Sharks Rx Spring 2018 | NSU College of Pharmacy

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY 24 College Pride IN 2007, the College of Pharmacy began the Travel Study Program, with 50 students and faculty mem- bers traveling to China to study traditional Chinese medicine. Under the direction of Leanne Lai, Ph.D., professor of sociobehavioral and administrative pharmacy, the program continued to grow, with Lai leading two additional travel study programs to China and Japan. In 2009, Lai traveled to the United Kingdom and France with 44 students to study homeopathic medicine and the UK health system. “Travel study goes beyond traditional academic experiences and grants our students the opportunity to immerse in a new culture, a new language, and new surroundings,” Lai said. Travel study programs provide opportunities for students to expand their practical knowledge through interprofessional education, to engage with health care professionals, and to experience diverse cultures. As part of the Slovakia Travel Study Program, students have the opportunity to study topics such as pharmaceutical technology, pharmacognosy, molecular drug design, and botany by visiting the medicinal garden at Comenius University in Bratislava. The Slovakia program has also included cultural and educational visits to exciting cities such as Budapest, Milan, Prague, Rome, and Vienna. Travel Study Program Celebrates 10th Anniversary “As a pharmacy educator with more than 20 years of experience in academia, this has been the most rewarding experience I have had,” said Ana Castejon, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences and coordinator of the Slovakia Travel Study Program. “Exposing my students to global pharmacy is a unique teaching strategy that allows them to appre- ciate their profession even more as they bond with professionals in the field from around the world.” In Spain, students learn about the Spanish and European Union health care systems, the drug approval process in the European Union, and the future of health care. They also visit historic sites in Avila, Granada, Madrid, Salamanca, Segovia, and Toledo. In 2017, the Travel Study Program expanded to Argentina, where students had the opportunity to expand their practical knowledge through hands-on interaction with patients, immerse in the epidemiological profile of the region, and learn about treatment and medication therapies for different pathologies. Manual J. Carvajal, Ph.D., professor and chair of sociobehavioral and administrative pharmacy, has taken students on several programs to Spain and Argentina. He believes the programs “broaden students’ minds, allowing them to experience how pharmacists work in other parts of the