ISIUM conversations

Title: Antibiotic use in the era of COVID: Challenges and opportunities for global antimicrobial stewardship 

Conversation leader:
Libby Roughead, Director, Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia 

Moderators: Anna Kemp-Casey, Lisa Pont 

Title: ‘I can’t be bought for the price of a sandwich’: Myths and solutions to pharmaceutical industry funding of health professionals

Conversation leaders:
Barbara Mintzes, Professor of Evidence-Based Pharmaceutical Policy, University of Sydney
Alice Fabbri, Public health physician, Department for Health, University of Bath, UK

Moderators: Judith Mackson

The recording of this conversation can be accessed here: Part 1 and Part 2.

The slides from the two presentations can downloaded here: Presentation 1 and Presentation 2.

Title: Expanding the QUM community: Developing partnerships with other disciplines and society 

Conversation leaders: 

Puckwipa Suwannaprom, Chiang Mai University, Thailand 
Chanuttha Ploylearmsang, Mahasarakham University, Thailand 
Sirinart Tongsiri, Mahasarakham University, Thailand 
Katanyu Hawsutisima, Mahasarakham University, Thailand 
Angkana Promraksa, Mahasarakham University, Thailand 
Chaiyong Soemphol, Mahasarakham University, Thailand 

Moderators: Penkarn Kanjanarat, Mary Murray 

Title: In guidelines we trust: But why do recommendations vary? 

Conversation leaders: 

Lydia Green, RxBalance, USA 
Leigh-Anne Claase, Therapeutic Guidelines, Australia 
Alli Patterson, Therapeutic Guidelines, Australia 

Moderator: Leigh-Anne Claase 

Title: Education programs for children: Children as agents for change 

Conversation leaders: 

Natalia Cebotarenco (Moldova): From science to practice: Can school children play a role in promoting rational medicine use in their community? 

Raikhan Tuleutaeva (Kazakhstan): How children in Kazakhstan perceive medicines 

Svetlana Shetinina (Moldova): How kindergarten children can provide knowledge to their parents 

Alisha Maratova (school student, Kazakhstan): Medicine use through the eyes of a Kazakh teenager 

Title: Patient groups and their role in medicines policy 

Conversation leaders: 

Lisa Parker, oncologist, Sydney, Australia 
Sharon Batt, researcher, interdisciplinary studies, Montreal, Canada 

Moderator: Joel Lexchin, Canada 

Title: Prescription detox: The art of deprescribing 

Conversation leaders: 

Cara Tannenbaum, Co-founder, Canadian Deprescribing Network, Montreal, Canada 
Justin Turner, Australian Deprescribing Network, Monash University, Australia 

Moderator: Barbara Mintzes, Professor of Evidence-Based Pharmaceutical Policy, University of Sydney 

 

Title: Medicalisation of society: Scientific innovation or peddling disease? 

Conversation leaders: 

Luechai Sringernyuang, anthropologist (pharmaceutical), Director of Contemplative Education Center, Mahidol University, Thailand 
Supawadee Plengchai, primary care pharmacist, Thung Khao Luang Hospital Roi Et Province, Thailand 

Moderator: Libby Roughead, Director, Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia 

 

Title: The Good, the Bad and the Resistant: Effective strategies for antimicrobial resistance

Presenters: 

Kristina Skender, public health and epidemiology specialist and pharmacist, working as a pharmacy advisor for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières and is finishing a PhD in the field of antimicrobial resistance at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Rafael Gómez-Coronado, medical doctor, and is currently pursuing a PhD in epidemiology and public health, with a focus on antimicrobial resistance and public health initiatives across Europe. He has worked with Health Action International (HAI), contributing to projects aimed at improving access to medicines and strengthening health policies.

Moderator: Libby Roughead (Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia).

 

Title: Rational use of medicines matters: Are we measuring what matters?

Conversation leaders: 

Kathleen Holloway is a public health physician, specialising in the management of pharmaceuticals in low- and middle-income countries. She worked for WHO in Geneva for 10 years on rational use of medicines, and for 6 years in SEARO as Regional Advisor in Essential Medicines. Her expertise is in evaluation of rational use of medicines policy. She is currently an honorary associated with the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University, UK.

Supasit Pannarunothai is the Head of the Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group for Rational Drug Use (RDU) Thailand. His expertise is in health systems and policy research and following his retirement from the Faculty of Medicine at Naresuan University, he continues to contribute to the field. He currently chairs the Centre for Health Equity Monitoring Foundation and has joined the RDU policy monitoring and evaluation group to progress the RDU Country movement.

Moderator: Libby Roughead (Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia).

 

 

Title: Measuring antimicrobial use to drive better decisions: Reflections from the Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS)

Conversation leaders: 

Verica Ivanovska is a clinical pharmacist with advanced degrees in public health and pharmacoepidemiology. She has more than 25 years of professional experience across the WHO, academia and the civil sector, focusing on pharmacotherapy, health policy and priority setting. She began her work at WHO in the area of rational use of medicines. She currently works within the WHO AMR Department and the GLASS team, where she supports countries in strengthening surveillance of antimicrobial use.

Nancy Seve is a Fleming Fund Alumni and the Chief Analyst at the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe, where she has been working for over 12 years regulating the quality, safety, and use of medicines. She supported automation of Zimbabwe’s medicines import and export database and led the country’s onboarding to the WHO GLASS platform. She looks forward to sharing her insights on using national data to inform antimicrobial stewardship and regulatory policy.

Sabrina Yesmin has worked at the Directorate General of Drug Administration under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh, since 2013, contributing to clinical trial oversight and drug and medical device regulation. As the National Focal Point for Antimicrobial Use Surveillance, she has led WHO GLASS reporting since 2022 and has played a central role in AMR strategies, guidelines, and stewardship initiatives.

Lilit Ghazaryan trained as a pharmacist and obtained a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is the Deputy Director of the Center of Drug and Medical Technology Expertise of the Ministry of Health of Armenia and is the Ministry of Health Focal Point for the Antimicrobial Use Surveillance System.

Moderator:Libby Roughead (Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia).