We're Going to Japan--Michael Katz

For the first time, a group of PharmD students from the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy will be visiting Japan on a faculty-led study abroad trip.  The idea for the trip came from our students after we hosted a group of pharmacy students from Kobe Gakuin University in Japan.  "Why can't we have a trip like them?" I was asked.  The initial group of students, led by Kim Pham and Rona Zhou assessed the level of interest, and planning for the trip began over a year ago.   While I thought maybe 5 or 6 students would go, initially 35 students expressed interest.  The final group is comprised of 14 2nd and 3rd year Pharm.D. students. Students attending are:

Alyssa Hinchman

Sara Hodges

Rick Lasica

Douglas Lee-Chan

Ashley Loy

Lily Nguyen

Kimberly Pham

Hoang Phan

Caroline Riedel

Carol Rim

Tyler Ruddy

Caitlin Vaughn

Ronald Velasquez

Jingxin Yang

We will leave the US on the morning of August 7, and arrive at Kansai International Airport in Osaka on Friday evening, local time.  We will return to the US on the evening of August 18.

We are being hosted by faculty members and students of Kobe Gakuin University (KGU) Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science (http://www.kobegakuin.ac.jp/english/faculty/pharmaceutical.html) in Kobe, Japan. I have a long-standing relationship with this private university, having served several times as a Visiting Scholar. KGU is a very internationally-focused university and actively promotes international collaboration.

KGU Port Island Campus
Kobe Harbor is in the background

The primary goals of the trip will be to learn about pharmacy education and practice and the health care system in Japan, and to compare Japan practice to the U.S. About half the time will be spent in lectures and site visits to various practice settings.  The other half will be learning more about Japanese culture and sightseeing, including visits to Hiroshima,  Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. Kobe is a great city as a home base.  It is centrally located, very cosmopolitan (as a port city it has long been frequented by foreigners) and easy to get around.

None of the students who are participating have every been to Japan, and they seem pretty excited about their upcoming experience. I have suggested that they use this blog to share their experience, thoughts and reactions.  For me, I am most looking forward to seeing Japan through their eyes.  I have been to Japan more than 100 times (this is my 3rd visit to Japan this year), so the places and culture are very familiar to me (plus, my wife is from Japan!).

That's me on the left (our wedding in Tokyo)

I hope you enjoy reading about our experiences in Japan!