International Society for the History of Pharmacy

Educational Challenges

A lack of specialized PhD programs contributes to the underrepresentation of educators and researchers in pharmacy history, hindering the growth and dissemination of knowledge in this field. Such a shortage leads to a scarcity of qualified professionals, negatively affecting the field’s prominence and sustainability. Tackling this issue requires advocacy for more specialized academic programs and resources, fostering a new generation of pharmacy history experts. A recent example is the pharmacy history PhD program initiated by the French Society for the History of Pharmacy, which bolsters academic discourse and career opportunities, thereby encouraging advanced studies and research in this field.

Curriculum Integration

Another significant challenge is integrating pharmacy history into the increasingly complex and specialized pharmacy curriculum. Often treated as an optional subject in many countries, many pharmacy schools worldwide do not offer pharmacy history courses.³ With pharmacy education shifting toward an integrated, problem‐based, and patient‐centered model, historical perspectives are often marginalized, reducing the field’s visibility and importance in academic settings. This challenge necessitates proactive advocacy and innovative curriculum development to underscore the relevance of historical knowledge in contemporary pharmacy practices and decision making. By embedding pharmacy history into the curriculum, students gain a holistic understanding of the field, appreciating the pharmacy profession’s evolution and the context of its current practices.

Engagement and Outreach

In an era where information is readily available, pharmacy history faces challenges in effectively engaging the public and professionals. Pharmacy historians must use innovative methods to captivate a broader audience, making the subject matter relevant and engaging. These methods include digital platforms and social media for outreach and education and incorporating diverse historical perspectives. In addition, countering the declining interest in pharmacy history among younger generations, often attributed to rapid technological advancements and perceived “irrelevance” to modern pharmacy practice, is crucial for reinvigorating interest in the field’s rich history.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The history of pharmacy is intricately linked with cultural, social, and political developments, surpassing the boundaries of scientific advancements. Despite the current scarcity of interdisciplinary research in this area, it is crucial to encourage collaboration with experts from these varied fields. Collaborative efforts are necessary to fully comprehend and articulate the complex nature of pharmacy history. Engaging in interdisciplinary dialogue is particularly important in tackling complex issues, such as the social determinants of health, public health policies, and the effects of global health crises, as exemplified by the COVID‐19 pandemic. Adopting this approach enhances academic discussions and guides contemporary practices and policy making in the realms of pharmacy and healthcare.

Funding and Institutional Support

Pharmacy history research often needs more funding, affecting the scope and depth of research. This financial constraint leads to fewer job vacancies, limiting opportunities for new researchers and academics. Inconsistent institutional support affects resource availability, requiring a balance between research, preservation, archival work, and public engagement. In an environment where historical studies are often undervalued, securing stable funding is a continuous challenge. Robust advocacy and strategic partnerships are needed to improve funding opportunities and job prospects, ensuring pharmacy history’s ongoing growth and development.

While addressing these challenges, the future of pharmacy history also offers numerous promising opportunities. If effectively harnessed, these opportunities have the potential to substantially contribute to the growth and relevance of the field. ISHP and its affiliated national societies are well positioned to take a leading role in seizing these prospects.

Technological Advancements

Modern technology offers significant benefits to pharmacy history. It enables the digitization of historical materials, ensuring their preservation and accessibility for future research. Artificial intelligence technologies facilitate efficient searches through extensive historical archives. The challenge of digitizing and preserving historical records and artifacts amid rapid technological changes is considerable. Transitioning from physical to digital archives demands significant resources and expertise. Ensuring the long‐term sustainability and accessibility of these digital formats, however, is a critical ongoing concern. ISHP and its member societies can play a crucial role in advocating for and supporting the integration of these technologies, thereby bolstering research capabilities in pharmacy history.

Medical Humanities Integration

There is a growing trend to contextualize pharmacy history in the broader scope of medical humanities. This interdisciplinary approach, encompassing perspectives such as racial and gender equity, enriches the field. Recent studies have explored the integration of pharmacy history into the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards, including such areas as cultural sensitivity, entrepreneurship, innovation, patient advocacy, and leadership. Incorporating pharmacy history courses based on these findings might better prepare future pharmacists and enhance their skills in critical thinking, cultural competency, and leadership, while enabling them to more positively adapt to changes.⁴ ISHP and its member societies can encourage and facilitate such integrations, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive understanding of pharmacy history. This approach requires scholars to have proficiency in multiple areas, a demand the societies can address through educational and training initiatives.

Traditional Medical Practices

As an increasing number of research studies focus on applying traditional medical practices to maintain health and prevent, improve, or treat illnesses, the history of pharmacy gains special significance. Medico‐pharmaceutical manuscripts and herbals are invaluable for tracing the history of traditional pharmacy and reviving long‐forgotten medical lore. These resources are crucial for bio‐prospecting medicinal plants and discovering novel pharmaceutical agents, using various data‐mining techniques. ISHP and its member societies can play a pivotal role in advocating for and supporting research in this area, thereby illuminating the historical roots and evolution of traditional medical practices.

International Collaborations

ISHP, with its vast international network, is well positioned to orchestrate multicenter studies involving substantial sample sizes and comparative analyses across various countries. With this network, member societies can collect extensive data, providing critical insights into the efficacy of pharmacy history education in various cultural and educational settings. This strategy does more than deepen our understanding of the reception of these courses; it actively informs curriculum enhancements and innovations. Such efforts are vital to ensure that pharmacy history teaching remains relevant and influential in contemporary pharmaceutical education, adapting to the evolving needs of students and educators globally.

Diverse and Inclusive Representation

The ISHP primarily consists of members from European countries, in addition to Canada, the United States, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Japan. There is a noticeable gap in its geographical representation. To acquire a more comprehensive global perspective, the ISHP would benefit significantly from expanding its membership to include countries from South America, Africa, the Balkans, the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Australia over the next decade. Such diversification would enhance the society’s professional network and facilitate a deeper exploration of historical references across a wider range of languages and periods. Broadening its member base would allow the ISHP to access more diverse pharmaceutical histories and cultural contexts, contributing to a more comprehensive and inclusive understanding of the field. This expansion is crucial for the member societies to reflect pharmacy history’s global nature and foster international collaboration and scholarship.