More about our team…let’s chat to

Jana Popova, the EUPATI Content Development Coordinator.

In our latest spotlight, we’re excited to introduce one of the passionate people behind the work of the EUPATI Secretariat team.

Here, we chat with Jana Popova, who explains her role as a Content Development Coordinator and what drives her work in patient education and medicines R&D.

Based in Sofia, Bulgaria, Jana plays an important part in shaping accessible, high-quality learning materials for the EUPATI community. Jana is also a EUPATI Fellow, and an intrinsic part of the EUPATI Patient Expert Training Programme Committee.

We recently got the chance to learn more about her journey, her role, and what inspires her in this space.

What’s your name & where are you dialing in from?

My name is Jana Popova. I work as the EUPATI Content Development Coordinator, and I am based in Sofia, Bulgaria 😊.

What is your main work stream?

I joined EUPATI in 2021, initially to coordinate EUPATI’s patient involvement training portfolio, especially trainings such as EUPATI Fundamentals, EUPATI Essentials, and EUPATI Customised. Today, I am in charge of content development and organisation for the EUPATI Learning Lab Trainings we organise for academic and industry representatives. I also coordinate the Learning Lab Faculty and EUPATI Editorial Board, which is part of EUPATI’s governance structure and reviews and approves all EUPATI content before its publication.

I also support the content development of training materials for the Open Classroom and Toolbox, especially when they are part of the EU project deliverables. I am also a member of the Training Committee of the Patient Expert Training Programme, and participate as a trainer during the 2 events of the programme (online and face-to-face).  I also sometimes serve as the main point of contact for questions or suggestions related to the training portfolio and content development.

What is your favourite part of your role?

I like that my work is very dynamic and every day is different compared to the previous one. I also like the interaction with my colleagues in our fantastic team, with people from the EUPATI network or with external collaborators. Every interaction is important and valuable, and I am happy when I can support and enhance different collaborations. I feel most satisfied when we have different trainings related to the Learning Lab, because this is when we can expand our portfolio, explore new areas in the patient involvement field and be creative with the content development.

Describe your typical working day?

Every day is different, depending on whether we are in the process of preparing a new training or developing new content. Very often, things are happening simultaneously, and this requires a lot of coordination and careful planning. Usually, we have some training sessions that are scheduled in advance, like Fundamentals and Essentials, but we also sometimes receive requests for Customised trainings that require more preparation, exploring new topics for content development and coordination. Often this overlaps with the development of new content for Open Classroom or Toolbox and the organisation of Editorial Board review.

The dynamic in the different work streams is different, and it varies depending on the timeframe. The most important thing is to keep nurturing the good collaboration with colleagues and partners in a safe, friendly and professional environment.

What is your favourite quote – be it for work or your personal life?

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. This is an African proverb that reflects my attitude toward team spirit and teamwork in general. I believe that only if we work together and collaborate together, we will become stronger, grow together and achieve what we want.