LPSA 101

All basic information about the Association

What is LPSA?
The Lebanese Pharmacy Students' Association known as LPSA is the only national
non-governmental, non-political, non-religious, non-profit umbrella organization serving as the
national, collective voice of students and recent graduates in pharmacy across Lebanon with the
aim of promoting public health and glorifying the pharmacy profession.

Every pharmacy student enrolled in one of the five faculties of pharmacy in Lebanon (BAU,
LAU, LIU, LU, USJ), and recent graduates up to four years after receiving their degree, may
become a member of the Association after fulfilling membership eligibility.

LPSA is a member organization within the International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation

(IPSF) and is part of IPSF Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO).

LPSA is engaged in the following areas: pharmacy education, public health, professional
development, student exchange, and advocacy. The Association aims to equip members for
professional life in national and international settings, increase members’ involvement in global
health, and strengthen inter-professional commitment to healthcare through providing various
opportunities in these areas

LPSA Projects and Events

The Association runs several projects during the year, mainly on Pharmacy Education,
Professional Development, Public Health and on Student Exchange. You can check them
through LPSA booklet that is updated yearly, as you can request the updated version from any
executive committee member.

Some common events are:

Pharmacy Education:

Publications such as newsletters and articles from researches undergone by our own members,
competitions in the form of poster competitions, and several workshops or webinars to learn
about new pharmaceutical topics or increase our scientific knowledge on diseases and drugs.

Public Health:

Hold various public health awareness campaigns to cover several topics such as IPSF events:
Breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Tobacco alert campaign, healthy living and diabetes,
anti-counterfeit drugs campaign, as well vampire cup blood donations. In addition, several
events can be held in form of competitions and talks as well as humanitarian events such as
visiting elderly and down syndrome clinics, among many more.

Professional Development:

Holding several events to promote and develop members’ soft & hard skills as well as
pharmaceutical skills. These events can be in the form of workshops and trainings to cover
these topics as well as competitions. Some of IPSF events implemented in LPSA in this portfolio
are: Patient counseling, Clinical Skills, Industrial skills, Compounding, and Pharmacy Profession
awareness campaigns which are held besides the trainings.

Student Exchange Program

Student Exchange Program (SEP) is IPSF's largest project, offering professional pharmacy
internships. Every year, more than 900 students around the world are given the opportunity to
experience the field of pharmacy in one of the 65 participating countries.

The Student Exchange Program therefore enables cultural exchange between pharmacy
students around the world by sharing knowledge and experiences.

The 74 member Organisations of IPSF involved in SEP organize the exchanges by finding host
sites where the students are trained. The program runs throughout the year (Winter version and
Summer version), but the majority of the exchanges take place between May and September.

The length is usually 2 weeks to 3 months with a minimum of 40 working hours per exchange,
and possible host sites include:
● Community pharmacy;
● Hospital pharmacy;
● Clinical pharmacy;
● Wholesale pharmacy;
● Pharmaceutical industry;
● Research at university;
● Government or private health agencies.
The host may also provide room, board and/or pocket money in addition to the training site in
order to help the applicant.

Every pharmacy student and recent graduates (up to four years after their graduation) can join
SEP. In LPSA, we also host international students to do their internships in various
pharmaceutical domains. If you are interested, please contact the IPSF Student Exchange
Officer (SEO) for more information on the application procedure on the following email:
seo.lpsa@gmail.com

The Lebanese Pharmaceutical Symposium

The biggest LPSA event, a minimum two days symposium composed of workshops,
competitions, General Assembly and Gala Party.

The workshops are scientific and soft skills related where usually high caliber and international
speakers will lead them introducing new ideas and raising awareness to our members on
important aspects in the profession, as well as competitions to develop pharmaceutical skills
judged by high level pharmacy leaders. The General Assembly is where changes in the
constitution and domestic rules are approved as well as the elections of the upcoming Executive
Committee. It is the highest decision making board within LPSA.

How to become a member?

If you are enrolled in one of the five schools of pharmacy in Lebanon or graduated from them
within 4 years, you shall fill the registration form and pay your membership fees (150,000
LL/mandate) within one month from registering.
LPSA Structure
LPSA consists of an Executive Committee, School Representatives, Coordinators, Committees,
and Subcommittees. The Executive Committee is elected every year during the General
Assembly at the Lebanese Pharmaceutical Symposium.

The Executive Committee

The positions in this Executive Committee are:
● President –The main representative of the Association, in charge of the management of
LPSA, directing the team, maintaining collaborations, and initiating the policy committee
work;
● Vice President- To assist the president with all matters, provide support to executive
committee members where needed, and direct & chair the Internal Relations &
Recruitment Committee;
● Secretary General – Organizes the schedules, minutes, archiving, and Official
Documents of the Association;
● Treasurer – Controls the finances Association, coordinates fundraisings and prepares
logistics for events;
● Professional Development Chairperson – Monitors and evaluates the implementation
of professional development projects;
● Public Health Chairperson – Coordinates public health campaigns aligned with the
IPSF and World Health Organisation calendars;
● Pharmacy Education Chairperson – Coordinates pharmacy education initiatives in the
form of research, workshops, and newsletters;
● Media and Publications Chairperson – Guides the Association on promotion, content,
publications, designs and advertising;
● IPSF Contact Person- Acts as the liaison between LPSA and IPSF and represent LPSA
where needed;
● Student Exchange Officer – Regulates the Student Exchange Program within the
Association;

This member is co-opted to the Executive Committee:

● LPS chairperson – Chairs the LPS Committee to ensure a smooth preparation and
running of the Lebanese Pharmaceutical Symposium.

The Advisory Board

The Advisory Board is an independent body of the Association consisting of three members.
They are in charge of following up on the activities of the Association without interfering in
decision making and has to advise the Executive Committee. These members, who shall be
approved by the General Assembly, are:

· The Advisor, previously served the presidency term directly preceding the current Advisory
mandate.

· Lifetime Advisor, any of the LPSA founders who has previously served as LPSA president
for a minimum of one year.

· An alumni of the association, not holding any board position or committee member position
in the association, who have been actively participating in LPSA and chosen by the board.

The Pharmacy School Representatives

The pharmacy Schools’ Representatives consist of one LPSA member from each of the
Pharmacy schools listed below and are elected by members within these schools:

· Beirut Arab University (BAU)

· Lebanese American University (LAU)

· Lebanese International University (LIU)- Beirut Campus

· Lebanese International University (LIU)- Bekaa Campus

· University Saint Joseph (USJ)

· Lebanese University (LU)

Their major roles are to inform students about LPSA, recruit, collect registration fees from
members, assist members in their respective faculties, be the link between them and the
board,head a committee of respective catalysts, and assist the board ‎in its events.
Committees and Coordinators
The Association has Committees under every Executive Committee member that will be
detailed in the following section. Moreover, some committees have recommended Coordinators
for the key portfolios. These committees organize the activities and opportunities provided by
LPSA under their executive’s leadership as well as facilitate the smooth work of the Association.
These are the main positions for those looking to start volunteering within the Association and
advance in LPSA.

1. Policy Committee:

Head of Committee: President

Members of Committee: Vice President, Secretary General and Policy Coordinator.

Policy Coordinator:

· Liaise closely to the President and direct the activities of the Policy Committee;

· Recruit and train members to draft policy statements;

· Follow up with the regional and global policy and advocacy initiatives within
IPSF.

Description of Committee:

· To initiate policy and advocacy work on the local, regional, and global levels;

· To follow up with the LPSA official documents;

· To draft and follow a yearly budget with the treasurer.

For more information or inquiries: president.lpsalebanon@gmail.com

2. External Relations Committee:

Head of Committee: President

Member of the Committee: External Relations Coordinator

External Relations Coordinator:

· Liaise closely to the President and direct the activities of the External Relations
of the Association;

· Attend meetings with external partners with the President;

· Initiate contact with relevant contacts to increase the external relations;

· Draft Memorandum of Understandings to be approved by the President;

· Follow-up with the President on the execution of previously agreed on

partnerships.

Description of Committee:

· To initiate the work of external relations of the association;

· To follow-up on previous partnerships and renew them where needed;

· To initiate contact and partnerships with new external partners.

For more information or inquiries: president.lpsalebanon@gmail.com

3. Internal Relations and Recruitment Committee :

Head of Committee: Vice President

Members of Committee:

- Representatives: Refer to the previous section, they are elected yearly and are
automatically enrolled into the Internal Relations and Recruitment Committee. Each
representative will be the head of a committee of catalysts in his/her respective
university, under the umbrella of the Vice President.

- Outreach Catalysts: : Five to six members selected from each level (1st, 2nd, 3rd,
4th, 5th year and graduates) in all campuses (BAU, LAU, LIU Beirut, LIU Bekaa, LU,
USJ). Their role is to serve as catalysts to spread LPSA’s message in order to recruit
more members and increase their engagement in the Association. Catalysts will take
part in deciding and organizing on campus events, as well as working in close contact
with their respective university representative.

Description of Committee:

• To increase the number of LPSA members

• To organize orientations about LPSA and IPSF in all pharmacy schools

• To increase the engagement of students in LPSA and IPSF events

• To hold recruitment and outreach online and offline events

For more information or inquiries: vp.lpsalebanon@gmail.com

4. Secretariat Committee:

Head of Committee: Secretary General.

Five committee members

Description of Committee:

· To keep accurate records of the Executive Committee meetings and to circulate the
minutes of these meetings to all Board members if the Secretary General is not able to
attend
· Maintain a stable flow of events and help in organizing the general calendar for the
current mandate under the supervision of the Secretary General
· Follow up and update the Executive Committee’s schedule
· Update the respective Executive Committee member and Secretary General with
a monthly calendar/schedule of the events of each month
· Managing the attendance of students on LPSA events (online and offline) to make
sure they are eligible for certifications
· Aid in creating feedback forms that aim to improve the quality of events and fill the
gaps faced through surveys that help steer LPSA in the direction that is students’
favored (by students for the students).
· Act as the Secretary General, in case the Secretary General is unable to join a
specific meeting for a valid reason
· To assist with the minutes of the General Assembly
· To create and initiate new organizational methods and documents that will assist
LPSA in the future
· To aid in minutes writing and data collection of subcommittee meetings (each
member to his/her own assigned portfolio)

For more information or inquiries: secretary.lpsalebanon@gmail.com

5. Fundraising & Logistics Committee:

Head of Committee: Treasurer

Members of the Committee: One logistics Coordinator, One Fundraising Coordinator, 6 Logistics
Subcommittee Members, 6 Fundraising Subcommittee Members

Logistics Coordinator:

· To ensure that the logistical needs for each event is met with the Logistics Subcommittee
Members;

· To supervise and oversee all aspects of the Logistics Subcommittee;

· To distribute tasks among the Logistics Subcommittee Members and ensure proper
workflow;
· To communicate and negotiate with manufacturers, suppliers, vendors and retailers;
· To ensure that all assets and material are used efficiently;
· To suggest solutions for improvement;
· To meet with the Subcommittee at least once every two weeks to discuss an agenda to be
set by the Coordinator and approved by the treasurer;
· To report to the treasurer weekly in a one-to-one meeting in order to keep him updated
about the workflow of his Subcommittee.

Logistics Subcommittee Members:

· To fulfill all of the logistic work regarding each event (transportation, material, food, date
& time of event, etc…);

· To ensure the event is going according to the plan set by the relevant committee.

Fundraising Coordinator:
· To supervise and oversee all aspects of the Fundraising Subcommittee;
· To distribute tasks among the Fundraising Subcommittee Members and ensure
proper workflow;
· To seek potential sponsors and donors to fund each event LPSA holds;
· To draft professional sponsorship requests with the Fundraising Subcommittee
Members.
 · To communicate and negotiate with sponsors and venues;
· To suggest fundraising ideas and coordinate with the Subcommittee to implement
those ideas;
· To oversee the preparation, production and distribution process of LPSA
merchandise;
· To meet with the Subcommittee at least once every two weeks to discuss an agenda
to be set by the Coordinator and approved by the treasurer;
· To report to the treasurer weekly in a one-to-one meeting in order to keep him
updated about the workflow of his Subcommittee.

Fundraising Subcommittee Members:

· To seek potential sponsors or donors to fund each event LPSA holds in collaboration
with the respective Coordinator and Treasurer;
· To prepare professional sponsorship requests;
· To build long-term sponsorships, in collaboration with the respective Coordinator and
Treasurer, that help keep a stable income flowing into LPSA’s treasury;
· To organize a minimum of four fundraising events such as picnics, hikes and a GALA
dinner;
· To be in charge of LPSA merchandise (ideas, design, production and selling);
· To be responsible for requesting budget changes, submitting transfers, approving
transactions and requesting payments under the supervision of the treasurer.

For more information or inquiries: treasurer.lpsalebanon@gmail.com

6. Professional Development Chairperson:

Head of Committee: Chairperson of Professional Development

Committee Members: Patient Counseling and Clinical Skills Coordinator, Compounding and
Industrial Skills Coordinator, Pharmacy Profession Advocacy Coordinator, Growth and
Development Coordinator, a reporter, and 14 members.

Reporter: The role of the reporter is to keep notes of our meetings, plans, and events in order to
have everything well organized and assist in reporting the committee’s events to IPSF.
 Patient Counseling and Clinical Skills Events Coordinator:

· To liaise closely with the Chairperson of Professional Development regarding future

plans and progress of the work;

· To create materials for the Clinical Skills Events and Patient Counseling Events to be
reviewed by the Chairperson of Professional Development;

· To be involved in collaborations with pharmaceutical bodies in the framework of

Patient Counseling competitions;

· To be involved in inter-professional Clinical cases competitions collaborations;

· To arrange the Clinical Skills Event and the Patient Counseling Events at the
Lebanese Pharmaceutical Symposium.

Industrial Skills and Compounding Events Coordinator:

· To liaise closely with the Chairperson of Professional Development regarding future plans
and workflow of the committee;

· To create materials for the Compounding Events and Industrial Skills Events (marketing,
research, regulatory, manufacturing, etc...) to be reviewed by the Chairperson of Professional
Development;

· To be involved in collaborations with pharmaceutical bodies in the framework of such

competitions;

· To work on providing university laboratories or companies to execute offline compounding

competition;

· To arrange the Compounding Event and the Industrial Event at the Lebanese
Pharmaceutical Symposium.
Pharmacy Profession Advocacy Coordinator:

· To liaise closely with the Chairperson of Professional Development regarding future

plans and workflow of the committee;

· To hold several online and offline events as Pharmacy Profession Awareness

Campaigns with the Chairperson of Professional Development and prepare an outline
with the needed information;

· To ensure the members understanding of the pharmacy profession’s domains;

· To promote relevant pharmacy profession awareness days, such as ‘World

Pharmacists’ Day’ through online social media in collaboration with the Chairperson of
Media and Publications and events with the Chairperson of Professional Development;

· To coordinate policy within the professional development portfolio.

Growth and Development Coordinator:

● To liaise closely with the Chairperson of Professional Development regarding future

plans, workflow of the committee;
● To hold several soft skills workshops with external speakers and prepare a detailed
outline of the needed information;
● To have several soft and hard skills ideas to use in events and podcasts;
● To maintain with Chairperson of Professional Development contact information of
speakers

Description of the Committee:

· To work with the coordinators under the Professional Development Chairperson

leadership on providing materials, organizing workshops and executing competitions
and events

For more information or inquiries: pd.lpsalebanon@gmail.com

7. Public Health Committee:

Head of Committee: Chairperson of Public Health.

Members of Committee: Public Health coordinator, Humanitarian coordinator, 10 Public Health

Subcommittee members, 10 Humanitarian Subcommittee members and a reporter.

Reporter: The role of the reporter is to keep notes of our meetings, plans, and events in order to
have everything well organized and assist in reporting the committee’s events to IPSF.

Public Health Coordinator:

· Work with the Public Health Chairperson on a monthly plan, and coordinate the
workflow with the committee members;

· Create events related to public health awareness and prepare a detailed outline with
all the needed information for each one;

· Suggest a theme for each event and come up with new and creative ideas;

· Organize the logistics needs for each event in collaboration with the Logistics
Coordinator and Subcommittee and help find a location for events;

· Find collaborators to work with, in collaboration with the External Relations

Committee·
Humanitarian Coordinator:

· Work with the Public Health Chairperson on a monthly plan, and coordinate the workflow
with the committee members;

· Suggest activities and games related to the forthcoming event and come up with new and
creative ideas;

· Find Humanitarian collaborators to work with in collaboration with the External Relations
Committee;

· Create events in humanitarian organizations and prepare a detailed outline with all the
needed information for each one.

Description of Committee:

• To promote public health and humanitarian activities via interesting campaigns and
events

• To follow up with the World Health Organization Health dates calendar

• To follow up with the IPSF public health campaigns

• To promote new innovative campaigns regardless of WHO or IPSF agendas

For more information or inquiries: ph.lpsalebanon@gmail.com

8. Pharmacy Education Committee:

Head of Committee: Chairperson of Pharmacy Education.

Members of the Committee: Research coordinator, Newsletter Coordinator, 18 members and a

reporter.

Reporter: The role of the reporter is to keep notes of our meetings, plans, and events in order to
have everything well organized and assist in reporting the committee’s events to IPSF.

Research Coordinator:

• Come up with research ideas related to pharmacy education, prepare a detailed

outline with all the needed information and find ways to implement them

• Work with the Pharmacy Education Chairperson on a monthly plan, and

coordinate the workflow with the committee members;

• Conduct our own data collection and studies about different and new topics

• Help find collaborators to work with in collaboration with the External Relations
Committee.

Newsletter Coordinator:

• Work with the Pharmacy Education Chairperson on a monthly plan, and

coordinate the workflow with the committee members;

• Create new and interesting ideas for our own and global newsletter and
symposiums

• Prepare an outline for each newsletter, and coordinate the work with the writers

• Help find experts for the newsletters, symposiums and workshops

Description of the Committee:

 • Implement Pharmacy Education research projects for LPSA members to participate
in;

• Organize the yearly LPSA newsletters;

• Organizing educational and scientific symposiums, webinars, seminars and

competitions targeting LPSA members and suggest themes.

For more information or inquiries: pe.lpsalebanon@gmail.com

9. Media and Publications Committee:

Head of Committee: Chairperson of Media and Publications.

Members of Committee:Social Media Coordinator, Scientific Coordinator, 8 posters

subcommittee members, 4 newsletter subcommittee members, 3 acting subcommittee
members, 8 scientific subcommittee members, 3 certificates subcommittee members and 2
photographers.

Social Media Coordinator:

• In charge of designing promotional posters for events and following up with the
committee members in this concern, along with the Media and Publications Chairperson;

• Assisting in writing scripts for videos and video editing and following up with acting
subcommittee members, along with the Media and Publications Chairperson;

• Coming up with ideas to raise awareness on, through posters/ videos on social
media.
Scientific Coordinator:

• Search for interesting scientific information (pharmacological, quizzes, fun facts,

etc…) that can be shared on social media;

• Remain up-to-date with new FDA/EMA/WHO drugs and guidelines to be announced

on social media

Description of the Committee:

• Acting Sub-committee: Acting skills and spontaneity in front of cameras. Needed for
awareness videos and videos in general. Additional video editing skills are a bonus.

• Posters Sub-committee: Help in designing posts, therefore, they are required to have
some graphics skills.

• Scientific Sub-committee: Work with their coordinator on finding interesting scientific

information to be posted on social media as requested by the Chairperson of Media and
Publications.

• Certificate Sub-committee: Help create certificates for LPSA’s events and workshops
Graphic skills and knowledge about certificate applications is a bonus.

• Newsletter Sub-committee: Design, edit, and publish the newsletters written by the
Pharmacy Education Committee; having some graphics skills is required.

• Photographer: applicant needs to own a professional camera and attend most events
in order to capture all the pictures and videos needed for social media

For more information or inquiries: mp.lpsalebanon@gmail.com

10. Student Exchange Committee:

Head of Committee: Student Exchange Officer.

Members of Committee: One Promotional and Cultural Coordinator, 5 promotional

subcommittee members and 5 Local Exchange Officers.

Local Exchange Officers:

• Find internship sites in community pharmacies, industries, hospital pharmacy, clinical

settings or any other applicable pharmacy fields for incoming exchange students;

• Find living accommodations for incoming students during their SEP for an affordable
rate;

• Actively participate in all SEP activities throughout the year to ensure LPSA’s
exposure to other SEO’s within IPSF;

• Implement social events and activities for incoming students throughout their entire
stay in Lebanon;

• Find sponsors who would help with the hosting expenses of the incoming students, to
attend meetings held by the SEO.

Promotional and Cultural Subcommittee Coordinator:

· Promote the Student Exchange Program throughout the year by being responsible
of the social media accounts of the SEP;

· Coordinate the work with the SEO and committee members;

· Delegate the tasks between the members related to designing brochures, booklets,
and social media posts with information about Lebanon (touristic places, training sites,
and useful numbers);
 · Update all documents and publications related to student exchange program.

Promotional and Cultural Subcommittee:

· Assist the coordinator and the SEO in the organization and preparation;

· Accept all delegations given by the coordinator or SEO for social media or other
promotional tools;

· Participate and organize SEP related online events;

· Organize excursions and outings;

· Assist incoming students, and plan for an amazing international night;

For more information or inquiries: seo.lpsa@gmail.com

11. IPSF Contact Person Committee:

Head of Committee: IPSF Contact Person

Members of the Committee: One Reports Coordinator and 4 committee members.

Reports Coordinator:

• To write, coordinate with team members, and follow up with writing the reports and
proofreading them with the Contact Person;

• To check for email formality, good writing skills, and grammatical corrections with the
Contact Person;
Description of Committee:

• To promote LPSA and IPSF to pharmacy students;

• To transfer the best image possible of LPSA globally;

• To spot international IPSF and EMRO events and opportunities that could be of
profound benefits to LPSA members;

• To analyze reports and reply with questions and suggestions;

• To send reports for every LPSA event to IPSF;

• Able to access emails regularly, and devote two to three hours per week for this
committee.

For more information or inquiries: lpsalebanon.cp@gmail.com

12. LPS committee:

Head of the committee: LPS chairperson

Members of the committee: 2 Scientific and Educational Workshops Subcommittee members, 4

Logistics Subcommittee members, 3 Sponsors subcommittee members, and 4 Marketing
Subcommittee Members.

Description of the Committee:

• Scientific and Educational Workshops Subcommittee:

- To seek professional speakers for the symposium and workshops;

- To coordinate rehearsals with the speaker/instructors, and receive

their presentations at least a MONTH before their presentation dates;

- To help in managing all instructors/speakers/trainers matters in the

symposium.
 • Logistics Subcommittee:

· To coordinate the transportations and accommodation throughout days of the LPS

including the arrivals and departures of our colleagues;

· To prepare the participants’ Kit;

· To coordinating with other subcommittees for anything needed;

· Logistics checklist: Location, facility, Audio, visual & technology requirements, room
block, contract negotiation, pitfalls, etc…

· To print all needed certificates, name tags, schedules…

· To be responsible for all logistics work during all events related to the LPS;

· To be responsible of preparing coffee breaks and booths related if the LPS is to be

held in a location other than a Hotel.

• Sponsors Subcommittee: To help in finding the most suitable partners and sponsors
for the event

Marketing Subcommittee:

· To create posters of the LPS and related marketing tools (design skills needed);

· To spread the word for promoting the LPS;

· To be responsible for choosing the theme of the LPS

For more information or inquiries: lpschairperson.lpsa@gmail.com