Students from Saudi Arabia visit UK College of Pharmacy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 12, 2013) —Six students from Jazan University, in Saudi Arabia, spent four weeks studying clinical pharmacy at UK’s top-ranked College of Pharmacy.

Jazan University, a public research university based in the city of Jazan, which rests by the Red Sea on the southwest coast of Saudi Arabia, is the first clinical pharmacy college in Saudi Arabia to offer the doctor of pharmacy degree.

One of the goals of the visit was to prepare Saudi Arabian students to become faculty in their home universities– very few of the country’s faculty are from Saudi Arabia.

UK’s cutting edge laboratories, faculty and curriculum will help the Saudi Arabian students become leaders in their country’s universities, while the University of Kentucky benefits from transformative impact of international exchanges.

“At the UK College of Pharmacy we value both the knowledge and cultural exchange between the two colleges,” said Melody Ryan, the College of Pharmacy’s director of international professional student education. “We hope to help build the Saudi Arabian clinical pharmacy workforce by collaborating with our partners at Jazan University.”

During their stay the students shadowed professional pharmacists in UK Chandler Hospital and Kentucky Clinic pharmacies and attended several lectures and workshops about the College of Pharmacy’s curriculum, practice and research.

The students also experienced Lexington’s cultural highlights such as the horse park, museums, parks and restaurants.

“I had many opportunities to communicate with the students and faculty here without any tension, as if we were one of them,” said Ali Ahmed Ruwayni, a student from Jazan University. “I would love to have the opportunity to finish my studies here.”

This is the second year for this successful program. Three Saudi Arabian students from the 2012 program returned to work with pharmacists on the general surgery, transplant, and cardiology teams. Both Jazan University and the University of Kentucky hope to develop and deepen this important partnership.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Geegan, (859) 257-5365; sarah.geegan@uky.edu