Tertiary education in the third millennium is seeking to incorporate problem-based learning with a practical scenario while encouraging interprofessional relationships. To achieve this development, the basic science approach, traditional in an academic curriculum and the practical aspect, have to be assimilated to forge partnerships in university education.

The University is adopting this principle in all its professional courses, whether engineering, architecture, teaching, medicine or law. Not long ago the need for a good science base as the foundation of professional training was recognised as a requirement for all health professionals.

This led to the assimilation of all health professional education under the same umbrella at the University. The University was already providing for doctors, dentists and pharmacists, and through the creation of the Institute of Health Care the University established a unit that caters for health professionals' education - ranging from certificate level to diploma, degree and up to Ph.D. level.

The Institute of Health Care provides a science-based professional education to nurses, physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, podologists, laboratory technologists, dental technologists, midwives, nutritionists and radiographers. All receive a scientific approach combined with the necessary practical aspects.

In this scenario it is a great pleasure and very apt for the Department of Pharmacy of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Malta to invite to Malta the European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy (EAFP) to hold its 2005 EAFP Annual Conference.

The main theme of this conference is Partnerships in Education: Science and Practice. The conference will provide a meeting place where collaborations between faculties of pharmacy will be sustained and new ones established.

Next Wednesday the University of Malta will be visited by over 150 professors from a number of European faculties of pharmacy from all over Europe. They are members of the European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy and are meeting to investigate ways to improve the quality of pharmacy education.

Pharmacy students have been joined by Junior College students in presenting their artistic talents in singing, acting and playing musical instruments to entertain the academic visitors.

The planning, rehearsing and presentations help to bring together all five years of pharmacy students and the Junior College students - bridging the gap that exists between Tal-Qroqq and the Junior College. This was only possible through the hard work of the students and the staff at both sides.

It's hoped that the involvement of all pharmacy students at this conference not only helps to ensure its success but to enable academics to listen to the students' views. This will also help the students to establish long lasting relations with other faculties in Europe.

Maltese students already make good use of the Socrates-Erasmus arrangements; a good number spend a three-month attachment in a European university while our University hosts a significant number of European students for a three-month to a year's stint of studies in Malta.

One partnership that is being analysed at the Malta conference is that between academia and the industry. It is a pleasure to note that a major drug manufacturer in Malta, Actavis, is not only sending four of its staff as delegates to the conference to discuss co-operation between industry and academia but is also the major conference sponsor. Other medicine manufacturers are also participating at the conference.

The European delegates will be joined at the conference by a number of professors and pharmacy education accreditation authorities from the United States. The possibility of establishing a form of partnership between European and US pharmacy education is to be discussed during the Malta conference.

The EAFP conference delegates are expected to develop a Malta Declaration, sustaining and expanding the Tenerife position paper that reaffirmed the requirements for a European pharmacy education system which meets the expectations of the profession of pharmacy and society.

The EAFP conference is being preceded by the 5th European Society of Clinical Pharmacy Course, which is taking place at St Luke's Hospital with the participation of the medical staff and medical teams.

This annual course is being run for the fifth time in Malta thanks to the contribution of the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy and to St Luke's Hospital staff - notwithstanding the many difficulties the staff are facing with the present overcrowding situation.

The University of Malta warmly welcomes all the delegates to the EAFP Malta conference and to the ESCP pre-conference course.

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