With more than 40,000 members, the PDA is the UK’s lead member organisation within FIP. The PDA was represented by a delegation including pharmacists and pharmacy leaders who will engage in discussions on a wide range of issues affecting the profession, including workforce development, professional leadership, patient safety, humanitarian initiatives, and the evolving role of pharmacists in healthcare systems worldwide.
The Congress provided a unique platform for sharing best practice, strengthening international collaboration, and ensuring that the voice of UK pharmacists is heard in global conversations about the future of pharmacy.
Supporting the next generation of pharmacy leaders
Among the PDA delegation was pharmacy student Gabriela (Gaby) Bura from Cardiff, who secured an opportunity to attend the Congress following her successful participation in a PDA-supported challenge focused on humanitarian programmes and access to medicines.
Gabriela Bura from Cardiff
The challenge encouraged pharmacy students to explore the impact pharmacists can have in humanitarian settings and to develop innovative ideas that raise awareness of medicines access and global health inequalities. Gaby had the opportunity to engage with international delegates, attend Congress sessions, and gain first-hand experience of pharmacy’s global leadership network.
The initiative builds on the PDA’s ongoing commitment to supporting newly qualifying pharmacists and pharmacy students, while encouraging greater awareness of humanitarian pharmacy and global health issues. The humanitarian programme that informed the challenge, Medicines To… highlights opportunities for pharmacists to contribute to humanitarian action and medicines access initiatives.
Showcasing UK pharmacy to an international audience
As part of its Congress activity, the PDA hosted a well-attended event on how pharmacists can help in a humanitarian crisis, followed by a UK reception bringing together delegates from across the world to discuss key initiatives and celebrate innovation, collaboration, and professional leadership.
The event aimed to showcase humanitarian developments in Gaza, Venezuela, and the work of the Pharmacists Without Borders Global Network and was supported by FIP’s Early Careers Pharmacists Group. The event provided an opportunity to strengthen international relationships and highlight the contribution of pharmacists working across the globe on vital humanitarian programmes.
Mark Koziol, Chairman of the PDA said:
“The FIP Congress is one of the most important events in the global pharmacy calendar. It brings together pharmacists from every continent to address the challenges facing our profession and to share ideas that can improve patient care and the role of pharmacists around the world.
For the PDA, membership, and participation in FIP is vital. The challenges pharmacists face, whether workforce pressures, advances in clinical practice, medicines access, technology or public health, are increasingly global in nature and we must learn what we can from the experiences of Global pharmacy colleagues to ensure that we can do the best possible job in representing our members here in the UK.
The unique role that pharmacists can play in any humanitarian response is also important, and we welcome opportunities to highlight this and forge more partnerships with other member organisations to further develop the Medicines To programme. FIP provides a forum where the PDA can shape these discussions and influence the future direction of our profession.
The PDA is proud to play a leading role within FIP on behalf of pharmacists in the UK. We are particularly pleased to support the participation of pharmacy students and newly qualifying pharmacists, ensuring that the next generation of professional leaders can learn, contribute and build international connections. Through our engagement with colleagues across the world, we can help advance pharmacy practice, strengthen professional leadership and ultimately improve outcomes for patients and UK pharmacists alike.”
Mark Koziol – PDA Chairman making his contribution during the FIP global initiative on non communicable diseases
Gabriela Bura, PDA Student Delegate said:
“Attending the FIP World Congress is an incredible opportunity to learn from pharmacists and pharmacy leaders from across the world, and to see first-hand how the profession is responding to global health challenges. Taking part in the PDA- challenge helped me understand the vital role pharmacists can play in improving access to medicines and supporting people in humanitarian crisis areas. I am looking forward to bringing back new insights, ideas and connections that can help inspire not only myself, but other pharmacy students and newly qualifying pharmacists to think about the wider impact of the profession.”
Learn more
- “Medicines To” campaign — A FIP member-led campaign update
- PDA reflects on FIP Congress 2025: a global platform for pharmacy progress
- FIP supports Safer Pharmacies Charter
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.