Text by the College of Pharmacy

Dean Francis G. Capule and the UPCP delegates with Dean Surakit Nathisuwan, Mahidol University (6th from right)

UP College of Pharmacy delegates recently attended the 4th ASEAN PharmNET 2024 held in conjunction with the US-Thai Pharmacy Consortium 2024: The 30th Anniversary Commemoration last June 12-14, 2024 at Eastin Grand Phayathai Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. As the International Conference on Pharmacy Education and Research Network of ASEAN, the event successfully created a platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences in pharmacy education and research, with the goal of benefiting the ASEAN pharmacy community. Two pre-conference activities, namely the ASEAN Student Network Forum and the MOA signing of the US-ASEAN Pharmacy Consortium, were held last June 11, 2024.

First held in December 2015, the conference primarily focuses on recent advances in pharmacy education and research across all disciplines and is primarily attended by pharmacy schools within the network, including the UP College of Pharmacy. Besides the Philippines, the ASEAN Network also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The ASEAN Student Network Forum Meeting was held at Mahidol University. It was attended by officers of the UPPhA Student Council, Ms. Kathreen Ashley Reforsado (President) and Mr. Ruben Dizon III (Secretary for External Affairs). Student leaders from across the ASEAN region and from the University of Florida exchanged diverse insights and best practices concerning their academic and student activities, extracurricular activities, and campus life while also providing an avenue to perform networking activities.

The UP College of Pharmacy, represented by Dean Francis R. Capule, RPh, MS, PhD, signed a memorandum of agreement with various ASEAN and US universities in a bid to widen the reach of the US-ASEAN Pharmacy Consortium. This consortium aims to advance pharmacy education, research, and practice in the ASEAN region. US member universities include the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Auburn University, Purdue University, University of Arizona, University of Florida, University of Hawaii at Hilo, University of Illinois Chicago, University of Iowa, University of Kentucky, University of Maryland – Baltimore, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, University of Texas – Austin, University of Utah, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin – Madison, West Virginia University, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dean Francis R. Capule with representatives from various ASEAN and US universities.

After the opening ceremony, various plenary sessions were conducted which highlighted topics such as advancements in the pharmacy discipline and the importance of fostering collaboration in the practice. Asst. Prof. Czarina Dominique R. Delos Santos chaired the Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Physiology session while Dean Francis R. Capule chaired the Clinical Pharmacy and Personalized Medicine and Social Administrative Pharmacy session. The other areas of interest that were explored in the symposium were Pharmacy Education and Practice, Pharmaceutical Technology and Drug Delivery, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and Phytopharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals. The last part of the program highlighted the poster presentations of participants, which included Asst. Prof. Charles Mandy G. Ayran and Assoc. Prof. Margarita M. Gutierrez as part of the judges. A total of 9 poster presentations were presented by the UP College of Pharmacy delegates, 4 of which were presented by students while the remaining were presented by the faculty. 

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Margarita M. Gutierrez’s presentation.

Parallel plenary sessions which featured the current and prospective status of pharmacy education and practice in various ASEAN nations and the advancements in drug discovery and development were held during the second day of the conference. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Margarita M. Gutierrez presented the proposed pharmacy education roadmap with her talk entitled Transforming Pharmacy Education in the Philippines: A Strategic Framework for Roadmap Development. The roadmap, which was aligned with the vision and objectives outlined by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), charted the strategic courses of action over the next five years to adapt to the ever-changing and innovating pharmacy practice in the country. Six concurrent sessions were held in the afternoon, covering a range of topics from academic and clinical aspects of the pharmacy practice to practical laboratory-based applications. Subsequently, oral presentations were conducted, with Asst. Prof. Dr. Charles Mandy G. Ayran serving as one of the judges.

UPCP Delegates after their cultural presentation

On the last day of the conference, the final set of sessions featuring personalized medicine and pharmacy education and practice were presented. This was immediately followed by the awarding and closing ceremony. Two faculty members from the University of the Philippines Manila College of Pharmacy garnered distinctions under the poster presentation category. Asst. Prof. Frances Lois U. Ngo won 1st runner up under the Clinical Pharmacy and Personalized Medicine category with her poster titled Identification of medication therapy problems through a patient medication counseling program in a tertiary government hospital. While Inst. Erica Nicole J. Tayko, with Asst. Prof. Dr. Charles Mandy G. Ayran as the co-author, was awarded as the best presentation under the Pharmaceutical Education and Practice category with their poster titled Pharmacy student-led non-communicable diseases screening as a service-learning activity in a state university in the Philippines. 

The closing ceremony concluded the 4th ASEAN PharmNET 2024 with delegates reflecting on the connections made and knowledge shared throughout the event. Delegates from the UP College of Pharmacy returned home with insights and recognitions, ready to contribute to the advancement of pharmacy education and practice in the Philippines.