EPA continues membership of EMA Healthcare Professionals Working Party

The EPA is pleased to announce its continued membership of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Healthcare Professionals Working Party (HCPWP) for the 2025–2028 mandate.

Established in 2013, the HCPWP brings together a wide range of healthcare professional organisations to provide scientific and practical recommendations to the EMA. The group works in parallel with the Patients’ and Consumers’ Working Party (PCWP) to ensure the perspectives of both healthcare professionals and patients are reflected in regulatory processes.

The EPA’s ongoing engagement with the HCPWP aligns with its strategic priorities. Having been part of the HCPWP during the 2022–2025 term and a recognised member of the EMA network of eligible healthcare professionals’ organisations since 2020, the EPA is committed to strengthening its contributions to key areas such as accessibility, digitalisation, regulatory development, and network sustainability, core themes of the EMA Network Strategy to 2028 (EMANS 2028).

Through its membership, the EPA aims to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and represent the voice of psychiatry within broader medical discussions. This includes advancing the integration of mental health into general healthcare frameworks and sharing expertise through its Scientific Sections.

The Association also actively participates in EMA events and multi-stakeholder workshops, such as those focusing on psychedelics and artificial intelligence in healthcare. Furthermore, the EPA regularly contributes to EMA policy discussions through the Policy Officers’ Group (POG).

Through its continued engagement with the HCPWP, the EPA seeks to uphold its commitment to collaboration between healthcare professionals and patients. This principle is embedded in its governance, including patient and family carers representation in its governance and the Trilogue for Mental Health partnership with GAMIAN-Europe and EUFAMI.

Suggested Readings

Digitalisation & Mental Health
 Read the EMA Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Artificial Intelligence report from the event on 5 November 2024.
 Read the EPA Policy Paper on Digitalising Mental Health Care, published in European Psychiatry on 12 October 2023.

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies
 Read the EMA Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Psychedelics report from the event on 16 & 17 April 2024.
 Read the EPA Policy Paper on the Use of Psychedelic Treatments in Psychiatric Clinical Practice, published in European Psychiatry on 10 January 2025.