Top Grades to EuroDURG 2025 • “Exemplarily organized”

Congratulations on Mission Accomplished, how does it feel?
“In one word: Amazing! We are receiving so many appreciative compliments and feedback via social media, and the participants all award top grades to both their stay in Uppsala and their experience at the conference, that the vast majority praise as exemplary organized.”

Which scientific challenges aroused the greatest engagement?
“Equal access to drugs always arouses great commitment in our field. With ongoing crises and conflicts, the supply of drugs also secured a spot on the agenda. Our final session, highlighting drugs impact on the environment was also met with great interest. Not least thanks to an excellent lecture by Michael Bertram, researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, which I understood to be an eye-opener for many of our foreign participants.”

The conference followed an environmental friendly line, how was this received?
“On the whole, very positive: Most participants embraced the initiative with vegetarian lunches and our reusable water bottles were frequently filled. The experiment with digital posters was appreciated, although some participants wished for a little extra time for them. But again, to quote our new chair Ursula Kirchmayer: chair elect for the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE): the digital poster model developed for this conference definitely has potential to become the norm at future conferences.”

What did the long-distance visitors have to say about Uppsala?
“Our city was at its most beautiful, and no one can resist the university building and its surrounding historical environments. The absolute highlights also included a dinner at Uppsala Castle, where the atmosphere remained on top until 2 a.m. when the doors closed. The opportunity to expand your professional network is a central ingredient at scientific conferences, and I am happy to say that our social program was both well-attended and highly appreciated.”

What are your personal takeaways from EuroDURG 2025?
“We have not yet begun to evaluate the conference, but can confirm that we have a very driven group of students who provided invaluable contributions, that we have laid the foundation for several possible collaborations, and not least that we have an even clearer picture of the enormous potential Uppsala holds along the way to improved drug utilization. Here we have all the resources required to establish a competence center, which could in turn secure our position as international hub in the important work that lies ahead.”

Text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Magnus Alsne, Mikael Wallerstedt