Like many U.S. colleges of pharmacy, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Pharmacy has a legacy of extensive international partnerships, both for research and for clinical education and training. I must admit that, when I served as department head there, although I was supportive of these partnerships, they sometimes led to frustration. It was hard enough to get good clerkship experiences for our own students. Then, my opinions changed 180 degrees because of one thing: I went to those countries and observed the fruits of our labor. It was an epiphany. To witness firsthand the impact of your faculty and programs and see how clinical pharmacy practice has blossomed in sites outside the United States are among the most rewarding experiences ever. There is a fire for U.S.-style clinical pharmacy in many parts of the world; indeed, in some areas, practices have eclipsed those in parts of the United States. So, for those involved in training international students and residents, I have one word of advice: “Go” (when it’s safe).
JACCP is solely devoted to clinical pharmacy practice, no matter where it resides. We have an aim to be considered an international journal and forum for practice issues both in the United States and worldwide. To these ends, we chose Clinical Pharmacy Practice Around the World as the theme for our third themed issue, which has been expertly edited by Sonak Pastakia, Pharm.D., MPH, Ph.D., of Purdue University (practicing in Kenya), and Alan Lau, Pharm.D., FCCP, of UIC. This issue reviews and assesses clinical pharmacy practice (and education) in many countries, including China, Taiwan, portions of Africa, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Malta, Indonesia, and South Africa. Most of these sites have been heavily influenced by U.S. clinical pharmacists.
Specifically, a group from Purdue analyzes their impact on practice within Kenya,1 Debra Goff and colleagues review the Ohio State partnership with South Africa,2 and Lillian Azzopardi and Anthony Serracino-Inglott review clinical practice in Malta and its relationship with UIC.3 Additional contributions include a review of the impactful U.S.-Thai Consortium,4 well known to many in the United States, and a review of the role of pharmacists in Doctors Without Borders by Sharon Connor and colleagues.5 I hope our readership enjoys this special issue and learns about clinical pharmacy around the globe.
I want to thank the guest editors, Drs. Pastakia and Lau, for their exceptional job in shepherding the many papers we received and inviting many of them to appear in this issue. Both are altruistic individuals with a passion for bringing clinical pharmacy practice to areas around the world where once there was none. Their impact goes wide and far (and they have the frequent flyer miles to prove it), as do the impacts of the many other individuals who also wish to help fellow practitioners and educators in other countries.
References
- Karwa R, Miller ML, Schellhase E, et al. Evaluating the impact of a 15-year academic partnership to promote sustainable engagement, education, and scholarship in global health. J Am Coll Clin Pharm. 2020;1-12. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1249
- Goff DA, Bauer KA, Brink A, et al. International Train the Trainer antibiotic stewardship program for pharmacists: implementation, sustainability, and outcomes. J Am Coll Clin Pharm. 2020;1-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1228
- Azzopardi LM, Serracino-Inglott A. Clinical pharmacy education and practice evolvement in Malta. J Am Coll Clin Pharm. 2020;1-7. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1280
- Nathisuwan S, Pattharachayakul S, Subongkot S, et al. U.S.-Thai Consortium for the development of pharmacy education in Thailand: History, progress, and impact. J Am Coll Clin Pharm. 2020;1-12. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1262
- Connor S, Forrister D, Karir V, Kauffman Y, Sochacki M. Improving equitable access to essential medicines: learning from the experience of pharmacists within Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). J Am Coll Clin Pharm. 2020;1-5. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1238