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In the summer 2024, Pharmacy Practice Professor KarenBeth Bohan went on a sabbatical to India, hoping to strengthen global pharmacy partnerships, advance clinical practice and expand educational opportunities. Now, she is taking her experience and sharing it with students, faculty and staff at School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science. We had the chance to talk with Bohan about her sabbatical journey.
Q: Why did you decide to take a sabbatical to India?
A: Over the past 2 years, Dean Raju [Nagaraju] and I have been in contact with several schools of pharmacy in India that have expressed interest in collaborative research/programming with SOPPS faculty. In addition, they have had interest in exploring the development of admissions articulations enabling their students to join the SOPPS PharmD, MS and/or PhD programs. After many fruitful and engaging conversations through Zoom, I decided to take a sabbatical and travel to these schools in India to more deeply investigate these opportunities. I have been working with schools of pharmacy in Uganda since 2011 in a capacity-building project to help advance pharmacy education and practice in Uganda and I thought this prior experience and my expertise in clinical pharmacy might be of interest to the pharmacy schools I visited in India.
Q: What was the experience like, and what did you take away from it?
A: This was my first trip to Asia, and I was overwhelmed by the warm welcome I received at each pharmacy school I visited. Upon arrival to each school, there was a billboard or poster announcing my visit, and there were small ceremonies to commemorate the occasion. One school had me plant a tree that will grow a medicinal fruit called soursop [Annona muricata], and there will forever be a sign by that tree with my name and Binghamton University. There were often short prayer services in an outdoor temple to bless my visit. And at every first presentation I gave, there was an opening ceremony where students would sing a prayer.
All of these universities have their own PharmD programs, but clinical pharmacy services are not widely implemented throughout the areas of India I visited. The students and faculty are well-trained, but most hospitals have not yet recognized the benefit of having clinical pharmacists as integral members of the healthcare team and how they can help to improve patient care outcomes. The great news is that many physicians have trained in the U.S., have had good experiences with pharmacists and are eager to work with pharmacists. The Indian hospital administrators seem to need more convincing as they have not opened positions to hire clinical pharmacists. This is one area where Binghamton clinical faculty could help the Indian pharmacists improve patient care skills and learn how to successfully advocate for new positions in their healthcare systems. Overall, there are clearly many mutually beneficial opportunities for collaboration.
Q: Where did the idea or motivation to take this trip come from?
A: New anti-LGBTQ+ legislation passed in Uganda in 2023 has limited my future participation in collaborative work in Uganda. My MOUs [memoranda of understanding] have expired. SUNY won’t renew them if there is not an anti-discrimination clause, and Uganda will not approve that. With the increasing numbers of students joining our PharmD program from Nirma University in Ahmedabad and other Indian universities eager to partner on research, program development and admissions, it made perfect sense to explore these opportunities during a sabbatical.
Q: What was something that surprised you while you were there?
A: I was surprised by how spicy the food was! I enjoy the northern Indian food available at most Indian restaurants in the U.S. and even choose moderate spice from time to time, but the level of spice in southern India is something I didn’t expect. Even choosing the mildest level of spice was sometimes intolerable for me. I found that adding freshly made yogurt, which they refer to as “curd,” to the food was very helpful, but after eating very spicy food multiple times per day, I eventually had to do my best to avoid spice altogether.
It was also very interesting to find out that the school and work week for pharmacy students and faculty is six days a week as opposed to the normal five-day work week in the U.S. Everyone routinely is off on Sundays but is either in school or in the hospitals from Monday through Saturday. Depending on the university, they will usually get one to two Saturdays off per month.
Q: Why do you feel it is important to talk about and share your experience with our students? What do you hope they get out of it?
A: I love to share information about my work and international trips so others can expand their worldview and better understand other cultures through hearing about my experiences. Many of the students’ future patients will be immigrants or visitors to the U.S. from across globe, and a broader mindset about the intersection of culture and health behaviors will help them improve their patient care skills. Some students may never be able to travel outside of the U.S., but hopefully they gain an appreciation of life elsewhere through my pictures and stories.
To learn more, check out Bohan’s presentation: “Exploring Pharmacy Practice in India: Dr. Bohan’s Sabbatical Experience.”
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