St. Louis College of Pharmacy (STLCOP) has been working with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to establish two new training programs for pharmacy technicians to fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa.
“Treatment of HIV/AIDS patients has overwhelmed health care personnel and the health care systems throughout much of Africa,” said Ken Schafermeyer, Ph.D., director of international programs at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. “There are things that we can do to make a difference.”
Two faculty members from NMMU are visiting the college this week. During their stay, Shirley-Anne Boschmans, head of the pharmacy department at NMMU, and Teri-Lynne Fogarty, lecturer at NMMU, will visit retail and hospital pharmacies, meet with faculty and students at STLCOP, and discuss the use of technology to facilitate distance learning.
Schafermeyer and two faculty members made their initial visit to South Africa this past spring. Three more trips are planned over the next year. STLCOP was selected through a competitive grant process by the American International Health Alliance (AIHA). It is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
“This is a unique opportunity for us at the College and for our colleagues in South Africa to learn from each other,” Schafermeyer said. “We’re doing everything from developing instructional materials to designing training and mentoring programs for new instructors. While we’re very early in the process, our hope is that we, together with our partners from South Africa, will be able to replicate this work across Africa.”
