Greetings!

It is my pleasure to extend a warm welcome and invitation to all to attend the 64th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) being orgnised between the 7th - 9th December 2012 at the SRM University campus, Chennai. The three day event will be organized this year by the Association of Pharmaceuticals Teachers of India (APTI), whose key responsibility is to nurture and guide the next generation pharmacists.

The Indian Pharmaceutical Congress is a very important event, held every year for Pharmacy professionals. The participants at the Congress include pharmacy professionals from the various facets of pharmacy profession viz. Pharmacueutical industry, Education, Regulatory and Community and hospital pharmacy. It is also an excellent platform for budding pharmacy students to get exposure to the profession and have the unique opportunity of interacting with leaders from Industry , academia and eminent scientists from India and abroad thus becoming a canvas of learning and opportunity.

Taking forward the Pharma Vision 2020, the theme for this year’s congress will be Pharmacy Education: Innovation, Strategies and Globalization. Pharmacy education in India has entered the second decade of the 21st century. Pharmacy educators in the country continue to face a number of pressing issues that threaten the quality of Pharmacy education at a time when globalization of the Pharmacy education and Pharmacists work force is taking place. While the Pharmacists have unprecedented opportunities in the era of globalization and expanding roles and responsibilities, pharmacy education too needs to respond to these challenges from a global perspective.

The Conference intends to deliberate on the issues and recommend strategies in a globalised environment. Innovation in curriculum, best practices in teaching and learning methodologies, sharing of educational and Pharmacy practice experiences from different parts of the country and globe if possible and quality assurance in pharmacy education could serve to overcome the challenges and enhance the quality of Pharmacy education and Pharmacist-provided patient care.

By broadening our horizons and respecting Pharmacy education and practice worldwide and by fostering national and international collaborations, pharmacy educators can strive to produce the next generation pharmacist with global competencies who can respond to local needs in providing pharmaceutical services and patient care.

I sincerely request you to support the 64th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress unequivocally and make this event a grand success. We can assure you interactive sessions on a variety of relevant and useful topics that will ignite your minds and lead to interesting discussions and debates towards a consensus that will help us transform the present Pharma education system.