Minori Sano (6th year, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy *at the time)

I participated in the Advanced Regulatory Science Overseas Training Program and, over a period of nine days, visited companies and organizations active in the field of world health.

The training was a valuable experience that I could not have had anywhere else.   

In particular, it was great to be able to learn in depth about the respective stages of pharmaceutical research, development, and manufacturing at global organizations and companies. During the training, I visited a BioBank that contributes significantly to epidemiological research, toured a pharmaceutical company's factory, and attended lectures related to regulatory science at each facility. By experiencing things for myself, thinking about the differences with Japan and points that should be changed in the future, and sharing my thoughts, I was able to deepen my knowledge into experience. I will be working as a community pharmacist starting next year, and I believe that through the experience of this training, I will be able to engage in patient counseling and pharmacy management with a broad perspective.

Furthermore, I believe the opportunity to speak with people who are active on a global stage outside of lectures, such as during lunchtime, was extremely valuable. I was able to hear their thoughts on their work not just as representatives of their companies or organizations, but as individuals. It was also a good opportunity to reflect on the future I aspire to and to reaffirm what I need to do to achieve it.

I recommend that any student who is even slightly interested should participate. Not only will you have a valuable experience, but thanks to the support of the professors, I was able to spend the nine days without any worries about meals or accommodation. I also consider it a great gain to have been able to build bonds with highly motivated and talented peers across different academic years.