Pharmacy Students Complete Clinical Rotation at Indian University

Three students from the Wegmans School of Pharmacy participated in an international clinical rotation at Sri Ramchandra Institute for Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai, India.

The School of Pharmacy has had a formal partnership with the SRIHER since 2017 and has engaged in student and faculty exchanges, as well as research partnerships.  Since that time, Fisher has hosted three final year pharmacy students from the institution for clinical experiences and hosted two of their faculty for a four-week experience here in Rochester. From 2017 to 2020, Dr. Kobi Nathan, associate professor of pharmacy practice in the Wegmans School of Pharmacy, spent two weeks each year at SRIHER, teaching Pharm.D. students and supporting faculty in strengthening clinical pharmacy practice. Dr. Christine Birnie, dean of the School, has also delivered lectures and talks at the University almost annually.

In November 2024, Fisher and SRIHER extended its partnership through a renewed Memorandum of Understanding. This paved the way for three students - Laura Candelas Batista, Lisa (Rogers) Daitz, and Dannielle Zimbrich – to engage in a clinical rotation at the University this January. The students traveled to India with Birnie, and the team delivered a presentation about clinical pharmacy education in U.S.

Throughout their two weeks in India, the students had a first-hand look at Indian health care; they reviewed patient cases in a number of wards, including general medicine, OBGYN, pediatrics, and psychiatry, among others. They also attended presentations on topics including toxicology, therapeutic drug monitoring, and antibiotic stewardship.

“Visiting the hospital at SRIHER gave us a first-hand look at how a hospital manages a large population despite not always having all the resources they need. It's one thing to learn about this in theory, but seeing it in practice was eye-opening. Sometimes, the only option is to adapt a patient’s therapy based on the available resources,” said Zimbrich.

Candelas Batista agreed, adding that the experience served as an opportunity to become more culturally competent and informed about the lifestyles and cultures of different people.

“When going into the experience I really challenged myself to keep an open mind. In the first few days at the hospital, I didn’t want to judge anything as better or worse than how we do it at home, I just labeled it as ‘different’ in my mind,” Candelas Batista explained. “This approach helped me appreciate other perspectives and the cultural differences that lead to the way each country practices medicine.”

All three students felt the trip fostered both personal and professional growth. Daitz noted that the foundational education she received in the program enabled her to deliver individualized patient care, while learning and gaining insights from preceptors, professors, and peers in India.

“The challenges and complexity of treating patients during this experience reinforced the importance of considering all aspects of the patient, not just the immediate problem,” Daitz said. “Additionally, the significance of effective communication became evident throughout the rotation. Whether interacting with students, faculty, health care providers, or patients—compassionate communication was key to achieving the best outcome.”