WesternU Student Pharmacists Visit Japan - Alo Japan All About Japan

By Morvarid Moshtahedian ’26

A group of people in lab coats and masks are gathered in a classroom, working in groups with laptops, notebooks, and mobile devices. WesternU College of Pharmacy students, Parmis Moghbeli ‘26A, Carlsein Yapching ‘26, Brandon Icamen ‘26, and Randy Nguyen ‘26, attended the Global Health Summer Rotation in Japan in 2024.

During the Summer of 2024, I had the privilege of attending the Global Health Summer Rotation in Japan with four other WesternU College of Pharmacy students: Parmis Moghbeli ‘26A, Carlsein Yapching ‘26, Brandon Icamen ‘26, and Randy Nguyen ‘26. For the first week and a half of our trip, we attended Toho University in Chiba, Japan where we had the opportunity to explore their research labs, run different experiments, visit a multitude of retail and hospital pharmacies, and visit interactive museums. Throughout our time at Toho University, we had the pleasure of meeting a variety of students, faculty, and staff who accompanied us during the different experiences. Everyone at this school was so welcoming and taught us so much about pharmacy in Japan and we were able to teach them about pharmacy in the United States in exchange.

After our eventful first half of the exchange program, we moved to Nagoya, Japan for the second half of the program at Aichi-Gakuin University. By moving to a different city in Japan, we were able to get a more in-depth understanding of the differences among the cities, much like the differences among the different states in the United States. At Aichi-Gakuin University, we were able to run experiments in a variety of labs, practice their OCSEs, get a full Zazen experience, and visit different pharmacies, hospitals, and a drug manufacturing company. The students, faculty, and staff at this school instantly made us feel at home and were willing to show us new experiences in Japan during our time in Nagoya. We had plenty of socials with the students within and outside of the pharmacy school, so we were able to make a lot of new bonds.

During our weekends and time after classes on the weekdays, we were able to explore Japan and go to various cities, restaurants, amusement parks, and Japan-only experiences to fully immerse ourselves in the culture and get a full understanding of Japan. Learning about pharmacy in a different country really opened our eyes to how different every country’s health care system is. Overall, we all had an amazing time during our study abroad experience in Japan and know that we now have new friends to visit when we go to Japan in the future!

Three people wearing lab coats, gloves, and masks pose in a laboratory, making peace signs with their hands; lab equipment is visible on the tables. WesternU College of Pharmacy students, Parmis Moghbeli ‘26A, Carlsein Yapching ‘26, Brandon Icamen ‘26, and Randy Nguyen ‘26, attended the Global Health Summer Rotation in Japan in 2024.
A group of people poses for a photo in a classroom, with a chalkboard in the background. Most are smiling and making peace signs. WesternU College of Pharmacy students, Parmis Moghbeli ‘26A, Carlsein Yapching ‘26, Brandon Icamen ‘26, and Randy Nguyen ‘26, attended the Global Health Summer Rotation in Japan in 2024.