Mary Anne Ciappara
Vice President and Regional Representative for Europe (Malta)
Mary Anne Ciappara is a pharmacist. She graduated BPharm (1979) and MPhil (1999) from the University of Malta. Her Master of Philosophy thesis dealt with “Pharmacists-patient Relationships: Ethical Issues”.
Work experience
Ms Ciappara has been practising as a managing pharmacist in a community pharmacy from 1979-2014 and 2015 –to-date. Throughout this period she has established and maintained mutually good professional relationships with patients/clients, colleagues (pharmacists and doctors) and other stakeholders. She introduced and developed new professional services; prepared and implemented standard operating procedures, carried out projects and mentored and trained pharmacy students. In June 2008 she set up and organized the Pharmacy of your choice “POYC” system at the pharmacy she was managing. Since then she operated the POYC system and endeavored to optimize patients’ use of their medicines.
This experience in community pharmacy has enabled her to gain an understanding of the issues facing pharmacy, pharmacists and patients.
Since 1992 she taught Pharmacy ethics to pharmacy students at the University of Malta. She liaised through the Department of Pharmacy with the Faculty of Theology in collaboration with the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists regarding Pharmacy Ethics module. Between 1992 and 1999 she coordinated the Pharmacy ethics module. She co-drafted, co finalized and coordinated a Multidisciplinary Module on Substance Abuse at the University of Malta which was offered ‘across campus’(1994-99). Her professional experience includes small group teaching and research in pharmacy practice (1992-9).
Professional Associations
Ms Ciappara is a Council Member of the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists since 1980 holding the post of secretary from 1985 to 1989 and vice president from 1991 to1992 and 1996 to 2005. She served as a member of the editorial board of the journal ‘The Pharmacist’ (1981-4) and as its editor (1984-1992). She actively contributed to Chamber’s submissions and recommendations to the authorities concerned on draft EU directives, and matters concerning the professions, medicinal products, public health and consumers.
She chaired the committee on pharmacists prescribing rights (2013-4), co-organized health awareness campaigns (2012-4), co-coordinated continuing professional development programmers of the Chamber (l983 -1992 1993-6, 2010-today). and a member of the Pharmacists Against Drug Abuse subcommittee (1986-97).
Ms Ciappara has been actively involved in CPA since 1988, when she formed part of the Maltese delegation at the CPA regional workshop on Pharmacy Education and Practice in the UK.
She represents the Chamber on the Council of the CPA ((1995-to-date) and on the Executive Committee, (2105- to-date). She has participated at the Executive Committee Meeting of the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association in 1989, 2000, 2005, and at the CPA Conference in 2004.
She co-organised with CPA the Congress 1989, the workshop ‘Pharmacy in the European Community’ in collaboration with the European region (1990) and the seminars organized as part of the Commonwealth People’s Forum in 2005 and 2015.
She has participated at FIP Congresses and represented the Chamber at the FIP Congress in 2000.
She has been representing the Chamber on the executive council of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations since 1990 holding the post of vice president from 2002, and Hon Secretary (1990-1992; 1994-2002). She stove to promote the professions as social partners in the social and economic development of Malta; advocating direct representation of professional associations at policy making level .and promoted inter-professional relationships and professional-government relationships.
Regulatory body
She has been an elected member of Pharmacy Council since 1988, She chairs the Code of Ethics subcommittee (2004-8), (2016-to-date); sits on the committee which evaluates foreign pharmacy qualifications of applicants who want to be registered as pharmacists in Malta (2008-2014; 2015-); the legislation sub-committee(1999- to-date), and Structuring Continuous Professional Development subcommittee (2007-to-date)
Government appointments
Ms Ciappara was appointed by the Minster of Health to sit on the Bioethics Consultative Committee (2002-2014). and represented Malta, on the Steering Committee on Bioethics (CDBI), later DH-Bio, of the Council of Europe (2004-2015). She was Elected Member, Bureau of the CDBI, Council of Europe (2007-2011).
She was appointed by Director General, Health to represent the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists on the National Antibiotic Steering Committee (2001-7).
Awards
Ms Ciappara has been awarded Fellowship for Commonwealth Understanding,,Commonwealth Foundation (1990) and European Union Visitors Programme, , European Commission (2003).