Pharmacy Student Association Fortis Ry

History

The Pharmacy Student Association Fortis is a subject organization for pharmacy students at the University of Eastern Finland. Fortis was founded on November 1, 1973 to unite the students of pharmacy at the then University of Kuopio, to support their intellectual aspirations and to promote their hobby in professional matters. Fortis means “strong, powerful, brave and fearless.” However, the name has its roots in Spiritus forti, the Latin name for spirits. Fortis is growing and competing with the medical students’ subject organization, KuoLO, for the title of the largest and most beautiful subject organization in Kuopio.

Operation

Fortis’ main activities are textbook publishing, event organization and lobbying. We publish four textbooks in the field and distribute a number of textbooks published by others. The annual calendar of events includes baptisms, revenge, annual celebrations, Christmas parties, kicks for graduating pharmacists and pharmacists, and the closing ceremony of the spring season. Our members don’t need a weird topic to get the party going, so there are plenty of other events!

Co-operation

We work actively to improve the quality of teaching and develop education in the field of pharmacy in Kuopio and more nationwide. The collaboration between Fortis and the Department of Pharmacy of the Faculty of Health Sciences is smooth and fruitful. As a result of the cooperation, e.g. before the establishment of the University of Eastern Finland, shirts with the logo of the old Faculty of Pharmacy, which Fortis sells.

We keep in touch with our sister organizations in Helsinki and Turku, as well as in the other Nordic and Baltic countries. We co-operate with other student organizations operating at the University of Eastern Finland and support the study and internship of our members abroad. We will meet Nordic pharmacy students in the spring in Pinsestaevne, which will also be held in Kuopio. As a member of the Finnish Pharmacy Students’ Association (SFaO), we participate in the activities of the European Pharmacy Students’ Association, EPSA, and the World Pharmacy Students’ Association, IPSF. However, our closest partner is the Finnish Pharmaceutical Association’s Kuopio Student Association, or FO-Kuopio.