College of Pharmacy celebrates ten years of the International Summer Program BY L AUR A HAYES
College of Pharmacy Celebrates of the International Summer Pro
In summer 2023, the College of Pharmacy celebrated its 10th anniversary of hosting international students, faculty, and practicing pharmacists at the college’s Chicago campus for the International Summer Program on Contemporary Clinical Pharmacy Practice and Education. PROGR A M OR IGINS Dr. Alan Lau, professor emeritus and director of International Clinical Pharmacy Education, started the program at the request of one of the college’s international partners at China Medical University in Taiwan. Eventually, more of UIC Pharmacy’s international partners, such as China Medical University, Taipei Medical University, National Taiwan University, and University of Hong Kong, started sending participants. Since 2013, more than 400 people from locations like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Spain, Turkey, and Cambodia have participated in the monthlong summer program to build their interest in pharmacy, expand their perspectives on clinical practice and pharmacy education, and allow them to experience U.S. culture. “I think people from around the world look up to the United States for clinical education, and that’s our focus for the international program,” Lau says. Each summer, the program provides more than 80 hours of teaching and learning activities led by more than 30 UIC Pharmacy faculty. They give case-based lectures and discussions, which include telling students what they do in the hospital and clinics. The program also hosts handson lab experiences and shares different career tracks within clinical pharmacy. Participants also get tours of the UIC campus and UI Health hospital and clinics and participate in various group outings in Chicago.
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A P OSTPA ND E MIC PROGR A M RE L AUNCH In addition to Lau, Department of Pharmacy Practice faculty Dr. Nancy Shapiro and Dr. James Lee now codirect the program, which welcomed 68 participants to UIC campus in 2023 after a three-year hiatus. “I really enjoy leading this program and am grateful that we were able to offer it again this year,” says Shapiro. “We include a great group of faculty that have a passion for teaching in their clinical practice and service areas. This program works so well because we have so many faculty to turn to for their contributions, that are dedicated to furthering clinical pharmacy practice and education beyond the United States.” “We made some changes since the pandemic, and the responses have been very good,” Lau says. “There were a lot more interactions with our own students this year and the feedback has been great.” UIC STUD E NT PH A RM ACIST A MBA S SA D ORS 2023 marked the addition of having current UIC student pharmacists engage and lead the participants as their UIC mentors and teaching assistants. “I was very grateful to be asked as one of the TAs and mentors,” says Angelo Turla, current P3 student. “I prepared a lecture, did a student-led panel, hosted multiple social events, assisted with the different labs such as blood pressure and geriatrics, and addressed any questions that our group had.” “I really loved all the events we had set up for the students. It was a good opportunity for us to get to know them, as well as learn about the different responsibilities and requirements pharmacists have in each country.” The program participants also learned from their UIC mentors about differences and benefits of PharmD programs offered in the United States.
