Continuing Professional Development

The ECPM Continuing Professional Development (CPD) platform provides accredited high quality educational programs to support continuing medical education and professional development for physicians, and pharmaceutical industry, regulatory and university professionals. As such, its primary intention is to provide up-to-date knowledge on current trends in drug development and to train drug development professionals for their next career step. Additionally, it offers a platform to share knowledge with colleagues and discuss with experts face-to-face. Our services include a broad range of CPD short courses that cover all skills across the drug development process. These CPD short courses count towards the Master program, yet they are also a stand-alone offer and can be booked individually to shape your professional skills and are offered in the following formats:

Short Courses/Workshops - A range of interactive onsite short courses/workshops. These cover a broad curriculum within the drug development process - from educational seminars to soft skills.

Frontiers in Drug Development Seminar - One day onsite seminars on new trends in drug development science.

E-Learning -Selected e-learning courses that provide an interactive environment for self-paced learning and can be booked at any time.

Study Trips - Yearly international study trips. A total of six study half-days are planned, which allow participants to experience a mix of theory and visits to institutions.

Courses offered by other Course Providers - Co-organized courses with other institutions, such as the University Hospital of Basel or partner universities. In addition, students also have the opportunity to choose courses offered by PharmaTrain Recognized Course Providers.

If you are interested in receiving information about our courses please subscribe to our ECPM newsletter.

ECPM Presentation and communicationSkill
30.01.2024 08:00

Mastering the art of persuasive communication

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Course Description

This course is an intense two-day interactive, hands-on program designed to build and expand essential presentation skills from both content and delivery perspectives. Participants will learn how to improve their personal communication skills, their ability to develop targeted, compelling and memorable presentations, and to handle difficult questions from stakeholders.

Participants should come ready to deliver a ten-minute presentation as well as a short story about a project in which they have been involved. Crucially, the story must include the type of obstacles that were faced, how they were overcome, the people or factors that helped or hindered along the way, together with the successes and failures and the outcome. Feedback from peers and the facilitators will help participants improve their ability to connect from both content and delivery perspectives.
 

Course Program
Day 1 – The process, establishing a baseline, stakeholders and messaging

  • Introduction to developing powerful presentations
  • Participants will deliver two presentations and receive direct feedback
  • Stakeholder definition, prioritization and analysis
  • Development of key messages


Day 2 – Storytelling, creating a narrative, and Q&A

  • Storytelling techniques
  • Structure and storyboard a presentation to address key stakeholders
  • Media techniques to confidently handle question and answer sessions
  • Delivery of final presentations by participants


Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will have a better understanding of how to:

  • Present in a more compelling way to internal and external stakeholders with increased confidence and capability
  • Use skills and techniques to:
  • Translate complex concepts into scalable and tailored messages for stakeholders
  • Develop engaging narratives using storytelling models that showcase and differentiate their science/project
  • Speak effectively to groups of any size face-to-face and online
  • Confidently handle question and answer sessions
     

Course Faculty
O’Patrick Wilson and Jennifer Sgueglia are the directors of O public relations GmbH (OPR) based in Switzerland.

O’Patrick was Head of Internal & External Communications for Syngenta (Basel). Companies in his past: Ciba Specialty Chemicals (New York), Hitachi (New York and Tokyo), Time Magazine and ABC News (Rome, Italy). He received his M.S. in Journalism at Columbia University, New York.

Jennifer has held various management positions: Gymboree Corporation in New York, where she had oversight of 10 stores and more than 100 store managers and associates. Other companies in her past: The Limited Organization (Metropolitan New York) and The Plaza Hotel (NYC). She has a degree in Business Management & Marketing from the State University of New York, Albany.

So, why OPR? Why us? Quite simply, we are very good. This is what clients have said about our training.

You get the idea. We started O public relations back in 2004.
Because as far as we were concerned, there were no high-quality communications agencies in Switzerland with a truly global mindset. At the start, all of our business was for Swiss clients. Today, post COVID, 70% of our business is for clients outside of Switzerland. Our approach has been to ruthlessly focus on those areas of communications we do very well.
As a result, all of our business has come from repeat customers and by word of mouth. Happily, almost 20 years later, we are still thriving.
These are a few of our clients: Roche, Swiss Re, Ferring, FMC, Syngenta, J&J, Amgen, Alentis, and many, many more. At last count, we have trained more than 5’000 professionals on every continent except Antarctica – from junior employees and bench scientists right up to Chairpersons and CEOs.

Testimonials

“Very challenging, really outside my comfort zone. But it was fun. I feel inspired and I want to get better … Thank you.”
“This gave us a completely new way of looking at and influencing our stakeholders. Thank you!”
“Two days was not enough for me. Please come back and do a refresher next year.”
“I loved it. I’m exhausted. But I loved it”
“Thank you so much! It’s been a week since our workshop and already I’m putting what I learned into practice!”
“Thank you for sharing your fabulous insights and materials. I've reviewed them in full and anticipate that I will return to them over and over. It's no wonder that we’ve returned to you time and again to help develop our communication skills. You are both extraordinary educators with personalities to match! I hope that I have the opportunity to learn from you in the future.”
“This course is so good that there is nothing to improve. Keep (it)… as is.”

Target Audience
If you want to improve your communication skills and advance your career, this course is for you. After this workshop, you will approach presenting quite differently. You’ll understand the importance of clear objectives, address the needs of stakeholders and get to the point. And you’ll keep your audience fully engaged!

Course Credits
The course including assessment provides 2 ECTS credits.

Course Date and Venue
30.01.–31.01.2024
University of Basel

Course Fee
Course fee including certificate, electronic course material, lunch and coffee break is CHF 1800.
A reduced fee applies to participants from academia and nonprofit organizations.
In case of cancellation, refund of fee will be given if cancellation is received in written format (ecpm@unibas.ch) before the deadline for registration, after this date no refund can be given.

Deadline for registration: 10.01.2023

Course Organizer
ECPM

European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine
University of Basel
Klingelbergstrasse 61
CH-4056 Basel
Phone +41 61 207 19 50
E-mail

Registration
ECPM Project Management in the Life Sciences Industry
04.03.2024 08:00

Project Management in the Life Sciences Industry

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Course Description

This course, offered in two parts of three days each, focuses on projects in the life sciences industry and the clinical trial setting, with the aim of bringing new treatments to patients successfully.

These projects can range from early pre-clinical projects, to managing toxicology and Entry Into Human studies, large phase III clinical trials and post-marketing studies. All of them share a high complexity and require professional management at every level by experienced project managers who know the processes to reach the deliverables, can deal with multiple stakeholders simultaneously and deliver projects successfully often under a tight given budget and timelines.

This highly interactive workshop setting includes a mixture of instructor led training and group work on real life cases. All templates and tools for planning, executing, managing & controlling as well as closing a project will be developed. In addition participants have the opportunity to discuss and work on an own project, identify its challenges and develop solutions or work on a model project provided by the course instructors.

Course Program

This course consists of two parts of three days each. A variety of teaching methods including lectures, exercises and interactive group discussions will be applied. A mandatory home assignment will complete the learning portfolio.

The course covers the following topics:

  • Discussion of all project phases (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring & controlling, closure) and knowledge areas
  • Management of scope, time, cost, quality, team, communication, risk, procurement and stakeholders
  • Development of a project plan, starting from a project charter
  • Creation of documents and worksheets for managing clinical trials or other projects relating to pharmaceutical development
  • Discussion of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for project status
  • Discussion of Corrective Action Preventive Action (CAPAs) to prevent the project from getting off track

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, participants will

  • Understand the tasks and responsibilities of a project manager
  • Know the major project documents required for conducting projects successfully
  • Be acquainted with the tools to manage all knowledge areas throughout all project phases
  • Build, lead and manage effective project teams
  • Be familiar with the interactions needed with different project stakeholders
  • Have a series of templates and tools at hand
  • Be able to use and/or adapt these templates and tools within individual projects
  • Know how to practically apply different project management standards to all kinds of pharmaceutical development projects

Course Faculty

Daniel Gau
Beyond Science Consulting offers training, coaching and support in company building in the Life Sciences Sector.

Nancy Van Osselaer
Why2What is focusing on providing advice on strategy and implementation in early stage development programs and innovation in Biotech.

Target Audience

Specialists responsible for projects in the pharmaceutical industry, hospital or academic setting or regulatory authority. The course not only provides the tools and fundamentals for successful project management but also illustrates real life cases. Experienced managers are encouraged to bring their current issues so that solutions can be compiled during the course.

Course Language

English

    Course Credits

    The course including assessment provides 4 ECTS and a Certificate of Attendance by the University of Basel will be issued.

    Course Date and Venue

    • Part 1: March 4 – 6, 2024 and
    • Part 2: April 22 – 24, 2024
      Basel

    Course Fee

    Course fee including electronic course material, templates, lunch and coffee breaks is CHF 3000.
    A reduced fee applies to participants from academia and nonprofit organizations.

    Cancellation Policy

    Refund of fee will be given if cancellation is received in written format () before the deadline for registration, after this date no refund can be given.

    Deadline for Registration

    January 31, 2024

    Course Organizer

    This course is organized by the European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

    Registration
    Genomics in Drug Development
    18.04.2024 08:00

    Genomics in Drug Development

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    Course Description

    This course provides continuing professional development at the cutting-edge of medical innovation. It delves into the intersections of genomics, pharmaceutical science and legal considerations, offering a comprehensive understanding of how genomics is reshaping the landscape of pharmaceutical research and development. Through engaging lectures and cases, participants will be exposed to the synergistic relationship between genomics and drug development, as well as delving into the intricate web of ethical considerations surrounding patient consent, data privacy, and equitable access to genomic information.

     

    Course Program

    Day 1
    Basics of Genetics / Genetic Testing Networks / Genetic Epidemiology and Public Health Genetics / Using Genetics and Genomics for Target Identification and Drug Discovery

    Day 2
    Using Genetics and Genomics in Clinical Development / Treatment of Genetic Diseases incl. Gene-Therapy / Genetics and Genomics in Drug Safety Evaluation / Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects incl. Data Protection Aspects

    Learning Outcomes

    Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to: :

    • Understand the crucial principles of genomics and its direct relevance to the drug development process.
    • Acquire insights into the intricate process of translating cutting-edge genomics research into actionable strategies for drug discovery.
    • Navigate the intricate web of ethical dilemmas and multifaceted regulatory considerations that emerge from the integration of genomics in medical research and therapeutics.
    • Analyse the intricate legal frameworks underpinning genomics in drug development and the dynamic interplay between scientific progress and legal intricacies.
    • Cultivate a globally informed perspective on the challenges, opportunities, and future trajectories of genomics within the pharmaceutical landscape.

    Course Faculty

    The faculty boasts international experts from multiple disciplines relating to genomic medicine:

    • Prof Sabine Gallati Kraemer, co-lead Genomic Medicine, Hirslanden Clinic, Zurich
    • Prof. Thomas Szucs, co-lead Genomic Medicine Hirslanden, Zurich and ECPM, University of Basel
    • Prof Nicole Probst, Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health and the Chronic Disease Epidemiology Unit at Swiss TPH, Basel
    • Prof Vincent Moser, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Genomic Medicine, Montreal
    • Prof Claudia Seitz, attorney and lecturer in Public Law, European Law, International Law and Life Sciences-Law

    Target Audience

    This course is tailored for a wide range of participants including: researchers in genomics and pharmaceuticals, healthcare professionals seeking to understand the integration of genomics into personalised medicine, legal professionals interested in the interface of genomics and life science law, industry leaders looking to stay informed about personalised healthcare and ethicists interested in the responsible implementation of genomic medicine.

    Course Language

    English

    Course Credits and Certificate

    Participation and submission of assignment result in a Certificate of Attendance by the University of Basel with 1 ECTS credit point and is also accredited with 100 FPH-points in hospital pharmacy and 100 FPH-points in clinical pharmacy by the Swiss Society FPH Spital (Fachgesellschaft FPH Spital).

    Course Date and Venue

    18.04 - 19.04.2024
    University of Basel, Biozentrum, Spitalstrasse 41, 4056 Basel, Switzerland

    Course Fee

    Course fee including certificate, electronic course material, lunch and coffee breaks is CHF 1950.
    The reduced for participants from academia and nonprofit organizations is CHF 950.

    Cancellation Policy

    Refund of fee will be given if cancellation is received in written format (ecpm@unibas.ch) before the deadline for registration, after this date no refund can be given.

    Deadline for Registration
    24.03.2024

    Course Organizer

    This course is organized by the European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

    Registration
    ECPM European University Network
    ECPM partner universities in the European University Network
    13.07.2024 08:10

    Other Courses by Pharmatrain

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    Join courses run by our partner universities in the European University Network, which offer training relevant to drug development sciences and the IMI PharmaTrain syllabus. For an overview of all PharmaTrain Recognized Course Providers please click here.

    04.11.2024 08:30

    Ethical and Legal Aspects of Clinical Trials

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    Course Description

    The implementation of clinical research projects requires conscientious review of research projects not only in terms of their scientific quality but also in regard to their ethical adequacy and appropriateness. How can we balance the risk-benefit of our projects? Given the importance of ethics for the conduct of drug development and research, it should come as no surprise that many different professional associations, government agencies, and universities have adopted specific codes, rules, and policies relating to research ethics.

    Each of these aspects will be carefully considered and discussed in the context of international and national principles and guidelines. These issues need to be carefully adhered to strengthen the health of the clinical trial enterprise to the benefit of patients and the overall health of the public. During our course, representatives from different institutions will introduce and discuss the most important concepts, tools, principles, and methods that can be useful in approaching and resolving ethical dilemmas. Realworld examples and case studies will be introduced and discussed.

    Course Program

    Day 1
    The Evolution of Biomedical Research Ethics / Risk-Benefit Considerations of Research Interventions / Role of Ethics Committees / Successful Submission to an Ethics Committee / Coordinating Human Research in Switzerland / How to Design an Informed Consent / Ethical Review Systems in Europe and European Legislation / Ethics Committees’ Role in Reviewing Safety Information

    Day 2
    Equipoise / Transparency in Clinical Trials / Common Technical Document / Confidentiality and Intellectual Property / Personal Data Protection / Inducement in Clinical Research – from Recruitment Advertisement to Subject Compensation / Role of Patient Organisations in Clinical Trials (EUPATI) / Public Health Ethics (incl. biobanks)

    Day 3
    Ethical Aspects of Clinical Research in Children / Informed Consent Process in Pediatric Patients / Clinical Research in Vulnerable Populations / Misconduct and Fraud, Research Integrity / ICH E6 Regulation / Legal and Ethical Framework for Genetic Testing

    Learning Outcomes

    By the end of the course, students will be able to:

    • Name key principles of ethical considerations during clinical research and development
    • Discuss ethical concerns for designing, conducting and reporting the results obtained through the conduct of clinical trials
    • Understand international and national principles and guidelines which have to be followed when performing clinical trials

    Course Faculty

    tba

    Target Audience

    All pharmaceutical and health care professionals who are interested in getting a deeper understanding of ethical and legal aspects in medicines development.

    Course Language

    English

    Course Credits

    The course including assessment provides 2 ECTS credits and a Certificate of Attendance by the University of Basel will be issued.

    Course Date and Venue

    Basel, 4–6 November, 2024
    University of Basel

    Course Fee

    Course fee including certificate, electronic course material, lunch and coffee breaks is CHF 2000.
    A reduced fee applies to participants from academia and nonprofit organizations.

    Cancellation Policy

    Refund of fee will be given if cancellation is received in written format () before the deadline for registration, after this date no refund can be given.

    Deadline for Registration

    October 11, 2024

    Course Organizer

    This course is organized by the European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

    Registration

    E-Learning: Basics in Health Economics

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    Course Description

    This e-learning course provides an understanding of the key principles and methodological concepts of health economic evaluations. It is based on the well-established face-to-face course on health economics offered by the ECPM. The scientific content was developed by Prof. Thomas Szucs and Prof. Matthias Schwenkglenks as well as other specialists from the field.

    Learning Outcomes

    At the end of the course, the participants should be able to describe:

    • Fundamental concepts of health economics
    • Key elements of health economic evaluation
    • Assessment and analysis of a published health economic study
    • The importance of health economic/pharmacoeconomic methods and concepts for the drug development process, clinical trials, and post-marketing surveillance
    • How policymakers set priorities in health care and how health economic evaluations support this process

    Structure and Workload

    Our e-learning courses provide an interactive environment for self-paced learning. As soon as you have booked the course, the program is accessible online for you during one year at anytime. The course allows you to start/stop at any time. There will be several intermediate tests which will prepare you for the final test. The curriculum consists of nine lessons with a duration of approximately 60 to 90 minutes each. In addition, individual study, such as critical appraisal of specific literature is required (in total: approximately 30 hours). Each lesson is aimed to achieve a set of learning outcomes, using interactive techniques to help reinforce the taught topics.

    Course Language

    English

    Course Credits

    After successful completion of the e-learning course, 1 ECTS will be awarded and a Certificate of Attendance by the University of Basel will be issued.

    Course Fee

    CHF 650
    A reduced fee applies to participants from academia and nonprofit organizations.

    Course Organizer

    This course is organized by the European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

    Registration

    E-learning: Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance

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    Course Description

    This e-learning course provides an understanding of the safety-related aspects within the drug development process. These range from early preclinical testing, risk/benefit assessment up to clinical adverse event signal detection and monitoring.

    Learning Outcomes

    At the end of the course, the participants should be able to describe:

    • The role of drug safety in the successful development and usage of a medicine to the benefit of patients
    • Which safety-related questions need to be answered in early and late drug development
    • Tools, techniques, and methodologies used in drug safety evaluation
    • What frequent pitfalls related to drug safety considerations occur and why they can lead to discontinuation of drugs in development, label changes or even withdrawal of drugs from the market after launch
    • How changes in safety assessment could become part of a new drug development paradigm

    Structure and Workload

    Our e-learning courses provide an interactive environment for self-paced learning. As soon as you have booked the course, the program is accessible online for you during one year at anytime. The course allows you to start/stop at any time. There will be several intermediate tests which will prepare you for the final test. The curriculum consists of nine lessons with a duration of approximately 60 to 90 minutes each. In addition, individual study, such as critical appraisal of specific literature is required (in total: approximately 30 hours). Each lesson is aimed to achieve a set of learning outcomes, using interactive techniques to help reinforce the taught topics.

    Course Language

    English

    Course Credits

    After successful completion of the e-learning course, 1 ECTS will be awarded and a Certificate of Attendance by the University of Basel will be issued.

    Course Fee

    CHF 650
    A reduced fee applies to participants from academia and nonprofit organizations.

    Course Organizer

    This course is organized by the European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

    Registration

    E-Learning: Personalized Health Care

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    Course Description

    This e-learning course provides an understanding of the key principles and methodological concepts of personalized drug development. The role of individualized treatment strategies is addressed, including all relevant clinical, ethical and governmental aspects.

    Learning Outcomes

    At the end of the course, the participants should be able to:

    • Understand the biological and clinical concepts of personalized medicine
    • Understand the benefits and pitfalls of individualized therapies for patients
    • Comprehend the basic elements of predictive and prognostic interventions
    • Understand the role of surrogate endpoints and clinically validated biomarkers in personalized medicine
    • Understand pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic implications
    • Be aware of the strategies of R&D processes with personalized drugs
    • Understand the economics challenges of personalized medicine and how policymakers set priorities in individualized health care
    • Determine legal, regulatory and ethical aspects of personalised medicine

    Structure and Workload

    Our e-learning courses provide an interactive environment for self-paced learning. As soon as you have booked the course, the program is accessible online for you during one year at anytime. The course allows you to start/stop at any time. There will be several intermediate tests which will prepare you for the final test. The curriculum consists of nine lessons with a duration of approximately 60 to 90 minutes each. In addition individual study, such as critical appraisal of specific literature is required (in total: approximately 30 hours). Each lesson is aimed to achieve a set of learning outcomes, using interactive techniques to help reinforce the taught topics.

    Course Language

    English

    Course Credits

    After successful completion of the e-learning course, 1 ECTS will be awarded and a Certificate of Attendance by the University of Basel will be issued.

    Course Fee

    CHF 650
    A reduced fee applies to participants from academia and nonprofit organizations.

    Course Organizer

    This course is organized by the European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

    Registration