As part of the EFA Capacity Building 2022-2023, two EFA members completed the EUPATI Patient Expert Training Programme and graduated on the 26th of October in Prague, Czech Republic.
EFA celebrates the graduation of the first two EUPATI Fellows within the community: Gundula Koblmiller (Austrian Lung Union, Austria) and Özlem Ceylan (Living with Allergy Association, Turkey).
“After 30 years’ experience in management in the international pharmaceutical industry, MSc in Pharma management and Management of Health Care Facilities, I hope this internationally accepted certificate will open more doors. E.g. participation in international congresses without restrictions by making a difference between patient advocates and patients.”
- Gundula Koblmiller, Austrian Lung Union, Austria
“EUPATI does not teach you patient advocacy, but improves your advocacy, and teaches you how patients may engage with industry, decision-makers, regulators, and HTA bodies. EUPATI cannot make you an EMA patient representative, but it teaches you how to perform better if you become one.”
- Özlem Ceylan, Living with Allergy Association, Turkey
Since 2014, EFA has been leading the Capacity Building project to support our members and strengthen their capacities at the national level. The project is important for:
- building relevant skills for members for better cooperation and coordination with relevant stakeholders, improving members' knowledge base, and
- addressing the missing gaps, identified by EFA members, to facilitate the growth of the member organisations.
Among other activities, the 2022-2023 Capacity Building project offered scholarships to its members for the EUPATI Patient Expert Training Programme. This training supports patients and patients’ representatives in acquiring a thorough understanding of the R&D process for medicines, the patient’s role within the process, and building capacity among the patient community to take on an active role in collaboration with the other stakeholders.
As a result of the EFA members’ commitment to the project, EFA disease areas are now further represented in the EUPATI Alumni and Patient Experts network. EFA is building on this achievement to ensure that the patient community is represented in R&D projects and foster opportunities for meaningful patient involvement.
As for the next steps, a new group of EFA and EFA Allergy and Asthma Youth Parliament members enrolled this year in the EUPATI Patient Expert Training Programme.
Learn more about the Capacity Building Project and EUPATI Training Program. Stay tuned for more updates!