In the vibrant Portuguese capital, the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) brought together approximately 3000 hospital pharmacists from 65 different countries for the 27^th edition of its Annual Congress. Over the past three days, attendees expanded their knowledge by joining countless sessions and workshops, and explored the exhibition area to learn more about the latest technologies and network. 

EAHP’s Scientific Committee filled the congress programme with seminars, workshops and interactive sessions that aimed at helping hospital pharmacists with translating evidence that is rooted in research into frontline healthcare practice. The keynotes touched on the opportunities for personalised medicine, improvements in the communication of risks and benefits to patients, and patient involvement in pharmacy practice research. EAHP’s team welcomed numerous participants at the EAHP booth to talk about the European Statements of Hospital Pharmacy, the self-assessment tool and the Association’s advocacy work. In one targeted session, students and young professionals had the opportunity to quiz five hospital pharmacists about their career choices. In addition, they got to meet with representatives of the European Pharmaceutical Students' Association (EPSA) during a networking dinner. Three of EAHP’s Special Interest Groups focused on eliminating harm, automation and medication errors in intensive care units showcased their work. 

EAHP's poster walk, a unique Congress feature, brought together participants and poster authors to discuss the latest research developments. The Scientific Committee awarded the 1st prize for poster submissions to Shannon Nally for the abstract and poster titled ‘Evaluating the potential clinical and economic impact of chemotherapy prescribing by pharmacists at a university teaching hospital'. The 2023 Good Practice Initiative (GIP) award went to Sophia Hannou for the work on the ‘Opiods room for horror - An interactive learning to improve safety of drug administration'. 

EAHP’s 27^th Congress also celebrated innovation and excellence with several other awards focused on Statement implementation, students and contributions to EAHP. Among the awards and distinctions given, EAHP’s Board of Directors awarded the Statement Implementation Award to Zora Ćetković for her work on ‘Software tool development for reconstitution and administration of parenteral antibiotics in hospitals - An international project’. This award acknowledges contributions with a specific emphasis on implementing the European Statements of Hospital Pharmacy. Lastly, the 2023 EAHP-EPSA Student Science Award went to Usman Arshad for his abstract ‘Evaluation of antimicrobial-loaded calcium sulfate composites for the management of resistant Gram-negative diabetic foot osteomyelitis’.

The “EAHP Board of Directors Professional Excellence Award”, which recognises an individual who has made outstanding contributions to EAHP and the hospital pharmacy profession, went to Dr. Roberto Frontini. As former EAHP President that shaped the European Statements of Hospital Pharmacy and now retired hospital pharmacist that is still active as a member of the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee at the European Medicines Agency, he has shaped the hospital pharmacy profession for decades to come.

Hospital pharmacists are cordially invited to EAHP’s 28^th Congress taking place from 20 to 22 March 2024 in Bordeaux, France.