“5th Annual National Pharmacy Conference PharmaSpeak 2019” concluded at Lloyd Institute of Management & Technology (Pharm.)

Greater Noida : Lloyd Institute of Management & Technology (Pharm.) successfully organized its “5th Annual National Pharmacy Conference PharmaSpeak 2019” themed “Exploration of Effective Pedagogical Tools for Augmented Learning in Pharmacy Education: Matching Industry Requirements.”

The institute welcomed the esteemed Chief Guest Sudhansh Pant, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India and Guest of Honor, Atul Kumar Nasa, Deputy Drug Controller, Delhi & President, IPGA.

The aim of the conference was to address the paradigm shift in the field of pharmacy education caused due to changing scenarios in the Industry and the gap between Academia and Industry. To address such issues, Lloyd School of Pharmacy welcomed respected regulators, eminent people from Pharmaceutical Sector and renowned academicians in the field of Pharmacy education.

The conference provided a platform to share the insights into the concepts of Outcome Based Education (OBE), the need for effective pedagogical tools, identifying the modern tools for improving pedagogy, encouraging students to go beyond the boundaries of the syllabus and acquire knowledge and skills through interactive and participative learning to make themselves industry ready.

The conference included various panel discussions, lectures and poster competition. Today’s National Conference commenced with the welcome address by Prof. Vandana Arora Sethi (Group Director, Lloyd). Dr. Vandana introduced the respected dignitaries and presented appreciation to them for marking their presence at the event. She also elaborated on the theme of the event stressing on the importance of matching the industry requirements for better career opportunities for students. She also apprised the audience about the successes of School of Pharmacy, Lloyd like implementation of (Lloyd Industry Focused Training (LIFT), Annual Job Fests and efforts at conceptualizing courses integrating Pharmacy Education and Analytics.

Dr. Vandana said there are potent questions related to pharmacy and healthcare that can be effectively answered by using Artificial Intelligence and other Analytical tools.
Shri Atul Kumar Nasa, Deputy Drug Controller, Delhi & President, IPGA took over the dais for delivering the Inaugural Address on “Desired Professional Attributes of Pharmacy Graduates.” Talking on the issues of Drug Addiction, the question he flagged was about the availability of such drugs freely.

As pharmacists, he said, “it is imperative that we to stop such issues.” Dr. Nasa spoke about the menace of self-medication and how important it is to discourage this practice. He advised the young pharmacy graduates regarding honing their skills to meet the expectations of the industry as the industry demands much from them in today’s growing scenario.

Key Address was given by the Esteemed Chief Guest Shri Sudhansh Pant, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India. Mr. Sudhansh Pant with certainty established that there is a huge scope of the Pharmacy in India. He said that in collaboration with Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), the imperative changes in course curriculum to meet the changing scenarios of the industry are being planned.

Mr. Pant asserted that since the pharmacy graduates mostly join the industry, it becomes necessary to unite with the requirements of what the industry demands. Quoting Mr. Pant, “The pharmacy industry of India is growing, and the contribution is mostly in the form of exports to multiple countries. Thus, furthering the growth opportunities. In fact, Pharmacists constitutes the major chunk of healthcare professionals after nurses, and doctors at about 8-9 lac (estimated figures).

By becoming Community Health Providers under the government initiatives, modern medical professionals other than doctors can advise to a certain extent which increases the opportunities for pharmacists.” Sharing the quote “Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude”, Mr. Pant, he advised the students to develop that attitude and not fear the failure. He also focused on entrepreneurship in the current generation and highlighted the importance of job creation which will be more satisfying.

The Address by Chief Guest was succeeded by the release of Lloyd Reflections Magazine by the Esteemed Chief Guest Mr. Sudhansh Pant, Guest of Honor Shri Atul Kumar Nasa, Prof. Roop K. Khar, Prof Harvinder Popli, followed by release of Souvenir -Cum-Abstract Book.

An award ceremony to felicitate the outstanding performers in the School of Pharmacy was held. The awardees were awarded by our Esteemed Chief Guest Shri Sudhansh Pant. The award of “Best Performer” was given to Nilay Kumar Nandi (B. Pharm) who bagged the highest salary package in Job Fest 2019 at campus placements. The award for “Footprints of Lloyd” went to Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra (Director, Florencia Healthcare) an alumnus of 2005 batch for being the most distinguished of Lloyd Institute of Management and Technology (Pharm). The award of “Star Performer” was given to Sakshi Sharma (B. Pharm) for being the topper in academics and co-curricular activities in 2019.

Prof. Harvinder Popli (Dean and Officiating Registrar, DPSRU) was presented with “Lifetime Achievement Award’
Later in this event a short key-note Address was given by Prof. Roop K. Khar, (Principal, B. S. Anangpuria Institute of Pharmacy) on the subject “Pathway to Outcome Based Education.” Prof. Khar said that the core is “how to deliver in the classroom”.

Adding that OBE flows from pedagogy. The education area has evolved and must be delivered accordingly. The diversity in students makes it important to impart the learning to the students in a way that is modern, upto-date and relevant. We must inter-relate and link the knowledge base like pharmacy, basic science, biomedical sciences. He advised the students that the skills must be imbibed and it is for students to take a holistic approach on skills and knowledge. He stressed that the teachers must not deliver a monologue and gives students a chance to express their views and understanding. Develop the concept of research in students so that they start early.

The Key Note address was succeeded by the first Panel Discussion themed “Break the Wheel: Reinvent the Classroom.” The Speakers of Eminence for the discussion were Prof. Kanchan Kohli (Jamia Hamdard), Prof. G.T. Kulkarni (Amity University), Dr. Zeenat Iqbal (Jamia Hamdard), Dr. Varsha Pradhan (DPSRU), Dr. Gaurav Jain (Jamia Hamdard), Ms. Chitra Gupta (Associate Professor, Lloyd Institute of Management) and the discussion was moderated by Prof. Kamla Pathak (Pharmacy College, University of Medical Science, Saifai).

The 2nd Panel Discussion was inclusive of Regulators, Institutes, Funding Bodies and Industry (RIFI) titled as “Four Pillars of Sustainability in Research Driven Higher Education.” The discussion was moderated by Mr. Dheeraj Nanda (Nutrilife India Ltd.) & Speakers of Eminence were Prof. Harvinder Popli (DPSRU), Dr. Dhananjay Sable (CDSCO, Govt. of India), Prof. Devendra Pathak (Pharmacy College, Uni. of Medical Science, Saifai), Dr. Rajesh Tripathi (DRDO, Govt. of India), Dr. Saurabh Arora (Arbro Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd.), Dr. Smriti Khatri (Turacoz Healthcare Solutions).
The event also included a session on Art of Living by Mr. Lokesh Pandey (Faculty, Art of Living Foundation. The session included various stress elimination techniques to aid a better quality life and peace of mind. Mr. Pandey focused on the importance of meditation, yoga, exercises for working professionals and students.
Another dynamic motivational lecture “Cross That Line” was conducted by Ms. Sonia Jaitly (Psychotherapist & Faculty, LLOYD). Where she stated that, “Your success is as good as your preparation”. Coaching students on the importance of perseverance, identifying goals & keeping oneself motivated to achieve goals even in the face of adversaries.

A poster Competition was also held where the participation was received from over 50 colleges like Jamia Hamdard, DPSRU, B.S. Anangpuria Institute of Pharmacy, Amity, and KIET and so on. The winners of this competition were Iram Khan from SPER, JAMIA HAMDARD UNIVERSITY bagged the first position, Safeena Parwez from Galgotia University won the second prize and Shefali Singh from DPSRU awarded the third prize.