Pharmacy School Expands Global Reach Through Faculty Exchange in Japan

For one month, the chair and clinical professor of pharmacy practice served as a visiting professor at Kobe Gakuin University in Kobe, Japan. There, he taught almost 40 pharmacy students about pharmacy practice in the United States.

His time in Kobe is part of a partnership with KGU that began in 2018. Originally a weeklong cultural exchange between KGU and Ole Miss football student-athletes, it has grown to include a visiting professorship. Pate was the program's inaugural professor.

"Dr. Pate's time in Japan through the faculty exchange program exemplifies the global engagement we strive to offer at our school," said Donna Strum, dean of the School of Pharmacy. "By sharing insights about U.S. pharmacy practice and immersing himself in Japan's health culture, he brings back valuable perspectives that will enrich our curriculum and strengthen our school's commitment to preparing globally minded pharmacists."

However, Pate was initially uncertain what the experience would be like.

"When I first stepped onto the KGU Port Island campus, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I immediately felt very welcome," Pate said. "The nervousness of being a visiting professor quickly faded as I found KGU faculty and students inquisitive about pharmacy practice in the U.S. and very interested in the successes we've had advancing pharmacy practice.

"What followed was a month filled with thoughtful questions, cultural exchange and a shared excitement for the global future of pharmacy."

Over the course of Pate's professorship, he introduced Japanese students – many of whom were practicing their English – to key aspects of U.S. pharmacy including the health care system, community pharmacy practice, ambulatory care and billing, monitoring adverse drug events, medication safety and the future of pharmacy.

Japanese students discovered that American pharmacists play a far more advanced and patient-oriented role than traditionally seen in Japan, with U.S. pharmacists regularly engaging in activities such as chronic disease management, collaborative practice, vaccination and public health efforts, Pate said.

"One student asked me, 'Did pharmacists want to have more responsibilities in the U.S.?' which opened a great conversation about professional advocacy and how U.S. pharmacists are advocating for practicing at the top of their license and providing a standard of care to all patients."

It was during this discussion that Pate highlighted Mississippi being one of the first states where pharmacists administered vaccines, something that pharmacists in Japan cannot do.

He also shared with his new students the strengths and value of community pharmacies and services in local communities. They learned about collaborative practice agreements and the pharmacists' patient care process that allows U.S. pharmacists to have partnerships with prescribers such as doctors to provide expanded patient care services beyond just dispensing medication.

"Learning about these concepts really gave students new frameworks to think about patient care and pharmaceutical services," he said.

A deeper discussion developed when students posed questions about U.S. payment and reimbursement measures.

"I knew it was starting to click when someone asked how pharmacists could lose money on a prescription if they were charging a dispensing fee," he said. "Through this I got to further explain the complicated reimbursement structures and the financial pressures currently on our community pharmacies."

The structure of the U.S. health care system was eye-opening for students, especially the multi-payer model, high costs and the pharmacists' role within the system.

They were intrigued by U.S. post-market safety monitoring, learning about FDA systems such as REMS and Sentinel, which are different than Japanese post marketing safety monitoring systems, he said.

During his time, Pate experienced hospitality through new cuisine and expressions of gratitude when a KGU professor who routinely cooked meals for students in his office invited Pate.

In traditional Japanese culture "Itadakimasu," is said before each meal and "gochisousama" afterward. This pause and phrase expresses gratitude and comprehensively acknowledges the efforts of all involved in the meal creation.

Over these meals, students opened up and asked questions that they may not have during class.

"Seeing a faculty member who had inadvertently built community around food was both very familiar and encouraging of the shared life experiences we all have," Pate said.

These experiences are exactly what this program is about, said Whitney Sarver, senior director of the Ole Miss intensive English program and instructional assistant professor of modern languages.

"International partnerships greatly expand the knowledge and experiences of everyone involved, and they are an important part of work that we do in the Office of Global Engagement," Sarver said. "Interacting with other people, cultures and languages impacts a person's understanding and perspective of the world we live in, whether visiting another country or welcoming visitors here."

Pate and his KGU students were able to realize how community pharmacy and institutional pharmacy are different, yet the same in both countries.

"When you go somewhere and get to talk about what you're doing and the things that are happening in Mississippi, you realize we're doing pretty good, and pharmacy is moving in a good direction with great momentum."

Top: A cultural exchange program with Kobe Gakuin University in Japan enabled Ole Miss pharmacy professor Adam Pate to share his knowledge of the profession and gain new insights into its practice around the world. Illustration by John McCustion/University Marketing and Communications