An International Division within the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, UCSF

Background: Department of Clinical Pharmacy faculty currently have established relationships with organizations and individuals in Norway, Canada, Italy, England, Australia, Switzerland, Denmark, Guatemala, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Uganda, Malawi, Singapore, Japan and Viet Nam. The Department has additionally been contacted by and hosted visitors from other countries including Iceland, Columbia and Korea. Numerous requests are received by individual faculty members from foreign countries for visits and the opportunity to learn about clinical pharmacy practice, education and research.

The goal of any international program is to partner and establish sustained relationships with other institutions.

When considering the potential for international visits and exchanges, and as highlighted in a recent IOM report1, the following criteria should be evaluated prior to acceptance of international scholars. Each request should be evaluated based upon their likelihood of achieving one or more of the following goals: (1) training of current and future healthcare professionals both at home and abroad (to optimize capacity building for example), (2) service to the global health community with an emphasis on underserved populations and (3) advancing knowledge and training in appropriate technology, (“health technology, which is developed, produced, delivered and monitored in a comprehensive framework that takes into account the systems, the individuals, and the community.”) The goal should be to advance health through education, practice and research and may involve exchange of faculty and potentially students.

Situation:

• The UCSF Department of Clinical Pharmacy and individual faculty receive numerous requests for visits by foreign schools of pharmacy with the purpose:
• To observe clinical practice
• To learn about PharmD curriculum
• To provide clerkship/residency/fellowship training
• For training of faculty and young pharmacists in teaching clinical pharmacy and preceptorship of students in the clerkship environment
• Coordination of visits is time consuming and there is no dedicated administrative support. Scheduling is not coordinated
• There is no dedicated space available to provide a “home” for visiting faculty
• Guidelines for visiting scholars and graduate students have been drafted but require frequent updating
• Regulations for foreign visitors and scholars have increased in complexity since 9/11 and require greater coordination with SISS (International Scholars and Students)
• Requests for collaboration come from nations of varying economic resources
• No “fee schedule” exists for supporting visiting scholars and students