Sunday, August 30, 2026

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

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Details

Organised by the China Guanghua Science and Technology Foundation Programme: Prof. Rong-sheng Zhao, Peking University Third Hospital, China, and Dr Marianne Ivey, FIP Vice President, USA Introduction: The more pharmacists’ knowledge complements doctors’ knowledge, the greater role pharmacists can play in clinical practice. Surgical departments worldwide have long faced a prominent challenge: Surgeons devote themselves to surgical operations and clinical procedures, while professional pharmaceutical support for comprehensive surgical medication management remains insufficient, frequently resulting in irrational drug use and potential clinical risks. To address this urgent unmet clinical demand, Prof. Zhi-hua Zheng, together with his colleagues across China, took the lead in founding the surgical pharmacy specialty, a pioneering initiative that has greatly advanced the development of global clinical pharmacy. The surgical pharmacy team first put forward the innovative concept of a surgical pharmacist back in 2015, and further called on hospitals to set up surgical pharmacist positions in 2018. After years of continuous exploration and practice, a complete and mature theoretical, practical and talent training system for this emerging specialty has been fully established. Surgical pharmacy studies the inherent rules of surgical medication based on the unique pathophysiological features of surgical patients differing from those of medical patients, delivers personalised pharmacotherapy, and systematically solves various medication-related problems of surgical patients. The Collaborative Drug Therapy Management model has been widely promoted and implemented, enabling surgical pharmacists to grow into core members of surgical teams and cooperate closely with surgeons and anesthesiologists. The first textbook of surgical pharmacy has been compiled, and related courses have been incorporated into university pharmaceutical education systems to foster professional talents. Remarkably, China’s Surgical Pharmacy training programme has officially obtained the FIP Seal award, marking the first such internationally recognised programme in China. The newly launched Certified Surgical Pharmacy Specialist program in the United States also aligns closely with our core ideas and practical modes, fully demonstrating the growing international influence and wide recognition of this specialty. Hosted in Montreal, Canada, this symposium brings together renowned pharmaceutical and medical experts from China to share cutting-edge research achievements and valuable on-site experience. The rich agenda covers multiple key directions: the integrated development of clinical service, education and scientific research in surgical pharmacy, standardised perioperative blood glucose management, pharmacist-led medication safety management models for oncological surgery, clinical medication pathways for appendectomy under China's medical insurance payment reform, evidence-based standardized pathways for perioperative iron therapy, as well as collaborative modes between surgeons and pharmacists to optimize overall surgical medication management. In-depth academic discussions and interactive sharing sessions focusing on how to fully exert the professional value of pharmacists in surgical work are also arranged. As a vital international exchange platform, the event fully displays the fruitful progress of surgical pharmacy in China over the years. It aims to fill the gaps in global surgical pharmaceutical care, deepen international academic exchanges and practical cooperation, and accelerate the integration of professional pharmacists into frontline surgical teams. Global pharmacy and medical professionals will work hand in hand to further drive the sound development of surgical pharmacy, and provide safer, more standardized and more efficient medication services for surgical patients around the world. Programme: Learning objectives: 1. Gain a comprehensive overview of China’s pioneering surgical pharmacy specialty, including its origin, integrated clinical-educational-research development system, talent training framework with FIP Seal award, and its growing global influence. 2. Grasp a series of standardized perioperative medication management models covered in the symposium, including perioperative blood glucose regulation, evidence-based perioperative iron therapy, medication pathways for surgery under medical insurance reform, and pharmacist-centered medication safety strategies for oncological surgery. 3. Learn the collaborative co-management mode between surgeons and surgical pharmacists, and identify practical approaches to integrate surgical pharmacists as core members of frontline surgical teams worldwide to mitigate medication risks for surgical patients. Take home messages: 1. Originating from China, surgical pharmacy is an innovative clinical specialty with complete mature theoretical and practical systems; its training programme with FIP Seal award provides a replicable standard model for global pharmacy practitioners to develop surgical pharmaceutical care. 2. Pharmacist-led standardized surgical medication pathways, specialized medication safety management for surgery and surgeon-pharmacist co-management models can effectively resolve irrational medication risks and improve medication safety and patient outcomes for surgical patients. 3. 3. International academic exchange and cooperation on surgical pharmacy can fill the global gap in surgical pharmaceutical services; joint efforts of global medical and pharmacy professionals will accelerate the integration of professional pharmacists into surgical teams and deliver safer, standardized and efficient medication services for all surgical patients worldwide.