Trip Schedule
June 29: Fly out of Philadelphia International Airport, USA and arrive in Lisbon, Portugal
July 17-19: Visit Figueira Da Foz for the APhA-ASP IPSF Student Exchange Program weekend
July 21: Portuguese Night with the Faculdade de Farmacia da Universidade de Lisboa (Pharmacy Faculty of University of Lisbon)
August 7: Fly out of Lisbon International Airport and arrive in Philadelphia, USA.
A few other places in Portugal I hope to visit on the weekends include Sintra, Porto, and the Algarve. Perhaps we will even take a trip to Spain!
July 17-19: Visit Figueira Da Foz for the APhA-ASP IPSF Student Exchange Program weekend
July 21: Portuguese Night with the Faculdade de Farmacia da Universidade de Lisboa (Pharmacy Faculty of University of Lisbon)
August 7: Fly out of Lisbon International Airport and arrive in Philadelphia, USA.
A few other places in Portugal I hope to visit on the weekends include Sintra, Porto, and the Algarve. Perhaps we will even take a trip to Spain!
How Did This Happen?
Last summer, in July of 2014, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Ankara, Turkey as a part of the American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Study Pharmacists, International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation Study Exchange Program (check out my blog from that trip at www.septurkey.weebly.com). During this trip I met and spent a lot of time with other student pharmacists from several different countries who were also in the same program as myself. One of these students happened to be Irma Gomes (pictured second from the left at the top of this page) from Portugal. I casually mentioned to her that Portugal was at the very top of the list of countries that I would like to visit next and she subsequently invited me to come and visit the following summer. While this would have been great, I informed her that I would be on rotations for my final year of pharmacy school and therefore most likely would not have time off to come and visit. I told her that we had a few international rotations affiliated with my school, but none of them were in or even near Portugal. She simply shrugged her shoulders and asked "Why not?" followed by "What would we have to do to set one up?" What unfolded after that moment has been simply amazing. We kept in touch after my return to the United States and I was able to find out what needed to occur to make Lisbon, Portugal home to an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotation site. Over the next few months, emails were sent, paperwork was filed, contracts were drawn up, and next thing you know I was buying a plane ticket to complete my 5 week APPE rotation in Portugal.
If you happen to be curious about how to set up an APPE for your school of pharmacy in another country, feel free to contact me at [email protected] and I would be willing to provide more details concerning the process.
If you happen to be curious about how to set up an APPE for your school of pharmacy in another country, feel free to contact me at [email protected] and I would be willing to provide more details concerning the process.
Site Placement
I will be completing my APPE rotation under the supervision of Associate Professor Helena Cabral Marques of the Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa (Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon). The focus of my rotation will be in research and development in addition to academia/university teaching.
The specialty of the laboratory is primarily alternative and innovative forms of drug delivery
systems (i.e. lung, skin). The research conducted is based on the design and development of new carriers for drug transport (polymers, sugars, cellulose derivatives, cyclodextrins) and the use of
the technologies (spray-drying, freeze-drying, supercritical fluids) to characterize these systems
and respective materials (i.e. polymorphs state). The main technology platforms are based on the
use of micro- and nano-based dosage forms (macromolecular complexation and/or particle engineering) and are prepared from materials of different nature used for the transport of
different bioactive agents for specific diseases.
The Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa) is the largest and most prestigious university in Portugal and one of the leading European universities. ULisboa brings together the various areas of knowledge, having a privileged position to monitor the contemporary evolution of science, technology, art studies and humanities. The Faculty of Pharmacy is one of 18 Schools/462 Programs that are designated as Faculty or Institute and constitute teaching and research units with their own governing bodies at ULisboa. Approximately 48,100 students are enrolled with a teaching staff of approximately 3,461 of which 83% have obtained a PhD.
Feel free to visit the various links provided to learn more about the University of Lisbon, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Research and Development department, and the research performed at the laboratory I will be working in.
The specialty of the laboratory is primarily alternative and innovative forms of drug delivery
systems (i.e. lung, skin). The research conducted is based on the design and development of new carriers for drug transport (polymers, sugars, cellulose derivatives, cyclodextrins) and the use of
the technologies (spray-drying, freeze-drying, supercritical fluids) to characterize these systems
and respective materials (i.e. polymorphs state). The main technology platforms are based on the
use of micro- and nano-based dosage forms (macromolecular complexation and/or particle engineering) and are prepared from materials of different nature used for the transport of
different bioactive agents for specific diseases.
The Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa) is the largest and most prestigious university in Portugal and one of the leading European universities. ULisboa brings together the various areas of knowledge, having a privileged position to monitor the contemporary evolution of science, technology, art studies and humanities. The Faculty of Pharmacy is one of 18 Schools/462 Programs that are designated as Faculty or Institute and constitute teaching and research units with their own governing bodies at ULisboa. Approximately 48,100 students are enrolled with a teaching staff of approximately 3,461 of which 83% have obtained a PhD.
Feel free to visit the various links provided to learn more about the University of Lisbon, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Research and Development department, and the research performed at the laboratory I will be working in.
About Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, ranked as the largest city in the country and the second-oldest capital in Europe (after Athens). The city was originally an empire spreading over multiple continents to countries in South America and Asia. However, it suffered a great earthquake in 1755 which took a major toll on the economy. Today the population of Lisbon is estimated to total approximately 547,000 people with the urban area around Lisbon city limits estimated to include a total of about 3 million people or 27% of the population of Portugal. Located in the region known as Estremadura, the city has a mild climate and it is easily accessible to and from other cities around Portugal as well as other European capitals. Lisbon is known for its scenic views and beautiful beaches along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It is made up of several distinct neighborhoods, such as Estoril, Baixa, Alfama, Belém, and Bairro Alto each with a particular vibe. The architecture and culture of the city are derived from many civilizations including the Phoenicians, Celts, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors. The Oceanário de Lisboa (Lisbon oceanarium or aquarium) can be found in Lisbon which is one of the "must sees" when traveling to Portugal as it is the largest indoor aquarium in all of Europe, completely state-of-the-art. Additionally, Lisbon is home to several other sights including the Castle of São Jorge, Santa Justa elevator, fado music, and World Heritage Site monuments (the Jerónimos Monastery and the Tower of Belém).
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."
- St. Augustine
- St. Augustine