11-13 November 2017 – Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society-Young Pharmacist Chapter (MPS-YPC) hosted the Asian Young Pharmacist Group (AYPG) Leadership Summit at the International Medical University (IMU). The Summit is co-organised with School of Pharmacy of IMU, AYPG and MPS, with the theme “Pharmacists: Engaging Communities for Health”. This theme is chosen in line with the increase in expectations from the healthcare professionals as well as the general public due to the tremendous changes and new challenges faced by the profession. The Summit was well supported by its media partners, sponsors from various pharmaceutical industries and community pharmacies. This Summit was also well supported by Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations (FAPA), Malaysian Association of Pharmaceutical Suppliers (MAPS), Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild (MCPG), Pharmaceutical Association of Malaysia (PhAMA), Sabah Pharmaceutical Society (SPS) and American Chemical Society (ACS) Malaysia Chapter. 
The Summit attracted more than 300 delegates and 55 poster presenters from 12 countries. Arrangements were made for these participants to visit National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM). 23 pertinent national and international speakers, focusing on practice of pharmacy in governmental sectors, hospitals, community pharmacy, research organisations, academic institutions or pharmaceutical industries were invited for this Summit.
The AYPG is a coalition representing young pharmacists from countries throughout Asia with a similar collaborative mission as Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations (FAPA), but its priority is on youth’s interest. The AYPG was originally conceived in 2011 and officially formed in 2012 during the inaugural Asian Young Pharmacist Forum with 6 members representing the young pharmacist groups from Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, Japan, Indonesia and South Korea. The AYPG has grown considerably since then, with the addition of Singapore, Cambodia and Hong Kong while Thailand is currently in the process of joining the coalition. The objectives of the AYPG include the development and training of young pharmacists throughout the Asian region, improving public awareness on the roles and contribution of pharmacists, as well as championing public health and engagement activities by young pharmacists. AYPG holds a meeting during the biennial FAPA Congress as a communication platform between Asian young pharmacists. Since the pharmaceutical environment has been changing rapidly, exchanging ideas every two years rarely reflect the real situation. Therefore, the AYPG Leadership Summit takes place alternately with FAPA congress on the years when the congress is not held. This is to enhance the information exchange between young pharmacists and to create more cooperation between members. 
On a separate note, the School of Pharmacy IMU is proud of its students who have done tremendously well in securing prizes in this international Summit. The winners are:
| Category | Award | Team and Project Title |
| Research | 1st Prize in Poster Presentation | Yee Von Poh, Sook Han Ng, Ket Li Ho. Formulation and Characterisation of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate-in-oil Microemulsions for Transdermal Drug Delivery |
| Research | 2nd Prize in Poster Presentation | Chee-Liang Tan, Kae-Ru Chong, Jun-Yang Goh, Yu-Hang Li, Chun-Wai Mai, Swee-Yee Chin Anticancer Activities of Silver Nanoparticle Graphene Oxide (AgNP-GO) and Hybridised AgNP-GO Nanocomposites in Endometrial Cancer |
| Research | 3rd Prize in Poster Presentation | Zhao Yin Ng, Jin-Ying Wong, Jithendra Panneerselvam, Thiagarajan Madheswaran, Alan Hsu, Nicole Hansbro, Jack Taylor, Mary Bebawy, Philip Hansbro, Kamal Dua, Dinesh Kumar Chellappan Assessing the Potential of Liposomes Containing Curcumin as a Therapeutic Intervention in Asthma |
| Community Project | 1st Prize in Poster Presentation | Oi Yun Chan, Rohit Kumar Verma, Pei Se Wong, Suresh Kumar Balakrishnan, Wei Meng Lim, Dinesh Kumar Chellappan Diabetes Risk Assessment in Elderly Population Living in Old Folks’ Homes in Klang Valley, Malaysia: Pharmacy Students Led Risk Assessment and Referral |
| Community Project | 2nd Prize in Poster Presentation | Tze Wei Yeoh, One Ling Low Kampung Orang Asli Outreach Programme: Community Empowerment without Boundaries |
| Social Media Contest | Most popular winner | Hee Edd Wyn |
(Note: IMU students’ names are in orange)
Congratulation to all students!
In the News:
| Sin Chew, 3 October 2017 | Asian Young Pharmacists Group Leadership Summit on November 11 |
| Sin Chew, 12 November 2017 | Pharmacist is not `counter for medicine dispenser` |
Related Posts
