The History of Appointing September 25 as World Pharmacists Day

Since 2010, pharmacists observe World Pharmacists Day on September 25, which has been coordinated by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). The idea of appointing September 25 as World Pharmacists Day was first suggested at the end of H. Tekiner’s article which was published on the FIP’s website on May 14, 2009, to promote the 69th FIP Congress in Turkey the same year. After his archival research at the FIP Bureau in the Netherlands, Tekiner found out that this day in 1912 witnessed the official formation of the FIP in The Hague. In his email dated June 19, 2009, Tekiner officially asked the Turkish Pharmacists’ Association (TPA) and the TPA’s coordinator for international relations, S. Boyaci, for their institutional support. To put this idea into the agenda of pharmaceutical historians, Tekiner also communicated with many pharmaceutical historians including A. Mat, G. Higby, and J. Gravé, president of the FIP Working Group on the History of Pharmacy, and asked for their comments or for any other suggestions. After receiving responses supporting this idea, he also submitted a short note entitled “When shall we celebrate an International Pharmacy Day?” This note was later published at Pharmaceutical Historian 2009;39(3):50. At the 2009 Council meeting of the FIP Congress in Istanbul, the TPA suggested annually celebrating a World Pharmacists Day on September 25. The proposal was unanimously accepted, and the day became celebrated internationally. 

Ref: Tekiner H. "The History of Appointing September 25 as World Pharmacists Day," 43rd International Congress for the History of Pharmacy (12-15 September 2017, Warsaw) Abstracts. Warsaw: Polish Society for the History of Pharmacy; 2017, p. 120. 

Keywords: World Pharmacists Day, 25 September, International Pharmaceutical Federation, FIP, international days

Why teach pharmacy ethics through literary fiction?

Abstract: Pharmacy ethics is a challenging area in pharmacy education, as teaching it requires special recognition of complex pedagogical approaches. In accordance with the findings of recent studies focusing on the use of humanities in medical education, literary fiction may be an avenue that could be successfully employed as a thought-provoking tool for teaching pharmacy ethics. The major benefits of this approach includes increased empathy and complex interpretive skills, suitability for case-based learning, and students' high level of interest in this method, as well as the promotion of patient-centered care, creation of cultural competence, and encouragement of professionalism among pharmacy students. The successful instruction of pharmacy ethics through carefully selected examples from literary fiction, possibly in an elective course or a special module, may be a promising step forward in modern pharmacy education. 

Keywords: curriculum, fiction, medical humanities, pharmacy education, pharmacy ethics

Cite: Tekiner, Halil. Why teach pharmacy ethics through literary fiction? World J Pharm Sci 2017;5(6):203-206.

Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318040997_Why_Teach_Pharmacy_Ethics_Through_Literary_Fiction