A new national conference is being launched to celebrate excellence in Scottish pharmaceutical care and support the profession as it sheds its traditional backroom scientist role and equips itself to work directly with patients across every clinical setting.

The inaugural conference of PIPLIVE, organised by Pharmacy in Practice, will take place in Edinburgh next May, combining debates and discussions with a chance for researchers to display their work in a poster event.

The first Pharmacy in Practice Annual Lecture will be delivered at the event by Professor Zubin Austin, a Toronto-based global expert in how the particular personality traits of pharmacists equip them both for practice and as educators supporting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

Community pharmacist and Director of Pharmacy in Practice, Johnathan Laird, says Professor Austin will be a captivating speaker:

"Zubin is an eloquent and frankly inspirational pharmacist who says that the lie of the land in pharmacy is changing, and the rate of that change is accelerating.

"His observation is that the profession needs to be equipped to say goodbye to the last cautious, procrastinating perfectionist.

"This is something that we recognise as the pharmacy profession in Scotland continues to strive, develop and achieve excellence for the population of Scotland, and as pharmacists and pharmacy technicians interact with thousands of people every day to deliver genuine care."

Registration for #PIPLIVE2024 on 23 May 2024, which is free for healthcare professionals, is open on the Pharmacy in Practice website.

Healthandcare.scot is pleased to be one of the media partners for the conference.

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