Dear AAPS members–
I hope you will join me in congratulating the AAPS members who volunteer with the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) as well as USP's staff and leadership on the outcome of their much-anticipated 2020 USP Convention. USP holds its convention every five years to elect their leaders and approve the resolutions and bylaws that will guide their work. This year is special: USP is marking its 200th birthday and had planned a true celebration of their impact on the world before COVID-19 swept aside their arrangements.
USP's leaders took their governance meeting online because underneath the pomp and circumstance they had looked forward to, they know, as we know, that there is still much to do in driving global health. Their party may have to wait, but the work of science cannot.
AAPS is a member organization of the USP convention, and we were well represented by our delegate, former AAPS President @Christopher McCurdy, as well as by AAPS Corporate Engagement Director @Erik Burns, who sits on the USP Convention Governance Committee.
The contributions of scientists through these governance roles are important, and it is a privilege to serve our organizations, and our science, in this way. I must admit that I warm with pride when I see the many longstanding ties between AAPS and USP in shared volunteer interests, causes, expertise, and commitment.
Hence I am very pleased to share that the following AAPS members have been elected as USP Expert Committee Chairs for the 2020–2025 cycle: @Justin Pennington (Chemical Medicines Monographs 2), @Kim Huynh-Ba (Chemical Medicines Monographs 4), @Eric Munson (Excipient Monographs 1–Simple), @Otilia Koo (Excipient Monographs 2–Complex), Chris Moreton (Excipient Test Methods), and @Martin Coffey (General Chapters–Dosage Forms). Congratulations to you all! Thank you for stepping forward!
I was also delighted to learn that one of our past AAPS Presidents, @Gregory Amidon, has been re-elected to the USP Board of Trustees as a Pharmaceutical Sciences Trustee. Congratulations, Greg!
I know there are many more AAPS members who have applied to become members of USP's new expert committees, and I am optimistic about the ongoing and future scientific dialog between the organizations. In this context it is also important to mention that we have many dedicated AAPS members and volunteers among the very talented scientific staff of the USP. There will indeed be ample opportunities for collaborative discussions.
I am also especially grateful that USP CEO Ron Piervincenzi is taking the time next week to close out the second week of our COVID-19 - Current Pharmaceutical Developments for Cures and Prevention workshop with an exciting session, The Global Supply Chain – Vulnerabilities, Need for Transparency, and Building Resilience in the Supply Chain. You will not want to miss his conversation with Frank Gupton from VCU's Medicines for All Institute! Take a look at the entire agenda for next week's sessions on Monday and Tuesday here. We will also discuss epidemiology and clinical trial approaches in the effort to beat the pandemic and take a wider look at preparedness policies for other potential health threats.
There is other good news this week that lightens my mood even in the midst of this pandemic: eChalk Talks are definitely "a thing" now (as @Joy Davis, our Managing Director of Member Products, would say)-we had nearly 900 folks registered for @Jay Natarajan highly engaging session on Advancements in Lipid Nanoparticle Mediated Drug Delivery from Small Molecules to Nucleic Acids! For next week's session we are coming back to the very hot topic of COVID-19 testing with Corinna Fiorotti's presentation on The Latest Science & Thinking on COVID-19 Testing, bookending our matching workshop program.
Looking beyond next week, organizers and staff are collaborating to bring you a full summer of virtual scientific events-stay tuned for more details on that! Also, please keep the great abstracts coming for PharmSci360! I am very excited to say that the number of submissions is steadily climbing.
We are also very grateful to have had so many folks volunteer as abstract screeners - but we still need many more, so if you have time this summer to review the literature and a few poster abstracts, volunteer now!
And don't forget to send us your award nominations, either! We will have much to discuss and celebrate in October.
Another busy week full of science at AAPS is drawing to a close, and I can't thank you enough for your active engagement. I hope you are staying healthy, happy, and inspired.
Tina
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