FIP, as the global leader for pharmacy, has taken the initiative to build the “FIP World List of Pharmacy Schools”, which will be the most comprehensive and up-to-date list of pharmacy institutions from around the world. This global list is intended to guide all pharmacy stakeholders, from students to policymakers, in assessing the appropriateness and effectiveness of pharmacy education strategies. The availability, completeness and quality of FIP’s World List of Pharmacy Schools means it will provide a unique source of information for pharmaceutical workforce policies, procedures and plans.
Further background on the FIP World List of Pharmacy Schools:
The FIP World List of Pharmacy Schools is an initiative to monitor pharmaceutical capacity and capability, similar to those of many other global organisations, such as the World Medical Schools List held by the World Medical Association. Given 2021 is the World Health Organization’s Year of Health and Care Workers, the need for our global organisations to demonstrate increased capacity in all health workers is key to ensure our professions are not further diminished but amplified.
FIP is a founder member of the World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) with doctors, nurses, dentists, and physiotherapists. All WHPA members have been requested to feedback their schools’ status to the WHO as part of pandemic preparedness, and FIP having a list of accredited pharmacy schools will help to identify where schools may be needed and created to ensure long-term pharmaceutical workforce capacity.
Medical University of Plovdiv
Faculty of Pharmacy
Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria is a public institution of higher education accredited by the National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency. It provides undergraduate training in Medicine, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy and Public health, as well as postgraduate training for doctoral and postgraduate students. MUP trains more than 7,000 students, 2,700 of whom are foreign students from 54 countries. The Faculty of Pharmacy of MUP was established in 2003. Currently, more than 800 students of different nationalities are involved at the faculty. A key priority of the management of the Faculty of Pharmacy is to increase the quality of training and scientific research by providing modern facilities and harmonization of teaching materials with the high requirements of the dynamically changing pharmaceutical science. The Faculty of Pharmacy pursues an active policy promoting the academic staff to conduct valuable research in the priority areas for the University. Currently, 15 PhD programs are accredited, five of which in the field of Pharmacy. The Faculty of Pharmacy is a base for postgraduate qualification of graduate students and participates in the continuing education of master pharmacists. The faculty actively participates in establishing and maintaining international relations with related institutions. For the period 2015 – 2021, 45 outgoing mobilities of students and teachers have been realized. Students have studied at faculties in Spain, France, Austria, Germany, the United States or have completed undergraduate internships in pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies, and lecturers have given lectures or conducted short-term specializations.