As November draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on how quickly this year at the Society has passed. It has been a busy, fruitful year - from returning to in-person meetings to developing exciting new projects that we’ll continue to work on in 2023 – and I’m thankful to our members and partners for their continued collaboration.
I hope to see many of our members at the Annual General Meeting in London on Tuesday 6 December. It will be followed by the Gaddum International Lecture, where Professor John Krystal will present his lecture 'My 30-year journey with ketamine: shedding new light on depression and its treatment’. You can register to attend virtually or in person, and the deadline to register to join us in person is Tuesday 28 November. Virtual registration will close at midday on Monday 5 December.
Thinking ahead, we’re ramping up preparations for the World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (WCP2023), which will take place in Glasgow next July. This is shaping up to be a vibrant meeting, and with over 1,000 abstracts submitted, an exciting place for pharmacologists around the globe to share their science. Register today to benefit from early-bird discounts, and consider donating to our early career researcher (ECR) fund, which will help us provide financial support for ECRs to join us at WCP2023 and make the most of networking opportunities and access to world class science.
The new year will also provide opportunities for the Society to review the work we do and ensure it is as beneficial as possible for our members and the wider pharmacological community. As part of this, we, along with the Medical Schools Council, have commissioned a review into the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) exam. Led by Professor Dame Jane Dacre, this review will explore how we can ensure the PSA targets current prescribing challenges. At the moment, the team behind the review are looking for people who use the PSA to complete a short survey about their experience. We would appreciate if you could do so, and support our work to review the PSA.
The BPS Assessment team has also been working on expanding its mission to improve medication safety worldwide, and just this week, BPSA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Batterjee Medical College, Saudi Arabia. The aim of this partnership is to improve prescribing skills and patient safety through knowledge assessment and learning, and is an exciting step for BPSA.
Finally, I am thrilled to welcome a new Deputy-Editor-in-Chief for our digital magazine, Pharmacology Matters. Dr Halima Amer will join the team from January 2023, bringing her experience as a front-line physician, and her expertise in clinical pharmacology to the magazine. She joins as Professor Steven Tucker steps up into the Editor-in-Chief role, and Dr Margaret Cunningham’s term as Editor-in-Chief ends. As well as welcoming Steven to his new role, I’d like to thank Margaret for her work in shaping the magazine over the last couple of years, and for platforming an array of authors with exciting perspectives and insights.
I can’t wait to continue collaborating with partners and members in the new year, and I’m excited to tell you more about what we’ll be up to in my January blog. For now, I hope you have a positive end to the year!
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