Agenda
15 -16 October 2026
Conference agenda
Day one – General Assembly deliberations on key policy issues.
Day two – Open to all: researchers, students, and pharmacists interested in the future of pharmacy
Venue: Novotel Katowice Centrum Date: 16 October Format: On-site attendance + live online streaming
08:30 – 09:00
Registration, Welcome and Networking
Morning refreshments, registration, introductions and informal networking for EPA Council Members, delegates, speakers and guests.
09:00 – 09:20
Pharmacy in Europe and Worldwide
Lars-Åke Söderlund, Exec MBA, FFIP, DIPM – President-elect, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), Sweden
Why a European association of pharmacists matters for global pharmacy: international collaboration, professional development, education and pharmaceutical services.
09.20 – 09:45
Pharmacist at the Edge of the World – Experiences from Iceland
Sigurbjörg Sæunn – Iceland; MPharm Kornelia Anna Wieczorek – Iceland
Everyday pharmacy practice in Iceland, organisation of pharmacies, access to healthcare and the role of pharmacists in small and remote communities.
09:45 – 10:00
Professional Collaboration in Pharmacy: ZZPF and the Regional Chamber of Pharmacists
Dr Justyna Kaźmierczak – President, Regional Chamber of Pharmacists in Silesia; Polish Society for Digital Medicine and Pharmacy (PTCMIF), Poland
Cooperation between the Polish Pharmacy Trade Union (ZZPF) and pharmacy self-government: shared professional priorities, support for pharmacists in practice, education, professional development and patient care
10:00 – 10:25
Developing Pharmacist-Led Vaccination Services
Prof. Urszula Religioni – Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education (CMKP), Poland; Prof. Ernest Kuchar – Medical University of Warsaw; President, Polish Society of Vaccinology, Poland; MPharm Sylwia Gros-Browarska – Pfizer, Poland
Competencies, education and interprofessional collaboration. Development of pharmacy-based vaccination, scientific standards, training, implementation in Poland and advocacy.
10:25 – 10:50
Responsible Artificial Intelligence
Dr Anna Gawrońska – Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland; Prof. Piotr Merks – Faculty of Medicine, Lazarski University; Scientific Director, European Pharmacists Association (EPA), Poland
Standards, governance and safe implementation of AI in healthcare, including data quality, human oversight, transparency, professional accountability and a short presentation of the EPA AI survey.
10:50 – 11:10
Coffee Break
Coffee break and networking.
11:10- 11:40
The Future of Pharmacy: Young Professionals and International Career Pathways
Rhys Llewellyn – FIP Early Career Pharmaceutical Group (ECPG), United Kingdom; Szczepan Kopaczel – Pharmacy Student, Poland; Dr Agnieszka Biała – Pharmacist, MSD Canada, Canada
Education, emerging competencies, professional development, international collaboration, and perspectives on building a pharmacy career across different healthcare systems
11:40 – 12:00
International Representation of Pharmacists
Susie Ekstrand – PharmaDanmark, Denmark; Greta Torbergsen – Norges Farmaceutiske Forening, Norway
Opportunities for pharmacist representation at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), and participation in international discussions on public health, working conditions and professional development
12:00 – 12:45
Panel Discussion: The Future of European Pharmacy
Dr Marta Sobczyńska – Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Lazarski University, Poland; Prof. Bożena Walewska-Zielecka – Vice-Rector, Lazarski University, Poland; Rhys Llewellyn – FIP ECPG, United Kingdom; Dr h.c. Mark Koziol – Founding Chair, EPA; The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA), United Kingdom
Emerging competencies, education, leadership, research, workforce, innovation and collaboration between universities, professional organisations and practitioners.
12:45 – 13:00
THE KATOWICE DECLARATION and EPA Closing
Presentation and adoption of the Katowice Declaration by the EPA delegations, witnessed by senior representatives of the pharmacy profession in Poland.
13:00 – 13:45
Lunch Break
Lunch and networking.
13:45 – 14:05
Professional Accountability and Patient Safety – Poland
Prof. Sebastian Sikorski – Vice-Rector, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw; Vice-President, Polish Society for Digital Medicine and Pharmacy (PTCMIF), Poland
Polish professional liability cases involving pharmacists, documentation of decisions, patient safety and incident management in practice.
14:05 – 14:25
Professional Accountability – The UK Experience
Dr h.c. Mark Koziol – Founding Chair, European Pharmacists Association (EPA); The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA), United Kingdom
UK experience and data on pharmacists’ professional accountability, professional protection, risk and lessons for practice.
14:25 – 14:35
Q&A
Prof. Sebastian Sikorski; Dr h.c. Mark Koziol
Questions and discussion on professional accountability, patient safety and risk management.
14:35 – 15:00
Education, Research and Practice – EPA Research Programme
Dr Katarzyna Sejbuk-Rozbicka – Faculty of Medicine, Lazarski University, Poland; Prof. Piotr Merks – Faculty of Medicine, Lazarski University; Scientific Director, EPA, Poland
EPA research programme and planned international projects linking academia, practice and professional organisations, including vaccination hesitancy and the development of pharmacy services.
15:00 – 15:15
Evidence from Pharmacy Practice
Dr Marcin Lewandowski – Board Member, Polpharma Scientific Foundation, Poland
Generic versus original medicines: perceptions among physicians and pharmacists, trust in therapy, substitution and factors influencing professional decisions
15:15 – 15:35
Coffee Break
Coffee break and networking.
15:35 – 15:50
Occupational Health: Safe Handling of Hazardous Medicines
Dr Régis Vaillancourt, PharmD – QUESS 360, Canada
Occupational exposure to hazardous medicines, risk reduction, safe work organisation, procedures and staff education.
15:50 – 16:05
Green Pharmacy – How does the working environment affect the workforce?
Prof. Shellyza Moledina Sajwani, PharmD – Adjunct Professor, University of Ottawa; Clinical Pharmacist, The Ottawa Hospital; President, Climaceutics Health Solutions, Canada
Environmental impact of medicines and pharmacy practice, sustainable medication use, waste reduction and pharmacists’ responsibility for greener models of care
16:05 – 16:20
Digital Health and Leadership
Prof. Zbigniew A. Doniec – President, Polish Society for Digital Medicine and Pharmacy (PTCMIF), Poland
The role of scientific societies in developing standards, strengthening competencies, disseminating knowledge and implementing innovation in healthcare practice
16:20 – 16:35
The Role of Vaccines in Tackling AMR
Dr Edwin Panford-Quainoo – Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
Vaccination as part of the strategy to reduce infections, antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance
16:35 – 16:50
My Role as a Vaccinating Pharmacist
MPharm Sylwia Gros-Browarska – Pfizer, Poland
A dedicated 15-minute presentation on professional development in pharmacy, experience in vaccination and prevention, emerging competencies and collaboration across pharmacy practice, medicine and industry
16:50 – 17:05
Point-of-Care Testing in Community Pharmacy
Dr Beata Chełstowska – Faculty of Medicine. Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw (UKSW), Poland
The role of collaboration in shaping POCT: quality, safety, pharmacist competencies and interprofessional cooperation.
17:05 – 17:20
Conference Summary and Closing
Dr h.c. Mark Koziol – European Pharmacists Association; Prof. Piotr Merks – European Pharmacists Association / Faculty of Medicine, Lazarski University
Key conclusions, EPA priorities and next steps for 2027–2028. Closing remarks and acknowledgements.