Discover the University Twinning and Networking (UNITWIN) Global Pharmacy Education Development (GPhEd) Network – an innovative initiative jointly launched by FIP and UNESCO in partnership with the renowned University College London (UCL) School of Pharmacy in 2010. In 2010, the principal objectives of the FIP-UNITWIN Programme were to:
- Promote an integrated system of research, training, information, and documentation activities in the field of global pharmacy education; in particular, addressing issues of academic capacity, quality assurance of educational systems and workforce competency.
- Establish a dynamic and accessible database of faculties, educational data, and resources for sharing within and outside the Network, facilitating North-South, South-South, and intra-regional cooperation.
- Establish a forum for discussion and debate on trends and developments in pharmacy education, facilitated by the Network partners, including NGOs and professional agencies.
- Provide a mechanism for exchange of ideas, skills, resources, and good practice, including staff exchange for skills and capacity building outcomes. These activities will also seek to promote gender equality and empowerment of women academics and scientists in collaborative research and policy development.
- Foster international collaborative research, policy synthesis and strategic development with a particular focus on international development issues and sustainable practitioner development policies
Aligning with FIP’s Provisions programme, the GPhEd Network functions as a catalyst and enabler for the advancement of the pharmacy profession globally through the provision of needs-based resources. Participating academic institutions have collaborate as centres of excellence, serving as a think-tank for innovation and driving progress for impactful advancements in undergraduate training, continuing education for pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, scientific innovation communication, improved healthcare outcomes, and the achievement of FIP’s Development Goals.
In 2014, the Network proudly established the first FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in Africa. This centre serves as a think-tank, dedicated to enhancing academic capacity, ensuring quality assurance in educational systems, and promoting workforce competency in the region. Additionally, the network is now to set to establish similar centres for excellence across all WHO regions including Southeast Asia, Western Pacific, European, Americas and Eastern Mediterranean regions. The network is committed to strengthening the integrated system of research, training, information, and documentation in global pharmaceutical education, with a focus on academic capacity, quality assurance, and workforce competency. It fosters educational and scientific transformations, promoting global collaboration to address sustainability, equity, and technology in education by establishing new centres for excellence in various regions worldwide.
With a commitment to advancing pharmacy education worldwide, this prestigious partnership with UNESCO provides enhanced opportunities for collaboration and advocacy. It enables FIP to continue its mission of empowering pharmaceutical education institutions to produce a competent workforce capable of meeting global healthcare needs.
If you have any inquiries about the network, please reach out to us at education@fip.org. For more information about the network, click here.
FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN centre for excellence in South East Asia
The FIP-UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) UNITWIN centre for excellence in South East Asia was established on October 20th, 2023 under the auspices of FIP’s partnership with UNESCO concerning the UNITWIN Network on Global Pharmacy Education Development.
This second FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN centre for excellence leverages on the achievements and expertise gained from the pioneering FIP UNESCO UNITWIN Centre for Excellence in Africa. The centre aims to:
- Enhance the integrated system of research, training, information, and documentation activities in pharmacy education within the South-East Asian region.
- Lead educational and scientific transformations, and promote interregional collaboration to address sustainability, inequities, and technology in education in the region.
- Cooperate closely with existing FIP-UNESCO UNITWIN regional centres for excellence as well as UNESCO UNITWIN Networks on relevant programmes and activities.
- Implement the FIP regional roadmap for transforming pharmaceutical education specifically:
- Adapt FIP’s global competency framework into the South-East Asian regional context “in line with FIP Development Goal 5- competency development.
- Provide young faculty members with opportunities to build academic capacity (DG1) by developing a Train the Trainer series for all levels of academics, linking to the FIP competency framework for educators.
- Build continuing professional development (DG9) by leveraging FIP’s existing CPD strategies and resources to develop a CPD toolkit, supported by the Provision Programme and the FIP seal for quality.
- Facilitate the implementation of actions from the FIP call to action on pharmaceutical education as relevant to the South-East Asian region’s needs and context.
Seven universities from five of the eleven countries in the World Health Organization South-East Asia region (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand) are founding members. This includes:
- Rajani Shakya, Department of Pharmacy, Kathmandu University, Nepal – Lead
- Surakit Nathisuwan, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Thailand
- Jerad Suresh, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research, India
- Editha Renesteen, Faculty of Military Pharmacy, The Republic of Indonesia Defence University, Indonesia
- Andi Hermansyah, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
- Farzana Islam, School of Pharmacy, Brac University, Bangladesh
- Fadlina Chany Saputri, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
Individual members of this centre include:
- Mansi Doshi, Services development & medicines optimisation, India- Deputy Lead
- Antonius Nugraha Widhi Pratama, Universitas Jember, Indonesia
- Dyah Aryani Perwitasari, Dahlan University, Indonesia
- Suma Latha, Vikas Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, India
If you have any enquiries about this centre, please contact us at education@fip.org.
