1. Title of the Course:
Postgraduate programme in Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Medicine (PHARMED)

2. Main University organising the Course:
ULB (Free University of Brussels)

3. Address of Secretariat of Course:
PHARMED – Free University of Brussels
Attention Mrs B. JELLOULI
Building GE, CP611
Route de Lennik, 808
B-1070 Brussels
Belgium

Telephone number: +32-2-555.62.29
Fax number: +32-2-555.62.30
E-mail address: pharmed@ulb.ac.be
Website: http://www.ulb.ac.be/medecine/pharmed

Course Director: Prof. Jean-Marie Boeynaems
Course Administrator : Mrs. B. Jellouli

4. Year of Foundation of the Course: 1992
Language of the Course: English

5. Seminars/Modules:
Number of Seminars/Modules: 8
Duration of each Seminar/Module: 4 days (from Monday noon to Friday noon)
Frequency of Seminars/Modules: 1 per month
from October till June (except December)
Distribution of Seminars/Modules over time: optional (1 or 2 years)

Hours of teaching of the full course: 260 hours
Distribution:
Seminars (didactic lectures): 80%
Workshops: 20%
Group discussions: yes (discussion of homework)
Other: none
Distance learning or home work: yes (homeworks)
The Course is held: At a single site

The programme covers all items mentioned in the Syllabus of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

6. Hours of teaching:
Clinical Research: 57 hours
Regulatory Affairs: 20 hours
Pharmacovigilance: 7 hours
Statistics: 18 hours
Pharmaco-economics: 10 hours
Marketing & Business matters: 35 hours

7. Teachers:
Total number of teachers participating in the programme: 71
Of whom:
From Industry: 21
From CROs: 22
From academic institutions: 21
From Regulatory Authority: 4 (patent office)

8. Course material:
The course material is available on a private web site.

9. Students:
Average number of students registering each year:
To the full course: 25
To individual Seminars: 20
To the examinations: 12

Requirements to register for the course and the examinations:
Physicians and PhDs and MScs in biosciences (veterinary, pharmacists, biologist, etc).
Usual ratio physicians to non-physicians: 70% / 30%

10. Examinations:
Examinations are held once a year and are both written and oral.

The written examination includes:
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs): 30 at each session
In the choices given there are one or more correct answers.
Short questions.
Short dissertations.

Each teacher individually prepares and updates the MCQs with the supervision of a specific Committee

Duration of the written examination: 2 hours
Duration of the oral examination: 45 minutes per candidate

Attendance to the Course is not compulsory for sitting the examination.

No assessments are contemplated during the course.

11. Recognition:
The Diploma is recognized by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

12. Fees:
Fee for the attendance to:
The full course: 5,000 Euro
Single Module/Seminar: 900 Euro
The examination: 200 Euro for those cadidates who have followed the course
                          500 Euro for independent cadidates 
No fee is requested for awarding the diploma.

SUMMARY
This is a non-residential course consisting of eight Modules. All Modules are taught every year, but the students have the choice between attending all Modules in one year or spreading the attendance over 2 or 3 years. Each Module takes one full week of every month from October till June, leading to a total of 260 hours of teaching at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). An average of 45 students are registering every year either to the full course or to single Modules. The courses are taught by 71 lecturers of which 43 come from the Industry. Both physicians and PhDs in Life Sciences are accepted. The ratio of physicians to non-physicians is 70% vs 30%. Physicians passing the examination are awarded a “Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine” recognized by the Belgian Royal Academies of Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (London). Holders of this Diploma are entitled to apply for membership of the Faculty without having to pass the examinations in London and to be registered on the Register of “Physician Specialists in Pharmaceutical Medicine” after at least two years of full time practice of Pharmaceutical Medicine. This register is held by the Belgian College of Pharmaceutical Medicine composed of members of the Royal Academies of Medicine and members of the Belgian Association of Pharmaceutical Physicians. Oral and written examinations are organized at least once a year. It is not required to follow the courses to register for the examination, provided the candidate is a graduate and has an adequate experience in Pharmaceutical Medicine. The fee for the full course is 5000 Euro.