary to hold successfully the upcoming first GA of my team, to spread you all the positive energy and good forecasts I have gained during the first part of my mandate.

Almost half of my mandate is gone and now it is finally arrived the time to speak about results and new dreams. Since April my mandate as president undertook as primary responsibility to increase the EPSA networks among professional organizations, in order to raise the number of our joint projects and trigger an increase of sponsors. The EPSA Team was present to all the most important conferences in the domain of Pharmaceuticals within Europe. EPSA attended numerous conferences at the European Parliament and at the European Commission. We also participated at the most influential events of the “Pharma” stakeholders: The EGA Annual Conference, the Girp Annual Meeting, the PGEU Annual Congress, the EAFP Annual Meeting, the PharmasciFair 2009 and the FIP annual meeting. All these travels and meetings triggered several important achievements that were never accomplished before.

The two most important goals we reached as a result of the above-mentioned strategy are: 1) The obtainment of a new sponsor. MSD

(Merck, Sharp & Dhome) entered in EPSA in the most prestigious way signing a Platinum Package and bringing at our Autumn Assembly an amazing session, the “Risky Business” training.

2) The confirmation that the Commissioner for Health, Vassiliou, will write an article for the next EPSA newsletter. The most important authority on health of the European Commission will increase the credibility and prestige of our publication.

Anyway, this is not all. The networking approach brought also a lot of new ideas and contacts and straightened the already existent good collaboration with externals. We have also numerous undergoing project and the IMP is continuing to grow. We have applied for a new grant and we are planning to apply for more. Let’s say that we are working in each direction with the intent to make EPSA bigger for its members.

To conclude I want to wish you an exciting Autumn Assembly in Genoa that I hope will figure out the great work that the EPSA team 2009/2010 did until today and to make a promise: At the end of the year EPSA will be bigger, stronger and more prestigious than ever before!

Sincerely yours in EPSA,

Tomaso PiaggioEPSA President 2009/2010

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Presidential words

The 11th EPSA Summer University was held in Chania, Crete, the largest of the Greek islands, from 16th-22nd July 2009. 200 European pharmacy students from 24 different countries decided to attend this amazing event. The topic of this year's Summer University was

'Skin care / Sun protection'.

The participants were accommodated in one the nicest hotels in the region: Five star Perle Hotel. All the lectures and EPSA Workshops were held at this beautiful hotel with a magnificent view of the sea. During the days of the Summer University we enjoyed a great educational program, where we got the chance to learn about 3 essential topics by invited experts: Skin & sun, melanoma and sun protection & tanning by. There were lot of interesting lectures such as 'Apivita sun care products: How the nature becomes effective', after which we got product samples so that we could try it on ourselves under the extremely hot Greek sun.

During the Summer University we enjoyed various types of Greek meals and the most beautiful sunsets.

Besides the educational program, we were offered a great and diverse social program. We had a bus transfer to the social activities, which was great opportunity to meet a lot of new people and to learn the most famous Portuguese song. The opening ceremony was held in one part of Chania, the old Venetian Harbour, where we got the chance to experience Greek traditional dance and music, and afterwards a party was arranged in the old town of Chania. Of course that was not the only party we attended, we had a Greek myth beach party where we enjoyed dancing on a beautiful sand beach, and the already famous European evening where we had the opportunity to taste for example some great French wines, Spanish sangria, Bulgarian jam of roses, and strong drink from Balkan.

During the afternoons, after a morning of study, we went to some of the most beautiful sand beaches on Crete, and got the chance to see the water park.Summer University is the perfect combination between education and a summer holiday. Here you have the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and different cultures.

Iva Klarica

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11th Summer UniversityCrete, Greece - July 2009

Bucharest Pharmaceutical Students’ Society (SSFB) is proud to announce you that this year it held the Third Edition of the SSFB Summer Camp.

All the plans laid long before the beginning of the event, the extended meetings during the exams period, the days running around the country and the sleepless nights spent in front of the computer were some of the sacrifices made by the organizing committee just to make sure that the participants would get the best possible treatment during the event.

SSFB Summer Camp was designed to combine an educational program with a social program. The topic of this year’s summer school was ‘Patient Counseling’. The participants could attend various presentations and debates regarding this year’s topic and got access to very useful information in their training as future pharmacists. The Educational program was realized with the support of the Discipline of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila", Bucharest. The Scientifical Coordinator of this year’s Summer School was Ms. Conf. Dr. Farm Simona Negres. SSFB wants to thank her for her great support!

Besides all this, there was also the ‘Patient Counseling Competition’ which was designed to test the communication skills of the future pharmacists and the ability to make themselves understood by the patients.

The social program meant to approach the participants and included team-building games and parties (for example Karaoke night, SSFilm, campfire, Gala Dinner).

The Complex "Vila Bran" from the mountain resort called Bran, the place where the summer school was held, came to our support so that all the recreational activities in the complex stayed at our disposal during the event.

We are proud to announce that we have held another successful event! And this is not just from our side as the Organizing Committee, but also from the feedback that was received from the participants at the 3rd Edition of the SSFB Summer Camp.

We hope to see you all next year for another great experience!

Anca CioroianuEPSA LS for SSFB, Romania

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SSFB Summer Camp Third Edition9 – 14 August 2009, Bran

The joint project organized by EPSA, EMSA, ENSA and EFPSA took place at the Çukurova University in Adana, Turkey from July 20th to July 29th 2 0 0 9 – t h e F i r s t E u r o p e a n Parkinson’s Disease Summer School.

The event gathered 15 students, PhD students and fresh absolvents of healthcare studies: Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, Psychology and Biology from 8 European countries.

Young researchers were working intensively for 9 days in international and interdisciplinary teams.

In the first day participants focused on things that are already known about Parkinson’s disease. Later they tried to find issues still not clear enough for scientists. Each team chose a different research topic and worked on it the next days.

Every day in the late afternoon participants presented and consulted their outcomes with international experts who deal with Parkinson’s Disease in their work: neurologists, a psychiatrist, a neuropharmacologist. There was also a meeting with a biostatistician who gave valuable advices about choosing right research methods.

The fruits of the event are three research proposals, which were highly estimated by international experts who agreed to review them.

The participants, who had a possibility to take part in a research project together with representatives of different fields of studies for the first time, were very enthusiastic about it. The organizers therefore decided to run the second edition of the European Parkinson’s Disease Summer School. The event will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia from July 19th to July 27th 2010.

You can find all the details about the event and registration on the website: www.parkinsonsummerschool.com

Join us in Ljubljana in 2010!

Krzysztof NesterowiczEPSA Annual Congress Chairperson 2010

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First European Parkinson’s Disease Summer School

The Leadership Summer School, an event that is annually organized by IFISO (Informal F o r u m o f I n t e r n a t i o n a l S t u d e n t s ’ Organizations) was held in June in the beautiful city of Split, in Croatia. It was a week full of new experiences, where new friendships took place and where new ideas, new co l l aborat ions and even new conclusions were reached. Of course EPSA took part in this amazing event with some of its representatives.

More than 80 students discussed the subject of leadership, as well as correlated issues like motivation, effective feedback and project planning. The students were of a big diversity, and represented areas from Pharmacy and Medicine to Electronic Engineering and Geography. This multidisciplinary approach made the event a unique place to exchange ideas, raise visions and find new ways to improve us as individuals and as team members. The participants always had the help and support of the young and motivating trainers of IFISO, who were always enthusiastic in giving new trainings full of new teachings and personal experiences.

During these amazing eight days of Leadership Summer School the participants went through great trainings that covered some of the most important subjects regarding soft skills and leadership:

• “Being a Leader”, where the participants explored the definition of a leader and the main characteristics today’s leaders should have in order to succeed in any area.

• “Effective Feedback”, where the participants learnt how to distinguish between a critical opinion and a structured feedback that has the main goal to improve the work of someone.

• “Presentation Skills”, where the trainers gave useful tips to the participants on how to effectively present a communication and where the participants became aware of their mistakes in presenting by simulating a presentation.

• “Leadership Styles”, where the participants became aware of the fact that leadership is not a single notion but a complex and non-linear definition, which depends on a wide variety of personal characteristics of the person and the situation itself.

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Leadership Summer SchoolSplit, Croatia - July 2009

• “Team Management”, where the participants were split into groups and given a project to take care of. The final result depended directly on how good the team made it through the challenge and overcame the obstacles.

• “Emotional Intelligence”, where this subject was explained and explored by the participants in order to understand that intelligence is much more a balance of emotion and reason rather than the knowledge we get from our daily lives.

• “Conflict Resolution”, where the participants discussed how to overcome a conflict and how to prevent a team from splitting and thereby harming its good work together.

• “Motivation”, where the participants explored what motivates them to be a part of their associations and to perform well with their jobs, as well as how the motivation factors can be the key to a successful outcome of the work.

• “Facilitation and Decision Making”, where the participants learnt the importance of this process and the necessity of having a facilitating behaviour in a team.

• “P ro j e c t Managemen t” , whe re t he participants were challenged to develop a project from zero and improve it step-by-step, defending the final result in front of an IFISO jury and putting all their efforts at work.

However, the Leadership Summer School was much more than a simple formation or workshop: The participants created bonds between them also by having a great social programme and good breaks on the amazing beaches of Split, enjoying the sun. The interaction between trainers and trainees was, not only fruitful, but also of great importance in order to see this event as a relaxed yet serious activity.

Some collaboration took also place here: EMSA, IFMSA, EPSA, IPSF, EESTEC, among others, talked about cooperating in several projects, opening many doors to face the future with much more enthusiasm. It was certainly an unforgettable week that everyone in EPSA should experience in order to improve.

The participants from EPSA were Ana Puia (Vice President of Education), Riccardo Hesse (Vice President of Partnership Development), Nuria Peiro (Member of the Financial Sub-Committee), João Duarte (Public Health Working Committee Director), Katja Srpan (LS for Slovenia and EPSA’s representative in the WHSS Joint Working Group), Louise Druedahl (Member of the Professional Development Working Committee), Samy Jebrini (President of CPSA), Marina Kusevic (member of CPSA) and of course Louise Winnecke Jensen (EPSA Training Officer), who participated in this Summer School as an IFISO Trainer.

João Duarte EPSA Public Health Working Committee Director

2009/2010

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Can you imagine students of pharmacy, forestry and agriculture gathering in one place? Exactly such kind of gathering of young people took place in May in Belgrade, Serbia this year.

In the period of May 22-24 2009 Belgrade was the host of the participants of this first joint symposium. EPSA representatives in charge of organizing this symposium were my predecessor, Stevan Aleksic, and I, Uros Cakar, on behalf of the organizing board and as future director of scientific committee. The dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, prof. Dr Nada Kovacevic, greatly supported us in organizing the symposium, by which the Faculty of Pharmacy in Belgrade once again confirmed its leading position in educating pharmacists in Serbia – the fact that the Faculty has been known for for 70 years.

The opening day of the congress was approaching and we were impatiently waiting for our friends to come…

May 22nd, FridayAfter exhaustive preparations from the early morning, everything was ready for the reception ceremony at noon. The reception of the participants took place at the ceremony hall of the Faculty of Pharmacy along with the appropriate cocktail and welcoming address of the dean. After that the professional part of the symposium ensued. The dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, prof. Dr Nada Kovacevic, held the first lecture, with the topic Modern Research in Pharmacognosy - Characterization of Herbal Drugs. Our second lecturer was a professor-assistant at the Faculty of Forestry in Belgrade, Ivana Bjedov, whose topic was Herbal drugs in horticulture.

Our stay at the faculty continued at the Museum of Pharmacy, the unique institution of this kind in Serbia. Our friends were astonished by the display of the museum which visualized with its interior a typical pharmacy of the 19th century with numerous vessels for medicines made of wood, glass and marble. Enormous museum's heritage is the bibliographical collection of pharmacopeas from the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the replica of the Babilonian clay plate with a prescription for a medicine whose original is kept in Washington.

We continued our associating in a proper way – the Serbian way. Everyone enjoyed traditional specialties of the Serbian cuisine, especially grilled meat and there was also ever-present red wine.

May 23rd, SaturdayWe had a pre-planned visit to the Institute for the Research of Medicinal Herbs “Dr Josif Pancic”. Our hosts cordially welcomed us and acquainted us with

the work of such an important institution. They showed us the laboratories where the final control of medicinal herbs as well as herbal products is carried out.

The second part of our visit included a visit to the plantation of the institute near Belgrade. An agronomy engineer explained all the necessary parameters that should be fulfilled in order to get good quality herbal raw material, the basis for an herbal drug .We saw also some exotic species such as rosemary and rheum. We were told that it was the result of the work of the institute’s agronomists that those herbs are successfully raised in such climate conditions.

Our guests spent the rest of the day touring Belgrade. After a long but pleasurable stroll down Belgrade’s longest street, King Aleksandar’s Boulevard, known for its beautiful tree-lines and, of course, cafes, we reached the Nikola Pasic Square where we saw two magnificent buildings, Parliament and City Hall. After a short walk on the Republic Square we were proudly welcomed by the horseman’s statue of Prince Mihajlo. The greatest impression on all the guests was made by Prince Mihajlo’s Street with its magnificent edifices and people who reflect the spirit of the city.

The end of the day and early evening took us to the famous Belgrade’s club “Korcagin” where we continued with partying.

May 24th, SundayThe last day of the symposium was meant for a visit to the botanical gardens “Jevremovac”. This beautiful piece of nature, which is located in the heart of Belgrade, was founded in the mid-nineteenth century.

Here it is possible to get acquainted with medicinal herbs in their natural habitat. The gardens are abundant with species from Orient such as gynco biloba, Iranian iron tree and Himalaya’s pine-tree. In the glasshouse we could see exotic species such as bananas, avocado and various sorts of palms.

In the afternoon we were in Belgrade’s bohemian street called Skadarlija..During the visit our guests could briefly feel the spirit of the old times for its numerous restaurants.

The participants were delighted with traditional Serbian hospitality, the country and Belgrade as its capital and that was one of the main reasons for a next visit. This congress once again showed that there are no hurdles whatsoever for associating and cooperation of young people who will practice different professions in future.

Uros CakarPharmaceutical Sciences Working Committee

Director 2009/2010

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The first EPSA - IFSA - IAAS joint symposium of medicinal herbs

Since last year EPSA started collaborating with KEC (Creative Educational Center), which is responsible of the organization of the Youth week in Novi Sad, called eYouwins, and we successfully continued working together this year.

The event of 2009 counted around 100 participants from 16 countries, with ages from 18-28, and the theme “Innovate to Integrate”. The concept of the festival was built around a few key-points. The first one was lectures based on the stories of professor Hugo van Veghel on how to use creativity in various areas of life, like work, social life, love, studies and so on. He was explosive and very easy to follow in his lectures, and as a result we had many questions and inputs from the listeners. Considering the fact that the majority of participants were quite young people who are starting their studies they surely have gotten a good base for creative way of thinking when solving problems and going through life.

The second key-point was workshops where we could learn about photography, video making, theatre play making and journalism. After several sessions all participants, who were split in groups, presented the results of their work. We witnessed fantastic pictures made mainly with amateur cameras, video clip that made us laugh to tears, and the same effect came after a theatre play about stories from Serbia, and an intriguing article about the whole festival.

Of course this wouldn't be a festival to mention without the third key-point, which is the parties! Probably the main days were Friday and Saturday when a drum-group made a round through the streets of Novi Sad playing cool tunes followed by a firing-poi actor making an exciting show, followed by a DJ that was playing in the city center where we installed a small stage in front of a square where participants danced together with random passengers. I should not forget to mention the International evening, quite similar to EPSA European night, where different food and drinks from all 16 countries could be experienced.

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eYouwins 2009Another great intercultural event

One of the days was organized in the woods with an orienting competition - the participants were given maps with goal-points marked, and they had to find them. Another day was in the field with games without borders, where 15 pharmacy students, who were at IPSF SEP program joined in.

Pharmaceutical Students’ Association of Novi Sad (PSANS) was participating in the organization. Ana Sarcevic, Jovana Sumar, Nina Bukumirovic, Aleksandra Burkanovic and myself had a great time helping and joining the activities! I would like to invite ALL EPSA people to join next year, it is worth coming to Serbia!

Bojan Davinic

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The LS that has been awarded to be the “Favourite LS” in this edition of the EPSA Newsletter is the LS from NAPSer, Jovana Češljević. She is a 25 year-old pharmacy student from Novi Sad in Serbia. She is studying at the Medical Faculty in the University of Novi Sad, where she is finalizing her pharmacy studies this year. With the title comes an award, which is the great EPSA t-shirt.

Here is what Jovana has to say about being an LS in EPSA:

Why did you become the LS for NAPSer?

Before the creation of NAPSer as a united national association, I was the LS of our local association (PSANS) for one year. I’ve seen myself in this position since my first EPSA event, which was the 31st EPSA Annual Congress in Novi Sad. It was a big challenge for me - taking one step forward and upgrading my local activities with the ones on the national level.

What does it mean to you to be an LS?

I am very proud of being the LS of NAPSer, and I’m quite sure this position fits the best for me, concerning my character, interests and motivation. As LS, I’m being the most important link between my country, its students and EPSA. Unfortunately, as you all probably already know, Serbia is one of the least developed countries in Europe, with lack of opportunities for young people. Therefore, the fact that I come from

Serbia probably motivates me the most. Bringing EPSA to Serbian students means bringing them Europe, European values, ideas, and a lot of different projects, which they wouldn’t be able to experience without EPSA.

Have you held any positions earlier in your local/national association or in EPSA?

Yes of course. Firstly I was member of the Mobility Working Committee for one year, and that was actually my first contact with EPSA. For my work, I was awarded with the Certificate for outstanding performance after the 2007/2008 mandate. I also held the position of Local Exchange Officer (LEO) and after that I became the LS for my local association PSANS. Now I am LS, temporary National IMP coordinator and Member of Executive Board of NAPSer as well as a member of Parliamentarian board of PSANS.

Is there any particular situation that you remember from your time as an LS that is especially worth mentioning?

Well, I remember a lot of different either nice or funny situations, but unfortunately the EPSA Newsletter doesn’t have enough pages for all of my stories :)

Why would you recommend someone to become an LS?

Being LS expands your views, brings you a lot of different experience and skills and the possibility to meet your colleagues all over Europe. By spending time with them, you can discover a lot about other countries: Their cultures, university systems and professional opportunities. Some of the people I’ve met during my involvement in the work of EPSA, I cannot consider my colleagues anymore, because they became my friends for life. This is certainly the most valuable thing I gained from EPSA!

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Our favourite LSSerbia brings home the title

What do you do to promote EPSA to the students in your country?

Serbia has four pharmaceutical faculties. In each of them, there is one coordinator who helps me with promotion of EPSA on the local level. I regularly forward all EPSA material to NAPSer news and upload it on NAPSer website. My favourite way of promotion is of course face to face one, during our meetings and congresses. Serbian students are crazy about EPSA and its events, as you’ve probably already noticed, so this part of my job is really the easiest one!

Which event was your favourite EPSA event and why?

My favourite EPSA event was the 31st AC, held in my hometown Novi Sad, although it was definitely the most exhausting one for me, since I was a member of the Reception Committee. This was my first real contact with EPSA, I can call it “my big boom”. Despite the fact that I hardly slept during those days, adrenaline was what kept me alive, smiling and enjoying every minute of this EPSA event.

Are you planning to continue working in EPSA after your LS mandate?

Unfortunately I’m not planning to continue my EPSA work, since I’ll graduate in 2 months. But, I’m sure this won’t be my final goodbye! I’m very interested in the EPSA Alumni project and IMP as well. There are so many things that EPSA can offer, not only to pharmacy students but even to young, recently graduated pharmacists! You won’t get rid of me that easily :)

On a scale from 1-10 Jovana thinks the LS position looks:

- Experience: 10

- Fun: 8

- Time consuming: 5

- Headache: 2

- Responsibility: 9

Interview by:

Anette Aaland KrokaasEPSA Vice President of Communication

2009/2010

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The activity in NoPSA has been low or non existing for many years. Some students have attended EPSA events in the past, but no one wanted to take charge and increase the activity in our association. No one promoted NoPSA and EPSA, we did not have an executive and few students were motivated to join in.

In Norway you can study pharmacy in Tromsoe, Bergen and Oslo. Norway is an extended country with a great distance between the faculties and there are only 500 pharmacy students.

My involvement in the association started in 2006, and in 2007 I participated at my first EPSA event, the Annual Congress in the Haag. I was totally overwhelmed by the EPSA spirit and all the amazing people I met. Then I understood that this was going to be the beginning of something great.

The former NoPSA President ended her mandate after this congress and I assumed full responsibility for the association. My aim was to reach all the Norwegian pharmacy students, form an executive, improve the promoting of EPSA and increase the communication between our faculties. I started to promote NoPSA and EPSA at my faculty in Tromsoe and as a result we had 11 Norwegian delegates attending the EPSA AC 2008 in Serbia. At the LS workshop I addressed the problem I had with motivating students and myself to increase the activity in our association. During this congress I got some good ideas from the other LSes and the EPSA team on how to solve this problem. With newborn spirit and motivation I decided to promote NoPSA and EPSA to the two other faculties in Norway. I invited students from all faculties to the first general assembly in Oslo where we formed the first NoPSA executive in the history.

This was the big turnover for NoPSA. The new executive managed to promote NoPSA and EPSA at every faculty and we got students to apply for the EPSA AC in France. At this congress NoPSA had participants attending from all the three faculties. NoPSA was also present at the EAFP congress in Oslo, June 2009.

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NoPSA - Norwegian Pharmaceutical Students’ AssociationRising from the dust

In October 2009 we arranged the second NoPSA GA at the University of Tromsoe. In order to de-velop the association, we had to reorganize the structure of the executive and improve our regu-lations. We had a discussion on how to improve the communication between students at the three faculties and what NoPSA can offer to the students. After this GA we have brought NoPSA to a new level and we will continue to evolve our association until the next GA.

It has been a long process, starting with nothing and ending up where we are now. I am so proud of our association. Without the hard working ex-ecutive, the EPSA spirit and all the people

around me that have motivated me all the time, NoPSA would never be what it is today.

I have learned that with some effort and hard work you can make it happen! Never give up, and believe in what you are doing, because no one can form an association in one day.

In the future we will try to build and maintain a sustainable structure for our association. NoPSA will continue to promote EPSA to the pharmacy students in Norway and we will be present at all the EPSA events.

Now NoPSA has a well-functioning executive, we have just joined EPSAs IMP project and we have a Norwegian student in EPSA’s executive. This is just the beginning. NoPSA will continue to de-velop and improve our association and we will explore our possibilities to collaborate with other associations in Norway and Europe.

Stine FigenschauNoPSA President 09/10

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When studying for a scientific degree, we spend hours and hours on studying hardcore science. And of course as pharmacists we need to know all there is to know about medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and pharmacotherapy – but honestly, what is a pharmacist without empathy and good communication skills? How competent is a manager with no clear idea about leadership and project management? Such skills are called “soft skills” and are rarely in focus in the universities. That is why EPSA is now building a training system, which will benefit pharmacy students all over Europe! During the l a s t f e w y e a r s t r a i n i n g s a n d workshops have been conducted in EPSA events, but without a s t r u c t u r e a n d overall aim. With the new EPSA Training Project we can and thus improve not only the quality but also the quantity of the EPSA Trainings.

The first step

To have trainers, you need basically two things: A trainer and participants. The latter is the easy one, as many pharmacy students across Europe are eager to improve their skill set. With regards to trainers, the first step was taken in Copenhagen, September 25th-27th, where the first EPSA Training New Trainers (TNT)-event was held. Here 8 participants from 5 different countries were trained by two experienced trainers from other international student

organizations, which already have had training structures for a long time. The program of the event was i n ten se and demanding, but also extremely interesting and a lot of fun!

And now…

With the TNT the possibilities for planning trainings around Europe exploded! Instead of a few, we now have more than 10 people who can conduct trainings in many different topics, and therefore we now need to start planning the trainings! We have the trainers and for sure the trainees, but we need the link in between – the organizers. Therefore now, whoever you are, you need to consider, if you need to be trained in something. In the box you can find suggestions of

training topics, but if y o u h a v e o t h e r ideas, please feel free to let me know!

Would you like to have a training?

If so, contact your LS or me or anyone else from EPSA! Together we will work out a solution and make sure that the training happens. A lot of enthusiastic people are already working on this project, and we need to channel all this energy to all of you out there! Take advantage of this offer, and improve your skills ASAP!

Louise Winnecke Jensen EPSA Training Officer 2009/2010

to.epsa@gmail.com

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EPSA trainingsImproving soft skills all over Europe

Topics covered in TNT- Personality test- Adult learning style- How to plan, design

and deliver a training- Training challenge!

Examples of topics- Communication- Leadership- Cultural awareness- Conflict

management- Group dynamics- Time management- Stress management

We are all different. Interpersonal communication will always be affected by our personality and background. But one thing in particular can give rise to challenges in communication and team work cultural differences.

Through our life we are influenced by our surroundings to adopt a certain set of beliefs of what is right and wrong, our cultural paradigm so to say.

The paradigm is not something which we can easily put away when we are taken out of the area where these “rules” apply, and put into a different setting - for instance internationally. Here our paradigm might not fit, and misunderstandings and awkward situations quickly arise. Just consider how we greet each other: 1, 2 or 3 kisses? A hug? Shaking hands? Many other factors can give rise to unfortunate assumptions: Perception of time, way of communicating, personal space, and so on. Avoid misunderstandings. The phrase “When in Rome, do as the Romans do!” refers to the fact that rules and venue goes together. You might want to do things your way, but if you work abroad you will often have to adapt to the local way of behaving. So how to tackle such difficulties? It is not easy, mainly because we often don’t speak openly about them.

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EPSA diversity - Representing around 30 countries

Cultural AwarenessHow to behave in international settings

SOFT SKILL CORNER

Consider these 3 strategies:

- Passive – leaving the others to take the lead - Gorilla – my way or the high way - Assessing – read the others and act accordingly Most people will agree that the gorilla approach can quickly lead to conflicts, whereas the passive approach will result in a uniform solution to challenges. Probably more interesting results will arise with an assertive approach, where everyone can work together, acknowledging each others’ different traits.

Cultural intelligence will help you accept and understand the cultural differences which surround us. Being aware of those and how you handle them will make your life easier in multinational settings, and allow you to avoid misunderstandings and embarrassing situations. Be open-minded towards the differences, and get the best out of the situation. Consider the greeting-situation: Taken with humor, the awkwardness is diminished.

Don’t be afraid to talk about cultural differences – as long as you don’t dig deep in taboos most conversations tend to be funny! Let people know if they behave inappropriately, no one likes to be embarrassed. And in the end: Learning about other cultures is for sure a great way to learn about your own!

Louise Winnecke Jensen (Denmark) EPSA Training Officer 2009/2010

to.epsa@gmail.com

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What about yourself? - How do you think foreigners perceive you? - When was the last time you experienced cultural diversity? - What will you do next time you work with other nationalities? - Wanna know more? Check out “European Business” by Mary Kate Bosrock.

Share your opinions about cul-tural diversity in the forum:

www.epsa-online.org

Say cheers!

Be polite and cheer your friends in their language:

- Bulgarian: Na zdrave

- Croatian/Serbian: Živjeli

- Czech: Na zdravi

- Finnish: Kippis

- French: Santé

- German/Dutch: Prost

- Greek: Jamas

- Hungarian: Egèszsègedre

- Italian: Salute

- Maltese: Saha

- Romanian: Noroc

- Poland: Wiwaty

- Portuguese: Saúde

- Scandinavian: Skål

- Spanish: Salut

- Turkish: Şerefe

Remember: - Internationally, common sense does not exist! - ”When in Rome”… Respect the local ways of behaving! - Be aware of how you might appear to others. - Be open and observe how the people around you behave. Watch and learn!

Patents, generics and counterfeits - facing the pharmaceutical challenges of today

We live in a world that is becoming more and more globalized each day. The economy is evolving, borders are shrinking, and the health domain is being highly affected by the challenges that the society is facing today. Patents get more and more criticized because of the fact that they are impending evolution of a certain drug formula, generics get new commercial “faces” and counterfeits are threatening the pharmaceutical industry… These are just a few of the concerns that will be discussed further through this article.

A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor or his assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an invention. European patents are granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) under the legal provisions of the European Patent Convention (EPC).

A generic drug (generic drugs, short: generics) is a drug which is produced and distributed without patent protection. The generic drug may still have a patent on the formulation but not on the active ingredient.

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The London agreement is a patent law agreement concluded in London on 17 October 2000 and aimed at reducing the translation costs of European patents granted under the EPC. The agreement entered into force on 1 May 2008. Before this date, once a European patent was granted, the patent had to be translated into the official language of each country in which the patentee wanted patent protection; if the translation was not provided to the national patent office within the prescribed time limit, which is 3 months (6 months in Ireland), the patent was deemed to be void from the beginning in that state.

The preservation of exclusivity rights on medications prevents generic alternatives to enter the market and thus maintains a high price of drugs treatments. This can have significant effects in the developing world as those who are the most in need of basic essential medicines are unable to afford

The challenges generics are facing today:

Growing presence of branded companies: Branded pharmaceutical companies are increasingly involved in production of generics in order to win back revenues that would otherwise be lost due to patent expiry.

Rising pressure on pricing: The long-term sustainability of generic pharmaceutical companies is coming under threat after government initiatives to promote low cost generics have contributed to product devaluation and reduced profit margins.

Increased consolidation: Generic manufacturers are consolidating in order to compete with rising numbers of specialty pharmaceutical companies who possesses greater scale and research and development capabilities.

Generics companies are currently facing a

number of major challenges including

continued pricing pressure, authorised generics, a lack of

patient awareness and distrust among

healthcare prescribers.

A counterfeit medication, or a counterfeit drug, is a medication or a pharmaceutical product, which is produced and sold with the intent of deceptively represent its origin, authenticity of effectiveness. It may also be a safe and effective drug, which is falsely labeled, likely in violation of trademark laws and in violation of drug regulations, which attempt to assure accuracy in labeling.

Ana Maria PuiaEPSA Vice President of Education 2009-2010

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Activities lead to stop counterfeit medicines:

WHO and IMPACT

Europharm Forum: Did a short work on the draft Guidelines on counterfeit medicines.

Initiated in October 2007, the working group on counterfeit medicines of the Europharm Forum has developed this framework for guidelines on counterfeit medicines.

Council of Europe

Since 2003, the Council of Europe has established a working group on counterfeit medicines, known as the Committee of Experts on minimizing public health risks posed by counterfeiting of medical products and related crimes (CD-P-PH/CMED).

In September 2005, it organized a seminar on Counterfeit medicines in Strasbourg entitled “Counteract the Counterfeiters! Limiting the risks of counterfeit medicines to public health in Europe by adequate measures and mechanisms“. In October 2006, the Moscow Declaration on counterfeit medicines was adopted following an international conference organized by the Council of Europe.

Finally, in April 2007, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted two documents related to counterfeit medicines: Recommendation 1794 (2007): The quality of medicines in Europe and Report: The Quality of medicines in Europe - Doc. 11193 (5 March 2007).

The Council of Europe is currently working for a convention on counterfeit medicines and related crimes.

Since around year 2000, a growing number of Internet pharmacies have been established worldwide. Many of these pharmacies are similar to community pharmacies, and in fact, many of them are actually operated by brick-and-mortar community pharmacies that also serve consumers online. However, in addition to legal pharmacies there are also a large number of illegal providers. The main risk of the Internet lies in the inability of the customer and even the experts to distinguish between legal and illegal providers. Many websites appear legitimate, but in fact they are a front for illegal operations. It is very difficult to detect these pages as they are generally well written and presented in such a way to gain the confidence of the consumer. Some illegal web sites may also have faked safeguards on their sites.

WHO estimates that medicines purchased over the Internet from sites that conceal their actual physical address are counterfeit in over 50% of cases.

The Professional Development Working Committee has decided to investigate the procedure of obtaining a pharmaceutical license in different European countries, firstly in accordance to the tendency to define standards of pharmaceutical practices across Europe within one single rulebook, secondly due to the vaguely defined way of obtaining a license for graduate pharmacists in some countries, and finally in order to ensure that all graduates of pharmaceutical faculties can freely and equally do their jobs in any chosen country.

Defining the way of obtaining a license for graduate pharmacists is marked as very important for European countries with not very clear licensing process. The answers can be used for showing the ministries of health, or similar structures, how it works across Europe.

The answers are collected from the following countries: Holland, Poland, Norway, France, Bulgaria, Germany, Czech Republic, Turkey, Serbia, Finland, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.

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How to obtain a pharmaceutical license in different European countriesProfessional Development Working Committee

List of questions:

1. When do you have to apply for a license to practice as a pharmac i s t ? I s i f be fo re graduation, or during your practice period?

2. How long does it take to get a license?

3. Where do you get the license form? A website or do you have to apply in person?

4. What documents are required t o g e t a l i c e n s e ? B i r t h certificate? EPSA card?

5. Does the license allow you to p rac t i ce i n a l l a rea s o f pharmacy? Is it separate for community/hospital etc?

6. How long does it last and if you have to renew it, what do you need to do?

Outcomes:

In the following text you will find some results from countries that gave some specific answers to the following questions:

1. When do you have to apply for a license to practice as a pharmacist? Is if before graduation, or during your practice period?

HollandHas two kinds of registrations: Registration as being a pharmacist, this is right after the studies. After this they have a registration of the specialisation. There are currently registrations as community and hospital pharmacists, and they are also working on a registration for the industry pharmacists. The first registration application is just before graduation (BIG registration), the specialisation licence is years after graduation.

NorwayThey have to apply after graduation, after the final exams. Students do the practice in the 3rd or 4th year. After they finished their practice, and if they have passed all the previous exams, they can apply for a student license, which is valid for 1-1,5 year, depending on which faculty they study at.

SerbiaYoung pharmacists can work independently without a license for the first seven years, but it is important to be in a procedure of licensing.

SloveniaThere has recently been a change in this system. For generations starting studies in 03/04 and earlier, they have to apply for a licence after graduation, but younger students acquire this license after completing their pharmaceutical practice as part of the study.

6. How long does it last and if you have to renew it, what do you need to do?

PolandThis is a quite complicated matter in Poland. If you get the licence, you are obliged to pay a membership fee each month. Furthermore, to not lose it you have to collect points. There are 2 kinds of points: Hard points, which are collected during trainings that end with an exam or test and soft points, which are gained during

congresses and conferences. During a 5 years period they have to collect 100 points (50 hard points and 50 soft points). Each conferences and training is payable. If the license is lost, they have to repeat the practise period for half a year in community pharmacy.

Norway and Croatia have the similar way of renewing of the license after 65 years of age:Croatia: After 65 years of life the pharmacist applies each year for renewal of permission and compulsory approval of physician about medical fitness of the pharmacist. This procedure can continue until 75 years of life.Norway: If you get a student licence that is valid for 1 – 1,5 year you have to apply once again when you graduate, and then you will get a permanent one. If you want to work after you are 75 years old you have to renew your license.

TurkeyThe license is valid as long as the pharmacist lives.

As you can see, the licensing process for a graduated pharmacist across Europe is variable, and documents like this one may help as a first step of solving the problem of licensing in some countries. Also, as the second step it can help in the procedure that every pharmacist can do his-her job without any prohibitions across the Europe.

For further information about this survey, do not hesitate to contact me.

Kristina JovanovicProfessional Development Working Committee

Director 2009-2010epsaprofdevwcd@gmail.com

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The complete table with

results can be found at

www.epsa-online.org

EAFP (European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy) is the representative body of the higher education in pharmacy profession in Europe. This year the EAFP Annual Conference chose the topic "New issues in Postgraduate / post-registration Pharmacy Education". The conference focused on the third level of Bologna education – into the further education and specialization beyond the master level. The PhD degree is the only Bologna framework for the post-graduate education in Europe. Dr. Karen Marie Ulshagen, the head of the organizing committee and also the Dean of School of Pharmacy in Oslo, stated that educational needs for the pharmacists to be able to practice as specialists in various fields do not always fit into the current PhD programs. A larger toolbox is needed. Currently it includes specializations, internships, continuing professional development (CPD), master on master degrees, clinical and industrial PhDs and many other options.

The conference was attended by over 120 academics from 28 European countries. EAFP recognizes students to be important partners to them and it is a good tradition that EPSA members represent the students’ voice. In Oslo, EPSA was represented by the historically largest delegation of students, supported by the reception committee from the Norwegian association NoPSA.

On behalf of EPSA, Aja (Alena) Petrikova (EPSA Honorary Life Member) contributed to the conference program by the presentation about the Pharmaceutical Care Education in faculties throughout Europe. In the last autumn EPSA performed a large survey on the differences in the education of pharmaceutical care, and in addition EPSA asked the participants of the EPSA-ESCP Students' Symposium (October 2008, Dubrovnik, Croatia) via a questionnaire about their opinion on the pharmaceutical care

education. It is a big success for EPSA that EAFP supported the EAFP-EPSA joint position paper "Preparing the Pharmacist for a Future in the delivery of Pharmaceutical Care" which was accepted at the Conference in Oslo.

EPSA will try to have the outcomes of the survey and questionnaire published in a scientific journal in the coming months. The EPSA presentation at the EAFP conference is available on demand from your Liaison Secretaries.

Another success of EPSA was receiving the award for the best poster submitted to the conference (authors: Aja Petrikova, HLM; Marisabelle Bonnici, Immediate Past President; Kristina Jovanovic, Professional Development WC Director). The poster referred about the Continuing Professional Education (CPD) scheme for undergraduate students and pharmacists. The EPSA poster is available for download at the EPSA website.

On behalf of the students participating in the EAFP conference I would like to thank EAFP for the invitation, and to the School of Pharmacy in Oslo for organizing such interesting conference. And last but not least, we would like to thank NoPSA, the Norwegian Pharmaceutical Students' Association for the amazing social and cultural program they prepared for us.

Aja (Alena) PetrikovaEPSA Pharmaceutical Care Education Working

Group Director 2008-2009EPSA Honorary Life Member

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EPSA’s voice was heard at the EAFP Conference in OsloOslo 18 - 20 June 2009

Joint Statement

“Preparing the Pharmacist for a Future in the Delivery of Pharmaceutical Care”

Background

EAFP has helped to expand the thinking about the pharmacy university curricula over the past ten years through a Task Force (1999) publication and a series of declarations made at subsequent conferences. In those declarations EAFP has committed to harmonisation of undergraduate courses facilitated by accreditation to agreed quality criteria; while maintaining curriculum variation that allows for educational experimentation. EAFP has argued that the highest quality course will provide for unknown futures.

EPSA has consistently argued for a modern curriculum that reflects a medicines-focussed and patient-centred professional education that prepares the student with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to deliver pharmaceutical care.

University professors recognise the exciting evolution of a pharmacy profession that is actively addressing the needs of patients served by an expanding 21st century high technology knowledge base. This joint recognition is forming changes in the curriculum required to advance teaching and research to match the professional and scientific aspirations of those entering the profession.

Joint Statement

1. Pharmaceutical care is an outcome of pharmacists’ services that reflects effective quality assurance of medication use. Pharmaceutical care adds to the definition of the pharmacist’s consistent application of the pharmaceutical sciences to the quality of medicines that are developed, prepared and used in society. Pharmaceutical care (quality of medication use) is what patients in the 21st century can reasonably expect from a healthcare system. Clinical pharmacy is the taught subject which relies on the actions and expertise of pharmacists needed to advance and maintain pharmaceutical care standards in medication use within a multidisciplinary healthcare environment.

2. The continuous improvement of services provided by pharmacists in society depends upon undergraduate and postgraduate educational programmes serving the education and research needs of a progressive profession. EAFP and EPSA are committed to the continuing definition of pharmaceutical care and to that definition being the mission of pharmacists globally.

3. The student’s curriculum (5 years) must reflect this aspiration at entry to the profession and the pharmacist’s continued professional education must support pharmaceutical care delivery. Pharmaceutical care reflects skills and attitudes acquired by students from increased exposure to real-life patient problem-solving situations. The expertise needing to be acquired can be achieved by combining clinical experience with scientific understanding.

4. The curriculum of a School of Pharmacy requires more clinical experience in pharmaceutical education and research to show the best achievement of educational outcomes. Graduating pharmacists are required to be prepared adequately to participate in practice, teaching and research in order to provide innovative services which continuously improve quality in the use of medications. Post-registration practitioner educational development should address patients’ needs and more research activity into those needs is required. The life-long formation of the practitioner should be structured to provide logical progression through a career pathway designed to address patients’ needs.

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Our student days are probably the years were we do most socialising. After graduation we may come to realise that we have lost touch with many friends, especially if those friends live in different countries. Unfortunately time and distance have a way of putting dents in relationships that you once thought would never end. But let’s face it; our lives are fuller with friends and although we become busier every day, it’s a fact that we can be close with our friends, even if they live far away. The first step is to commit to keeping the friendships you have gained through EPSA alive! The Alumni project is the perfect way for all of us to keep in contact with old EPSA friends.

Timo Mohnani was President of EPSA in 2003; he has contributed a lot to the organisation and was awarded the title of Honorary Life Member by the General Assembly. Below you can read a short interview I had with Timo.

In which year did you get involved in EPSA and what was the nature of your involvement?

The first time I was involved was when I become elected EPSA LS, in the national executive of FiPSA (Finnish Pharmaceutical Students' Association). I had no idea what EPSA was at the time, but the thought of European stuff sounded good.

I remember working hard to get the Annual Questionnaire filled in from Finland. That year (2001) I also attended my first EPSA congress in Portugal. It was a great experience. 

What did you like about being involved in EPSA and your EPSA Experience?

I love the European part of EPSA. It was so much fun travelling around Europe and meeting all kinds of different people and pharmacy students. Spending time with different people really opens your eyes to the diversity of Europe. One of the best times to see this diversity is the European evening at the congresses.

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Alumni CornerInterview with Timo Mohnani

I also loved the work of being part of the EPSA executive. Sometimes it really pushed you to your limits. It was challenging hard work. Being part of a team that is spread out across Europe and with little resources does make things hard but it was nice to see things getting accomplished.

What are you doing now?

These days I work as a Clinical Research Associate for a Contract Research Organisation (CRO) called PAREXEL. Essentially I manage clinical trials. It's an interesting job, and I definitely recommend it.

How has EPSA contributed to your life and to your professional career?

I really believe that I can thank EPSA for my current job. Unfortunately it is very hard for somebody with no experience to get a job in the pharmaceutical industry. You definitely need some luck. However I think my current boss (who hired me) saw the potential in me due to my history with EPSA, despite my lack of experience. I think she realised that my work in an international team would help me adapt to my new job very quickly. Especially since my job i n vo l ve s wo rk i ng i n an i n t e rna t i ona l environment.

If you had the opportunity to do it over again would you?

Definitely!!  

What is your fondest memory from the years of your involvement?

I think I have to say that it is the fun times we had. We worked very hard but we also played hard. I remember some executive meetings going on late into the night after which we would go out. The congresses were really great too. But I think I have to say that my best event was the Summer University in Genoa. All my EPSA friends were there and we had so much fun together! Unforgettable event!! 

Do you have any last words for the current and future EPSA generations?

I would definitely recommend taking part actively in EPSA. Don't hesitate. At times it will be hard and challenging but ultimately it is an investment in your own future that will pay itself back many many times later on in your career.

Thank you very much for your time

EPSA Truly changes your life – I encourage all of you reading this newsletter to take your future into your own hands and shape it through your experiences as Timo has done.

Yours in EPSA always,

Marisabelle BonniciEPSA Immediate Past President 2009 - 2010

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When did you hear about EPSA for the first time?

- Many, many years ago! In 1994, when I was involved within EUFEPS, I was very active towards EPSA. EPSA was always invited for our annual council meeting, and it was a standard operating procedure to invite the EPSA President. That is the way I really heard about and got to know EPSA.

How can you stay in the area of students’ associations when you become a professional?

- The way to stay in those associations is to become member of the association first, so as being a member you can be available to the association and be able to engage yourself in projects and activities. In every association there are people who wants to engage.

Is there any way EUFEPS and EPSA can increase their collaboration and develop it to a higher level?

- We actually offered EPSA to be classified as a member of EUFEPS. Still realizing that EPSA could not pay the membership fee (1200 euros a year), we offered that we can list EPSA as our member. I do not know why that did not work so far, maybe it is because of the short period people are engaged in EPSA. I still like this idea, and I will discuss it with the executive and maybe we will support EPSA to become a member, as a part of the family.

The IMP project, what do you think about it?

- Excellent initiative!!

Is it dangerous for us to involve in IMP? Do you think we can be able to make all the universities, the industry and students accept it?

- First of all is that you need to make it accepted by the EPSA members, and people need to know that EPSA is running it. But, people may think that it is not sustainable since EPSA is continuously changing. I do not think that the program will fail though, if you are provided a

platform to run it and people to support it, since the program is excellent. The question is if EPSA could be considered to be able to run it?! Sustainability is a key word here. I think there is a need for activities like this, but you will need 3-5 years to see if it can continue to run or not, and to see the results.

Would you ever compare student associations from Your t ime with todays’ student associations?

- It has not only been a couple of years since my time, it has been decades :-) There are not much difference between how the students operate, just the questions they ask and their projects and activities.

What about the relations between students and universities? Did you also have a slight non-understanding between students and universities?

- I was running those revolutionary years, and I think it is kind of soft these days, if you understand my point? Some people did some good things, some did not so good things, but students are a movement themselves, in any time. Students pick up new ideas and new technology, and it grows among all of us, and it will grow more than we think.

Bojan DavinićVice President of Communication 2008/2009

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InterviewMr. Hans Lindén - Executive Director, EUFEPS

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Executive ContactsEPSA PresidentTomaso PiaggioE-mail: epsa.president@gmail.com

EPSA VP of EducationAna Maria PuiaE-mail: epsa.vp.edu@gmail.com

EPSA Secretary GeneralCharalampos NakosE-mail: epsasecgen@gmail.com

EPSA TreasurerLionel VidoudezE-mail: epsa.treasurer@gmail.com

EPSA VP of Partnership DevelopmentRiccardo HesseE-mail: epsa.partners@gmail.com

EPSA VP of MobilityDan DaneasaE-mail: epsa.smo@gmail.com

EPSA VP of CommunicationAnette Aaland KrokaasE-mail: epsa.vpc@gmail.com

EPSA VP of EU AffairsFokion SinisE-mail: epsa.vpeu@gmail.com

EPSA OfficeRue du Luxembourg 19-21, 1000 Bruxelles, BELGIUM

epsaoffice@epsa-online.orgwww.epsa-online.org

EPSA Annual Congress

Krakow, POLAND

26th of April - 2nd of May 2010www.epsa-congress2010.com