Students Learn Traditional Medicine in Indonesia Four College of Pharmacy students joined student health colleagues from the Academic Health Collaborative in learning about traditional Eastern medicine and educating locals about such conditions as hypertension, stroke and heart disease during a January J-Term trip to Indonesia. Stephanie Katartzis, Melissa Menditto, Hannah Bedard and Madelyn Hallisey joined 17 other students from the Colleges of Nursing and Health Science on the global health trip. The students partnered with their counterparts at Universitas Islam Indonesia in Yogyakarta to prepare public presentations in the Indonesia language on hypertension and stroke prevention, the leading causes of death in the country. The students met with local villagers, toured the Ministry of Health, and got an extensive lesson on traditional medicines in the ministry’s herbal garden, which contains more than 30,000 herbs and botanicals used in medication.
“A lot of Western medicines have their origins in traditional herbs and botanicals, so it’s great for pharmacy students to learn about them. It brings up provocative questions about traditional medicines versus Western medications — there may be fewer side effects, but what is their efficacy,” said Assistant Professor Matthew Bertin, who directed the trip. “It was a powerful, unique experience for the students that will stay with them for a long time.” The students also toured cultural sites around Indonesia, visiting several temples, snorkeling over coral reefs and visiting with villagers and Indonesian students, with whom they made lasting relationships.
STUDENTS Tomorrow’s Leaders Impacting Today 14 / URI COLLEGE OF PHARMACY
Four URI Pharmacy students joined others from the Colleges of Nursing and Health Sciences on a J-Term trip to Indonesia.
