TNMU Scholars Participated in the International Conference “Contemporary Pharmacy: Issues, Challenges and Expectations 2022”
The international conference “Contemporary Pharmacy: Issues, Challenges and Expectations 2022” was organized on the occasion of the centenary of the University of Lithuania (1922-2022) and Alfonsas Kaikaris (1922-1997), the creator and founder of the Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy in Kaunas. The conference was held at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) and was dedicated to pharmaceutical innovations in response to today’s challenges against the background of the historical development of pharmaceutical science and practice.
Grand entrance to the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas.
The solemn opening ceremony of the scientific conference was started by the adviser to the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania Alina Sakalauskienė and the vice-rector for scientific and pedagogical work Prof. Kęstutis Petrikonis.
Gifted cellist students of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences helped to create a refined scientific atmosphere, performing well-known musical works of the classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
The plenary session was opened by Associate Professor of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Assoc. Prof. Vilma Gudiene with an informative and interesting report about the founder of the Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy of Lithuania Alfonsas Kaikaris (1922-1997). The unique museum, located in a building of the 16th century in the old part of the city of Kaunas on Town Hall Square, contains many rare exhibits from the field of medicine and pharmacy, starting from the 19th century. An interesting fact is that at one time American scientists expressed their intention to pay millions of dollars for at least one of such exceptional exhibits.
The young and promising dean Prof. Ramune Morkuniene reported on the current state of development and scientific achievements of the Faculty of Pharmacy. It should be noted that the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences is the largest specialized medical institution of higher education in the Republic of Lithuania, with about 8,000 students (25% of them international students) and more than 20,000 employees. The university unites two academies: medical (5 faculties, 3 institutes, university hospital and clinic) and veterinary (2 faculties, institute, simulation centre, research centre, 2 animal clinics). The Faculty of Pharmacy has 96 employees, 350 students, and 17 PhD students. In its structure, the faculty has 5 departments and an accredited institute of pharmaceutical technologies. The scientific direction is the development of innovative pharmaceutical technologies.
Alina Sakalauskienė, advisor to the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, concluded the plenary session with a presentation of the results of the Ministry of Health aimed at increasing the level of pharmaceutical care for the population.
The participants of the international conference “Contemporary Pharmacy: Issues, Challenges and Expectations 2022” had the opportunity to present the results of their research in three scientific sections: phytochemical direction, drug technology and social pharmacy, and history of pharmacy.
Leading scientists from the Polish universities of Opole, Gdańsk, and Wroclaw participated in the conference (Prof. Piotr P. Wieczorek, Prof. Malgorzata Sznitowska, Dr. Katarzyna Pokajewicz, Katarzyna Jarosz and others). Scientists from Great Britain were invited as well – Dr. Vilius Savickas (University of East Anglia, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust), Taiwan – Prof. Chih-Chuang Liaw (Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-sen University), Ukraine – Prof. Svitlana Marchyshyn, Assoc. Prof. Olena Pokotylo (TNMU), Prof. Natalia Hudz (LNMU), Prof. Viktoriia Heorhiiants, Assoc. Prof. Olha Mykhailenko, Assoc. Prof. Yuliia Maslii (NPhU), as well as PhD students from Spain, Latvia, Turkey, Estonia and Serbia.
At the poster session, more than 30 poster presentations by young scientists from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine (TNMU and NPhU) were presented. The head of the department of pharmacognosy with medical botany, professor Svitlana Marchyshyn presented the results of the department’s scientists’ research on the topic: “Determination of carboxylic acids of Tagetes lucida Cav.”
Associate Professor of the Department of Management and Economics of Pharmacy and Drug Technology, Olena Pokotylo, presented the results of a joint scientific study with Oleksandra Aleshchenko, a fifth-year student, on the topic “Affordable medicines 2022 under martial law.”
Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Professor of the Department of Pharmacognosy Prof. Valdas Jakštas invited a delegation from Ukraine to visit the department of pharmacognosy and familiarized them with the work of the scientific laboratory and the educational process at the pharmaceutical faculty.
Head of the Department of Drug Technology and Social Pharmacy Prof. dr. Jurga Bernatonienė conducted a tour of the department, told about the work of the simulation centre for providing pharmaceutical care and presented the “highlight” of the department – an educational pharmacy for mastering practical skills by students of the Faculty of Pharmacy.
At the end of the conference, the organizers invited the participants to a Gala Dinner in the refined classical atmosphere of the Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy of Lithuania in the centre of the old town of Kaunas.
As a result of participation in the conference, there was an exchange of experience and deepening of knowledge regarding the specifics of teaching fundamental disciplines at the Faculty of Pharmacy; exchange of scientific information regarding the phytochemical study of new medicinal plants, medicinal plant raw materials and new medicinal products based on them, establishment of cooperation on conducting joint scientific research and publishing articles in international scientific journals with a high impact factor, implementation of new methods of research of medicinal plant raw materials.
The delegation of TNMU scientists expresses their sincere appreciation to the administration of the I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University and the host Lithuanian University of Health Sciences for support, assistance and the opportunity to participate in the conference “Contemporary Pharmacy: Issues, Challenges and Expectations 2022”, to present the results of own scientific research on an international scientific platform and to obtain new international contacts for further effective cooperation .
