Yogyakarta, 22 September 2026 – A team of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) students consisting of Novelia Ardian Kharimah (24/534449/FA/14370), Azhym Bagus Diponegoro (24/536060/FA/14414), and Kayra Hevenara (25/554937/FA/14861) won First Place in the Clinical Skills Event (CSE) Beginner Level at the 25th Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS) 2026. The event was held from 7–14 July 2026 in Surabaya, Indonesia.
APPS 2026 brought together pharmacy students and young professionals from various countries across the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to the symposium and regional assembly, the event featured several competitions aimed at developing pharmacy students’ knowledge and skills, including the Clinical Skills Event.
The Clinical Skills Event (CSE) provides pharmacy students with an opportunity to test their clinical knowledge and problem-solving abilities as part of their professional competency development. At APPS 2026, the CSE was divided into two categories: Beginner Level and Advanced Level. In the Beginner Level, participants faced a series of challenges involving questions and short clinical cases designed to assess their basic understanding of pharmacology, pharmacotherapy, and the rational use of medicines. Hypertension was one of the main topics featured in the questions and clinical cases presented during the competition.
The UGM team successfully advanced from the preliminary round to the final round after competing against participants from various countries. In the final round, the team competed against participants from countries including Singapore and Thailand, as well as teams from other Indonesian universities. After completing the entire competition, the UGM team secured First Place in the Clinical Skills Event Beginner Level at APPS 2026. Universitas Indonesia placed second, while a team from Thailand placed third.
Participation in the Clinical Skills Event provided the students with an opportunity to develop their ability to apply pharmaceutical knowledge to clinical problems. Through the questions and cases presented, participants were challenged not only to understand pharmacology and pharmacotherapy concepts but also to strengthen their analytical skills and decision-making related to the rational use of medicines.
The achievement also reflects the contribution of pharmaceutical education to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Strengthening clinical competencies and understanding the rational use of medicines contributes to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, particularly by supporting the quality of healthcare services and medication safety. Case-based learning and academic competitions also support SDG 4: Quality Education by developing students’ knowledge, analytical skills, and experiential learning. Furthermore, bringing together pharmacy students from different countries creates opportunities for interaction and exchange across diverse educational and national backgrounds, in line with SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. The students’ participation in an international academic forum also contributes to SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals through knowledge exchange and connections in pharmaceutical education.
Winning First Place in the Clinical Skills Event Beginner Level at the 25th Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium 2026 marks another achievement by UGM students in an international pharmaceutical competition. The accomplishment also provided the students with valuable experience in applying their pharmaceutical knowledge to clinical problems while developing their skills in a competitive and international environment.
