The New Faces of ECPAG

Since our last article in Pharmacology Matters, the Early Career Pharmacologists Advisory Group (ECPAG) have been through a number of changes – we have welcomed some new and enthusiastic members and have said goodbye and thank you to some long-serving members who have helped the advisory group to thrive during their terms.  

Who are the ECPAG?

The ECPAG is a diverse group representing the large pool of Society members who are in the initial stages of their career (normally no more than five years post-PhD or equivalent medical qualification). Our members come from a variety of backgrounds and locations, both within the UK and further afield, and reflect the incredible diversity of people involved with the Society and modern pharmacology.

Aidan Seeley will be steering the ECPAG over the next three years, having recently completed his term as Council Trustee (Early Career Pharmacologist) where he helped develop the Society’s five-year strategy, the inclusion of postgraduate and early career members voting rights and the Society’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policy. Aidan has also been an active contributor to the Society’s annual meetings, advisory groups and Pharmacology Matters.

Laura Ajram is the newly elected Council Trustee (Early Career Pharmacologist). Laura has been a highly active member of the Society, both as part of the ECPAG and by chairing the Women in Pharmacology Advisory Group. Laura has had an exciting career so far with both clinical research and industry experience and gave excellent advice to those who attended the ‘careers bootcamp’ at Pharmacology 2018. These skills will be invaluable to the ECPAG and Council during Laura’s term as Trustee.

Get to know our new members

Nura A Mohamed 

Nura is a postdoctoral researcher at Qatar University and holds an Honorary Research Officer Position at Imperial College; she is interested in improving pulmonary arterial hypertension treatments by nanomedicine. She joined the Society in 2012 and the ECPAG in 2019.

Michael Edward James Preedy 

Michael is a third year PhD student from the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London. His research is centred upon the (patho)physiological roles of the guanylyl cyclase enzymes within the cardiovascular system. Michael has been a member of the Society since 2016. 

Niamh McKerr 

Niamh is a final year PhD student at the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology in Queen’s University Belfast studying ion channels in prostate cancer. She became a Society member in 2017 and recently began representing the ECPAG on the Pharmacology Matters editorial team.  

What are we up to?

The ECPAG are looking to develop specific objectives that align with the Society’s five year strategy, with our major focus on the perspectives of early career pharmacologists. We are committed to representing early career pharmacologists by focusing on the issues important to them and we welcome participation from pharmacologists in their early careers.  

As an attendee of the Pharmacology annual meetings, it is obvious that the British Pharmacology Society is a vibrant community that supports and celebrates a growing number of individuals in the early stages of their career. 
 

In fact, 88% of our newest Society recruits joining in the past 2 years are undergraduate, postgraduate or early career members!  

The ECPAG have recently supported the Society’s focus on mental health in science – see our recent blog series and keep an eye out for regular blog updates on this page. It is comforting to see that during mental health awareness week, the first International Conference on the Mental Health & Wellbeing of Postgraduate Researchers was held by Nature Research with the Universities of Sussex and Portsmouth. Continuing these conversations is beginning to pay off and raising awareness can generate significant change. 

Pharmacology 2019  

This year’s annual meeting is fast approaching and is taking place in Edinburgh from 15-17 December. The meeting is the Society’s flagship annual event and attracts over 1,200 scientists every year from around the world. We would encourage you to attend our networking and early career-led events happening throughout the meeting and more details will follow in the coming months.  

Want to get involved?  

Due to the growing number of early career members, it is important your views and ideas are heard and we would strongly encourage you to become actively involved with the ECPAG and the Society more broadly. These opportunities will be regularly posted on the Society’s Twitter account and by the ECPAG’s members - so please follow us so we can get to know you!  

Do you want to become a member of the Society’s advisory groups or committees? Do you have an idea for an interesting article or blog? Perhaps you want to become an Ambassador for the Society at your university or institution? Speak to us and find out how you can get involved. 

How can you contact us? 

If you would like to get in touch with the ECPAG, please contact Sorrel Bunting (the Society’s Engagement Manager) at getinvolved@bps.ac.uk. You can also follow her on Twitter @Sorrel_B. 

You can also follow Aidan on Twitter @AidanSeeleySUMS to keep updated on all our activities. 

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