Last month faculty from the Yale Schools of Medicine and Public Health welcomed their colleagues from the University of Jordan School of Pharmacy to New Haven as a part of the Yale and University of Jordan (UJ) Joint Training Program in Addiction Medicine. Born out of the Yale Institute for Global Health Global Addictions Network and supported by funding from the US Embassy in Amman, the program is an educational initiative that aims to facilitate exchange between Yale and the University of Jordan regarding identification and treatment of substance use disorders while paying specific attention to cultural competency. Goals and objectives of the program center around co-mentorship of health professions students and trainees, exchange and development of curricular materials and assessments, joint research, and interprofessional collaboration.
The campus visit marked the one-year anniversary of the inception of the program. The team used this time in-person together to reflect on their achievements to date, evaluate progress from the past twelve months, and plan for the upcoming grant year. Faculty from the University of Jordan School of Pharmacy spent time visiting various clinical addiction treatment sites in New Haven including the APT Foundation, the Connecticut Mental Health Center Substance Abuse Treatment Unit, and the Yale Addiction Medicine Consult Service. Professor Mayyada Wazaify, BSc Pharm., PhD, spoke at a special session of Addiction Medicine Rounds, “Substance Use in Jordan: Current Situation, Treatment, and the Role of the Pharmacist.” Professor Wazaify also delivered a lecture, “The Elephant in the Room: An Overview of the Research on Non-medical Use of Over The Counter (OTC) Medications in Jordan", to the Division of Substance Use and Addiction during their weekly didactic seminars. Lastly, the project team used this time to meet with various stakeholders, including students and trainees, to discuss how to move cross-institutional collaboration forward in the second year of the program’s activities.
For more information on the Yale – UJ Joint Training Program in Addiction Medicine’s work or to engage with the team please contact Rebecca Minahan-Rowley.