Vietnam Pharmacy Mission 2015 Team

The day has finally arrived.

Meet the Temple University School of Pharmacy Vietnam Pharmacy Mission 2015 Team:

(L-R) Jihae Lim, An Nguyen, Brent Jenkins, Larry Martinez, Julie Nguyen and Saba Emami.

I would like to express my thanks to the 20 PY-3 students who applied for this years' mission. Based on the size of the entire mission team, I am restricted to bringing only 6 students each year. All 20 were highly qualified and each would have brought unique qualities. For me, selecting 6 is a VERY HARD part of a VERY GOOD job!!! If I could have brought all 20, I would have, because all were excellent!

I look at these eager, yet nervous faces and think back to my first mission in 2012. I never felt totally prepared. I had no idea what was really in store for me, and I had many fears and apprehensions. No matter what I teach this team, no matter how hard we worked for the past 5 months, I do not believe any words can describe the changes that are about to take place in each of their lives.

My hope, this and every year, is that they pour ALL of themselves into the Vietnamese culture and work as hard as they can for the next 30 days. Through all of their sweat, tears and smiles, I hope they look back and say that this mission altered their view of Global Healthcare, opened their eyes to a different cultural, and showcased their empathy for humankind, both home and abroad!