Global Pharmacy Scholars
The mission of the GPS program is to:
- enable students to learn about health care issues in various countries around the world,
- expose students to different cultures and healthcare systems,
- extend scholarship opportunities available to students and faculty,
- develop the next generation of global leaders in pharmacy.
The acronym, GPS, reflects our focus on positioning our students for success as leaders and partners in addressing global needs and problems.
As the world becomes more interconnected, it is important for our students to have transferrable skills such as cultural intelligence, global awareness, service learning, and the ability to analyze and solve problems through different perspectives and in different settings. The GPS program develops these skills within the next generation of student pharmacists who will lead efforts to create innovative solutions to existing global dilemmas within health care and beyond. Students going abroad will also have the potential for future collaborative research and practice-based efforts with other academic institutions and organizations.
Download the Global Pharmacy Scholars ViewbookFor more information on current GPS international Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience sites, click on the country links below:
Practice site: Melbourne, Australia
The international APPE rotation in Melbourne is clinically based within Monash University and Alfred Health System. Monash University, a member of the PharmAlliance partnership, was established in 1958 and is Australia’s leading pharmacy institution. The Alfred, founded in 1871, is a major tertiary referral teaching hospital and the oldest Melbourns hospital that is operating on its original site.
Practice site: Limon, Honduras
This global experience is in partnership with Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC). Students will experience a rural health/preventative care focus with exposure to interprofessional community health clinics. This international rotation is approximately two weeks in Honduras and two weeks in a local setting.
Practice site: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Students are provided the opportunity to work with UNC Clinical Oncology Pharmacists to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. On site, students work with preceptors to provide pharmacy education, conduct a short research project and round on adult hematology/oncology medicine teams.
Practice site: Mysore, India
Students work with JSS University and JSS Hospitals to learn about the role of clinical pharmacists within India. JSS College of Pharmacy has the only ACPE certified PharmD program within India and has been a leader of change for the profession of pharmacy within the country.
Practice site: Tokyo, Japan
Students work with Keio University Faculty of Pharmacy to learn both the clinical aspect of pharmacy as well as the pharmaceutical science research that is included in the Japanese pharmacy curriculum. Opportunities to shadow clinical pharmacist within Keio University Hospital as well as visit various other hospitals around the city are available.
Practice site: Lilongwe, Malawi
Students rotate weekly between three different health care institutions within the capital of the country. In collaboration with UNC-project Malawi, students are able to learn about the practice of pharmacy in Kamuzu Central Hospital (tertiary referral hospital center), Lilongwe District Health Center on the Bwaila District Hospital campus and The Lighthouse Trust HIV/AIDS clinic.
Practice site: Chisinau, Moldova
GPS students in Moldova have an unmatched experience in learning about herbal medications and pharmacognosy within health care in that country. In collaboration with State University of Medicine and Pharmacy and MedPark International Hospital, students learn about the differences in health care and pharmacy practice between the USA and Moldova.
Practice site: London, England
This rotation in London works with University College London (UCL). UCL is based in the heart of London and was founded in 1826. Students will get an academic experience working with UCL School of Pharmacy faculty on a research project.
Practice Site: Lusaka, Zambia
This global experience is in partnership with UNC-Project Zambia. Students will have the chance to learn about the practice of pharmacy at the University of Zambia and the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka.