Asia-Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS) in Korea

Asia-Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS) in Korea

APPS is a prestigious event that draws the interest of pharmacy students in Asia-Pacific countries. The aim of APPS is simple but impactful: to provide the opportunity for students across nations to interact and share their knowledge about the development and education of the pharmaceutical science. In July 2016, South Korea became the host country of the 15^th APPS. The theme of the event was “Pharmacist’s Role in Infectious Disease.” The delegates of Ismafarmasi that passed the selection process to participate in the event were 29 students, 5 of whom are students of Universitas Airlangga (Ayu Tarantika Indreswari, Aprilia Hardiyani T., Rachma Nurhayati, Nayundra Rizki V.G., dan Eka Ratih D.P).

The APPS event in South Korea was held for 6 months in Dongguk University. The first day of the delegates’ arrival at Dongguk University was marked by a festive reception in the Welcome Party. The party served as an occasion to get to know friends from other countries. The delegates were divided into several groups to compete in games to break the ice. On the second day, after the opening ceremony and welcoming speeches from the university and IPSF, the delegations attended Scientific Symposium delivered by a representative of the South Korean Food and Drug Safety Administration regarding FDA Role of Infectious Disease as a Gate Keeper. The second symposium was delivered by Jae Ouk Kim, a researcher affiliated with the International Vaccine Institute, regarding Vaccine Research for Developing Countries. Besides attending symposiums, delegations also participated in various competitions held from the second to sixth day of APPS, namely Public Health Show Poster Competition, Patient Counseling Event, Clinical Skill Event, dan Scientific Poster Exhibition. The delegations from Universitas Airlangga passed as the finalist of Public Health Show Poster Competition and Best 10 Scientific Poster in the Scientific Poster Exhibition.

The 3^rd day started with the education symposium regarding Biosimilar and Its Regulatory Approval attended by all delegates, continued with workshops consisting of several different topics. Each topic was discussed in different classes, so delegations might choose the topic they are interested in. Competitions still continue in the 3^rd day. A special event was the International Night, where every country had to show their identities, such as traditional clothing, local cuisine, and indigenous cultures. The next day, delegates attended a cultural symposium about Hanbokology that was delivered by the pioneer of Hanbok in Korea. The delegates then attended workshops in several topics as the previous day. On the 5^th day, delegates participated in a field trip to a South Korean Hospital Pharmacy Installation, a big Korean pharmacy factory, and others. After the visits, delegates were introduced to tourist destinations such as Korean traditional market, the South-North Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and others. The last day were filled by the finals of the competitions and closed with a gala dinner held in the KINTEX Hall and Exhibition. The gala dinner also marked the closing of the APPS. Hopefully, this experience will become a motivation and inspiration to strive in the international level.

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