There were a few benefits to being the Head of School in April of this year, as Professor Greg Peterson demonstrated with his recent trip to Malaysia; and it was a trip that has been long overdue.
Professor Peterson first began working with the International Medical University (IMU) in Malaysia in 2009 as reviewer of IMU’s pharmacy examination papers. Having never seen the IMU facilities, he was invited to experience the progressive institution as an external examiner and guest speaker.
During his four-day visit, Professor Peterson was given the opportunity to attend and observe Bachelor of Pharmacy Honours students undertaking their oral examinations in the Clinical Skills Unit. He also assisted in reviewing 10 individual theses for their research project module and he presented a research talk on the use of information technology and decision support in pharmacy practice.
“These (projects) looked great and were impressive coming from undergraduates. They were of a similar standard and size to the research projects performed by our coursework Master of Pharmaceutical Science students, covering similar topics. IMU is a very modern and well-resourced institution. It offers a wide range of undergraduate programs across the health sciences and has excellent research facilities that are spacious and very well-equipped to perform research across the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.”
The trip was a very exciting opportunity for Professor Peterson and for the School. Future plans for the School of Pharmacy include the establishment of formal teaching and research collaborations with IMU including student exchanges, visiting lectureships and joint research projects.