Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peoples'Friendship University of Russia
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
RUDN University medical students emerged victorious at the 1st Interregional Olympiad with international participation, "The Pharmaceutical Route from Molecule to Medicine – the Code of Health." Students from leading pharmaceutical universities in the CIS countries participated in the competition, which was held at the St. Petersburg Chemical and Pharmaceutical University.
RUDN University team members (5th-year students majoring in Pharmacy):
Elizaveta Bolgova; Nikita Krysin; Rada Krotova.
The Olympiad was held in several stages. The correspondence stage involved preparing projects to promote the drug "Enterosgel." Teams could also participate in a video question competition titled "Enterosorbents in Pharmacy." The video had to creatively reflect the main areas of pharmaceutical use of enterosorbents (educational processes, research projects, production processes, and the retail pharmaceutical market).
What was Macedonian poisoned with?
The in-person stage of the competition included completing individual Olympiad assignments. These assignments tested knowledge and practical skills in the following disciplines: pharmaceutical technology, pharmacognosy, pharmaceutical management and economics, and the history of pharmacy. Incidentally, the event was co-organized by our university and the St. Petersburg Chemical and Pharmaceutical University. One of the judges was Elena Gribkova, Associate Professor of the Department of Pharmaceutical Management and Economics at the RUDN Medical Institute.
"The pharmacist profession is the most multifaceted and diverse! This has always been the case, but now it's even more important for pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians to possess a variety of skills, from understanding regulations to developing and analyzing medications. After all, after graduating, our students can work in pharmaceutical manufacturing, pharmacies, and even the Ministry of Health. That's why the Olympiad tasks were designed to showcase the various facets of our profession," says Elena Gribkova.
According to the students, the assignments were generally not difficult and the knowledge they gained in class was sufficient.
We studied "Acceptance Inspection" intensively at university, as well as "Pharmacology." I didn't really like the idea of a ping-pong competition, as it seemed to have a hint of luck (how lucky will you be with the question your opponent asks?). The most difficult subject turned out to be "History of Pharmacy"—we took it in our first year. "So we couldn't remember what poison killed Alexander the Great or what poisoned Hamlet's father. We were expecting questions about the first pharmacy in Russia," says Elizaveta Bolgova.
Common victory
During the in-person round, the students also pitched a project to the jury to promote the drug Enterosgel. During the project, the students divided roles, each responsible for their own tasks. Rada Krotova, for example, tried her hand at marketing.
"I was involved in creating the survey and analyzing its results, and I also designed the advertising brochure, which we then printed and provided to the experts as a handout, backing up our words with a tangible promotional tool," says Rada Krotova.
"I analyzed competitors and studied the factors influencing demand. The main idea is to increase the drug's reputation and demand by leveraging its advantages over competitors: ease of administration, price, and use in children and pregnant women," says Nikita Krysin.
Elizaveta Bolgova was directly responsible for the drug's promotional methods and techniques. She also analyzed risks and minimized their impact on demand.
"I've been working in marketing for four years now, so the ideas came to me very quickly. The guys suggested creating our own survey and sending it out to friends and acquaintances in St. Petersburg. In the end, we were the only ones to conduct our own small internal study with responses from real people," says Elizaveta Bolgova.
Rada was unanimously named our team's best player by the jury. They praised her professionalism, determination, and high level of knowledge.
"It's always nice to be highly recognized. Of course, I prepared for the Olympiad; it was important to me to demonstrate a high level of performance and represent our university well. The jury's assessment means that everything was worthwhile, and I'm moving in the right direction. However, it's also true that we worked as a team, and winning the Olympiad is a shared achievement," says Rada Krotova.
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