Friday, May 1, 2015

Today is Uganda’s Labor Day so campus and government offices are closed. It was nice for our last

This is the staff of the EdgeHouse, the visiting scholar house on Makerere University campus where we stayed this week. Pictured are Diana, Eva, KarenBeth and Eric. They are wonderful and make staying here a real treat.

day since we were able to have plenty

Kristen and I at Mediterraneao, a delicious Italian restaurant on our last night.

of time to pack and get ready to go. This morning we slept in a bit later than usual and met a friend for breakfast at one of my favorite cafes- Endiro Cafe at Kisemente. After a yummy bacon and cheese omelette and a double Cappacino, Kristen and I did some last minute shopping- such fun!! Back at EdgeHouse I thought I would have lots of time to reorganize and pack but instead I spent quite awhile in conversation with a new guest and his colleague from Makerere University.  Finally the packing got done and we had a delicious dinner at one if my favorite restaurants, Mediterraneaneo. We are now at the airport and ready to fly home. When one of the guys who helped with my luggage asked how we liked Uganda and if we were coming back I replied that I loved Uganda and one of the things that made leaving easier was knowing when I’m coming back. So, for me the next trip is September or late August. I’ll return to help teach the pharmaceutical care skills course I helped develop and teach last fall.

The other great news I have is that during this visit I advertised, accepted applications and interviewed pharmacist candidates to come to the USA in June to work me for 2 months to advance their pharmacy skills. I ran this course for the first 2 pharmacists back in November 2013. The goal is to equip pharmacists who will be role models and champions of clinical pharmacy practice in Uganda where pharmacists work directly with patients and other healthcare providers to improve patient health outcomes. The next 2 pharmacists to participate in this training are Gonsha Rehema and Cathy Namulindwa. I’ll be telling you more about this in the near future.

This was another extremely successful trip and experience for me and the students. I had a wonderful crew and I think they are coming back to the USA with new cultural competency skills and an enhanced appreciation for the U.S. healthcare system as they have truly experienced many challenges impeding better health in Uganda. They will be an asset to the profession of pharmacy as they join our ranks in a few weeks. Hanna and Stacy, already pharmacists, will continue to advocate for their patients with new understanding as well.  So bye for now.