Deep in Mexico, 50 miles away from Mexico City is the Universidad Automona del Estada de Morelos (UAEM) in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, a Mexican university that the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy (UNM COP) has had the great opportunity to work with for many years. In an effort to share different ideas and experiences in pharmaceutical studies, UNM COP has capitalized on the partnership between UNM and UAEM by establishing a strong relationship with UAEM’s Facultad de Farmacia. Over the last few years, the international connection between the Colleges of Pharmacy has grown very strong and now both institutions are looking forward to future endeavors to help take this relationship to new heights. 

 

UNM COP connected first with Mexico in 1990 when the university, with the initiative of Elisio “Cheo” Torres, UNM Vice President for Student Affairs, signed a formal affiliation agreement with UAEM. Since then, UNM COP has been working toward establishing a long-standing relationship with UAEM’s Facultad de Farmacia, the first and only professional College of Pharmacy in Mexico. Both institutions have implemented several student and faculty exchanges and university leaders from both sides have made campus visits.

 

The College’s first visit to the Facultad de Farmacia in April 2005 marked the true beginning of the relationship between the two schools. UNM COP Dean John A. Pieper, accompanied with other faculty from the College, made the trip to Morelos, Mexico for an academic and research meeting. The meeting focused on strategies for collaboration in research and academic programs and increasing the ties between the schools. Also during the visit, Dean Pieper and UAEM’s dean of the Facultad de Farmacia, Alejandro Nieto-Rodriguez signed the Memorandum of Understanding to further confirm the existing relationship.

 

In September 2005, Dean Pieper and the College hosted the first U.S. Collaborative Meeting between the Facultad de Farmacia and UNM. The Facultad de Farmacia sent four faculty representatives to Albuquerque including, Dean Nieto-Rodriguez, Jorge Reyes-Esparza, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Dea Herrera-Ruiz, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutics and Claudia Hallal-Calleros, PhD, Graduate Office Assistant. Once again, the purpose of the visit was for the College to continue the process of establishing a long and productive relationship with its Mexican counterpart.

 

The visits eventually developed into an opportunity for student exchanges. In September 2005, UNM COP student Dan Ridding completed his clinical rotation in Mexico, proving that studying in a different country could be very rewarding for U.S. pharmacy students. In February 2006, the Facultad de Farmacia sent its masters in science student Blanca Flores to UNM to work with the faculty and staff in the Radiopharmaceutical Sciences program. Flores is currently finishing her studies at UNM and will graduate this July. After her time with UNM, Flores will return to the Facultad de Farmacia to join the PhD program.

 

In addition to Flores, Mexico sent two more students to UNM to study for three weeks this past April. Facultad de Farmacia students Grace Hernandez and Claudia Quintalla were given the opportunity to gain practice experiences at UNM Hospitals and at the Patient Care Center at Walgreens.

 

 

Faculty exchanges have also been a great help to furthering the relationship. This past April, UNM COP faculty visited the Facultad de Farmacia to go over coursework and UAEM’s Reyes-Esparaza continues to make frequent visits to UNM to speak on his institution’s relationship with the UNM COP and the research that is done at the Facultad de Farmacia.

Today, the ties between the UNM College of Pharmacy and Mexico’s Facultad de Farmacia are stronger than ever. Dean Pieper is thrilled with the progress, but now the focus is on future collaborations.

 

More visits by both institutions’ leaders are in the works this summer including a visit from Reyes-Esparaza and three masters students for a month long project at UNM. In September, UNM COP hopes to host a very influential figure in pharmacy, Carmen Hiral Barnes. Barnes is the founder of the COP in Mexico and a very important person in pharmacy in Mexico.
 

Dean Pieper is proud of the fact that the UNM COP is the only UNM program that has this one-of-a-kind relationship with a program in Mexico. The most important aspect of the relationship has been the opportunity for cultural exchanges. As more opportunities arise to help keep UNM COP students, staff and faculty exposed to different cultures and topics in pharmacy, the more UNM COP continues to be recognized as a program that is at the forefront of academic international affairs.