February 23, 2016
![2016 signing of a memorandum of understanding with Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeswara University](http://pharmacy.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1043/2016/02/JSSU-MOU-signing-600x400-300x200.jpg)
Representatives from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Global visited Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeswara University in Mysore, India, Jan. 19–21 to sign a memorandum of understanding formalizing the partnership between the universities and to explore areas for collaboration in pharmacy.
Ronald Strauss, executive vice provost and chief international officer at UNC-Chapel Hill, accompanied a delegation from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, which included Dhiren Thakker, Ph.D., associate dean of global engagement; David Steeb, Pharm.D., director of global engagement; and Miranda Law, Pharm.D., global engagement fellow.
Participating in the signing ceremony from JSSU were B. Suresh, vice chancellor; G. Parthasarathi, dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy; S.A. Dhanaraj dean of global management and P. A. Kushalappa, director-academic.
“We are impressed with the research and work being conducted at JSSU’s College of Pharmacy,” Strauss said. “The signing of this memorandum is the start of a robust working relationship between JSSU and UNC in pharmacy with the possibility of extending to other areas.”
Collaborations between UNC and JSSU began in July 2014 when Ramesh Adepu, a JSSU faculty member, spent three weeks at UNC as a visiting scholar to better understand pharmacy practice and education in the U.S. and at UNC. The MOU signing built on earlier reciprocal visits in 2015 by Thakker to JSSU in February and from JSSU to UNC by Suresh in April and Parthasarathi in September.
Founded in 2008, the medical institutions of JSSU, under the aegis of JSS University, train physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals to provide the highest standards of patient care, while also pursuing cutting-edge research.
During the visit, the UNC delegation spent time with faculty and administrators at the JSSU Hospital and JSSU Colleges of Pharmacy to explore possibilities for collaboration and student exchange related to pharmacy. Strauss and Thakker met with representatives from other areas of the university, including the Dental College; College of Arts, Science and Commerce and the Faculty of Life Sciences.
“The pharmacy colleges at JSS University in the beautiful cities of Mysuru and Ooty and the 1,100 bed JSS teaching and service hospital with strong ties to the Faculty of Pharmacy will provide a rich environment for our students to learn about health care in India,” Thakker said. “This relationship will also create opportunities for research collaborations, mutual faculty visits and student exchanges.”
Global partnerships, such as the one with JSSU, are a foundational component of UNC’s work to infuse a global dimension throughout the University’s teaching, research and service activities; to deepen and broaden UNC’s global work and to enhance its global visibility.
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