SIUE Discusses Expanding Exchange with India’s JSS University
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville continues its exploration and integration of global partnerships throughout its academic disciplines. Expansion of an already successful pharmacy exchange program to include the University’s breadth of health sciences was the topic of discussion during a visit from the vice chancellor of India’s Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara (JSS) University.
B. Suresh, MPharm, PhD, Sc.D., visited with SIUE administrators on Wednesday, Nov. 23. The leaders’ discussed the possibility of future collaborations that would strengthen students’ academic and experiential learning opportunities.
“Today in this world, understanding each other is important, both culturally and socially,” Suresh said. “This time of collaboration helps in advancing knowledge by sharing our resources. It helps us to understand the culture of different countries and the people, and that brings more tolerance when students go out and try to be responsible citizens.”
The SIUE School of Pharmacy has partnered with JSS College of Pharmacy since 2014 to offer a student exchange program. Two students in their final year of pharmacy education have the opportunity to complete an elective rotation at each respective institution. SIUE students spend five weeks in India, while JSS students spend eight weeks in the U.S.
Two exchange students from the JSS College of Pharmacy, Nickita Benny and Bhagya Sree, are currently shadowing SIUE’s Kelly Gable, PharmD, BCPP, in the department of psychiatry in a St. Louis family healthcare center.
“My professional goal is to become a well-established pharmacist,” said Benny. “This program has helped me experience the mode of practices used in America, which are totally different from India. I am planning to come back to the U.S. after completion of my studies, so I thought this would be great exposure for me to understand practices here.”
“This was an unexpected opportunity which came to me after attending an interview at our college,” explained Sree. “I was the luckiest among the interviewees to come to SIUE to experience and explore the institution and the pharmacy setup. We have received good training from our institution, but we can now see a different way of practicing pharmacy. After undergoing this program, we will have an idea of what a clinical pharmacist should be and our role for patients.”
Along with its College of Pharmacy, JSS University houses a Medical College and Dental College at its main campus in Mysore, India.
Photo: (L-R) SIUE Chancellor Dr. Randy Pembrook, Vice Chancellor of JSS University Dr. B. Suresh and SIUE Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Denise Cobb.
Two students from the JSS College of Pharmacy, Nickita Benny (L) and Bhagya Sree (R), are currently shadowing SIUE’s Kelly Gable, PharmD, BCPP, in the department of psychiatry in a St. Louis family healthcare center.
