The Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (COPHS) welcomed six Chinese pharmacists to the University to participate in the Clinical Pharmacy Training Program established in 2016. The Program is a partnership with Yale New Haven Hospital and the Chinese Pharmacological Society- Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Committee (CPS-TDM). Its mission is to provide advanced clinical pharmacy training to Chinese pharmacists through U.S.-based educational and clinical resources. Thus, the Program establishes Western New England University as an international pharmacy educator, and represents a unique opportunity for international collaboration. Dr. Shusen Sun serves as its Director of International Pharmacy Programs, and also as a Board Member of the CPS-TDM.
The Program involves the international pharmacists spending one month at the Western New England University to learn about Doctor of Pharmacy education, and five months at Yale New Haven Hospital to learn about the practice of clinical pharmacy in the United States. The pharmacist-scholars attend didactic lectures, engage in case discussions, interact with students on clinical rotations, and attend faculty development seminars. A variety of lectures and discussions are offered, including such topics as: the pharmacy admissions process, accreditation standards, curricular outcome assessments, PharmD curriculum design, mission and vision development, experiential education, pharmacists as educators, and leadership development. In addition, the visiting pharmacists have the opportunity to interact with faculty to discuss various research and clinical practice issues.
This is the second cohort of Chinese pharmacists to be enrolled in the Program, since its original cohort started in November of 2016. The six pharmacists in this year’s cohort come from four different Chinese cities, where they work as pharmacists in various Chinese urban hospitals.
