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Barcelona June 2012

cropped summer schoolI jetted off to Barcelona on June 17th to wave the PMP flag at the EURORDIS Summer School. We began the week with a welcome dinner which was a fantastic opportunity to get to know my fellow classmates and network with other patient advocates. The food was great and the company definitely matched up!

However, the hard work began on the Monday morning when we were up, dressed and on the bus, ready to go by 8.30am for a full day of intensive learning. The programme for the week consisted of clinical research methodology and statistics, ethical considerations and regulatory procedures, an introduction to the European Medicines Agency and its numerous committees, an introduction to the ECRIN project and more. We were taught through lectures and small group discussions and were fed an incredible amount of information in a short, 4 day, period.

The Summer School ran from approximately 9am – 4pm each day but it was not all work and no play. Monday evening we were able to explore the sights of Barcelona city and spend some time getting to know each other better and learn the reasons for each of us being there. Tuesday brought an evening drinks reception which provided another platform for networking and learning about the many organisations that were being represented.

The summer school was held in the basement of the Cosmo Caixa, a science museum in Barcelona, and on Wednesday we were finally able to see a bit more than just the basement when we took a tour of the museum. Thursday was the final day of the summer school and at the end of the day each participant was awarded a certificate to acknowledge their learning experience from the previous four days. It was straight off to the airport from the Cosmo Caixa to head back home but I don’t think that is the last I will be seeing or hearing from my classmates as, having got to know each other quite well and learned so much from each other, I think we will be staying in touch.

The EURORDIS Summer School was a fantastic opportunity, not only for me as an individual but, for Pseudomyxoma Survivor as a charity. I am proud to have been able to represent the charity at such a prestigious event in such a beautiful city.

– Catherine