The International Federation of Associations of Pharmaceutical Physicians (IFAPP) is a non-profit organization with twenty-five member associations worldwide. The aim of the Federation is to act as an international forum for organizations of pharmaceutical physicians worldwide and its national member associations. IFAPP fosters the development and international recognition of pharmaceutical medicine as a medical specialty and the development of training and continuing education programmes in pharmaceutical medicine. It promotes a closer relationship between national member associations and an improved understanding with allied professions, such as regulatory authorities.

IFAPP and its member associations are working towards the recognition of pharmaceutical medicine as a distinct medical specialty. This is so far only a reality in Mexico and Switzerland, but with promising expectations for some other countries, particularly the United Kingdom. Ideally, pharmaceutical medicine should grow into a harmonized discipline which follows a syllabus in higher medical training and follows the principles of advanced continuous professional development (CPD).

One of the most important objectives of IFAPP is to foster the development of training and continuing educational programmes in pharmaceutical medicine and to assist national Medical Associations in developing such programmes, in ensuring that they are of a proper standard and that their content is harmonized with those already existing.

In order to enforce its commitment to the education programmes in pharmaceutical medicine, IFAPP’s intention is to create two educational grants for young physicians, who are willing to receive a post-degree training in this discipline. The educational grants will support the expenses related to a one-year training in one of the several schools of pharmaceutical medicine established in Europe. IFAPP has an explicit educational mission which it fulfils through its member associations. The role of IFAPP in promoting pharmaceutical medicine will be:

• Reinforcing and complementing the role of the national associations

• Acting as an international independent resource for national associations, and their members, acting as an advisor and coordinator of existing initiatives

• Setting minimum standards for training and education in pharmaceutical medicine and coordinating standard-setting principles which are internationally accepted and widely recognized

• Promoting harmonized procedures for accreditation of professional certification

• Stimulating the setting up of adequate continuing medical education and continuing professional programmes for pharmaceutical physicians. Establishing educational grants.

More information on IFAPP is available from: e-mail: ifapp@planet.nl and http://www.ifapp.org