Pharmaceutical Public Health is growing at ITM

Our Unit of Pharmaceutical Public Health was started in 2023 to address this challenge from a public health perspective. Over the last 30 months, we have been developing and consolidating a diverse portfolio in research, education, capacity building and policy support. It includes topics such as:

• Access to medicines in conflict zones and among migrants

• Access to controlled medicines

• The performance of pharmaceutical systems and supply chains

• The challenges of assuring pharmaceutical quality in less regulated context

• The strengthening of pharmacovigilance systems

• ...

Moreover, individual members are active in relevant initiatives, such as the Lancet Commission on Essential Medicines and the Thematic Working Group on Pharmaceutical Policies in Health Systems (Health System Global).

In a nutshell, our focus is on shaping the future of global access to safe, effective, appropriate and quality health products, with a view on the different interconnected determinants at local, regional and global level.

To do so, we need a qualified, committed and multidisciplinary team! Thus, we are happy to welcome some new colleagues:

• Nicolas Praet, our focal point for pharmacovigilance projects

• Loes Meukens, who supports as research assistant a new research on supply systems in conflict areas

• Yu-Tan Chen, who supports as program coordinator an EDCTP-funded project on clinical trials oversight.

• Moreover, Rahmaniah Rahmaniah has started a doctoral research on pharmacovigilance in Indonesia, with the University Of Antwerp, and she will be with us for the next four years.