Friday and Monday I was posted in the pharmacology department. Since pharmacy is different in India the pharmacology department is more research based. It would be similar to a pharmaceutical science department or another type of pharmaceutical research degree in the United States. They teach pharmacology to the undergraduate students, have post graduate students who are doing research work, and also help run the research cell at Pravara. Overall, the pharmacology department is a pretty busy place.
The staff in this department were very kind to us and kept us pretty busy, which was nice. We started out by observing them give oral examinations to a batch of MBBS students. They were learning about the nervous systems as well as other body systems and getting quizzed on these drugs, how they work and their adverse effects. It reminded me of the things that we learned in our PDA (Principles of Drug Action) classes. I knew some of the information and also realized that I still need to do some refreshing on my drug mechanisms and adverse effects. I am also glad that I never had to take oral exams because sitting there being asked questions by my professors would have been very intimidating and I don't think that I would have done very well.
We had the opportunity to learn about a PhD students research project with genetics and warfarin. It was very interesting to see how she does the testing and also to see how passionate she was about her research. She really wanted to improve the way warfarin is dosed in different patients to better improve their outcomes and decrease the number of adverse effects. She also talked with us about her wedding and showed us pictures that she had on her computer. It was very interesting to learn more about the customs in India and how marriage works here.
Monday we spent time watching an experiment. They used a guinea pig ilium tissue to run their experiment. They were seeing what affects different concentrations of a drug had on the tissue contraction and using this information to determine what the concentration of an unknown is. It was very interesting to see this type of experiment in person because we did some similar things in school, but we were just given the data and had to figure out the unknown concentration. They also took us to the animal house and we got to see the rabbits, mice, rats, and guinea pigs that they use for experiments and research purposes.
Another part of our time in the pharmacology department was to visit the research department and learn about the proposal and approval process at PIMS for research to be conducted. As I don't have a lot of experience with research in the United States it was interesting to hear how it is done in India and to see the emphasis they try and put on research projects.
The people in the pharmacology department were also just wonderful to talk with. They told us places that we should go eat and things that we should eat at each place. They even wrote down the names so it will be easier for us to find them (hopefully). They also talked with us about tv shows, books, and movies and what they have been watching. They have seen way more American tv shows then I have I think.
This weekend we stayed in Loni and did a few activities. We met with Center for Social Medicine and discussed how things were going and got to see our tentative schedule for the rest of our time here. It was really nice to see what departments we would be going to as well as the rural health centers and mobile clinics that we would be going on. It makes me more excited for the time that I have left in India.
We rode a rickshaw to the post office and mailed some postcards to people at home. Hopefully the postcards will make it to people eventually, but only time will tell ;) We also tried out a couple of different restaurants in Loni. One is called the London Twist and has pizza and french fries (along with other things) but we ate that for dinner on Saturday night.
Sunday we went to the ophthalmology department's CME on cataract surgery in the morning. They had a nice program to open the day and then we listened to a couple of lectures on cataract surgery techniques. As I do not know too much about the eye I wasn't totally sure what was going on, but it seemed to me that they are doing some great things in the advancement of cataract surgery in India. I also decided that I would never be able to do surgery on the eye after watching some of the videos.
I'm really starting to enjoy my time in India and am enjoying all of the people that I am getting to interact with. Everyone here has been very gracious hosts and for that I am very thankful.
The staff in this department were very kind to us and kept us pretty busy, which was nice. We started out by observing them give oral examinations to a batch of MBBS students. They were learning about the nervous systems as well as other body systems and getting quizzed on these drugs, how they work and their adverse effects. It reminded me of the things that we learned in our PDA (Principles of Drug Action) classes. I knew some of the information and also realized that I still need to do some refreshing on my drug mechanisms and adverse effects. I am also glad that I never had to take oral exams because sitting there being asked questions by my professors would have been very intimidating and I don't think that I would have done very well.
We had the opportunity to learn about a PhD students research project with genetics and warfarin. It was very interesting to see how she does the testing and also to see how passionate she was about her research. She really wanted to improve the way warfarin is dosed in different patients to better improve their outcomes and decrease the number of adverse effects. She also talked with us about her wedding and showed us pictures that she had on her computer. It was very interesting to learn more about the customs in India and how marriage works here.
Monday we spent time watching an experiment. They used a guinea pig ilium tissue to run their experiment. They were seeing what affects different concentrations of a drug had on the tissue contraction and using this information to determine what the concentration of an unknown is. It was very interesting to see this type of experiment in person because we did some similar things in school, but we were just given the data and had to figure out the unknown concentration. They also took us to the animal house and we got to see the rabbits, mice, rats, and guinea pigs that they use for experiments and research purposes.
Another part of our time in the pharmacology department was to visit the research department and learn about the proposal and approval process at PIMS for research to be conducted. As I don't have a lot of experience with research in the United States it was interesting to hear how it is done in India and to see the emphasis they try and put on research projects.
The people in the pharmacology department were also just wonderful to talk with. They told us places that we should go eat and things that we should eat at each place. They even wrote down the names so it will be easier for us to find them (hopefully). They also talked with us about tv shows, books, and movies and what they have been watching. They have seen way more American tv shows then I have I think.
This weekend we stayed in Loni and did a few activities. We met with Center for Social Medicine and discussed how things were going and got to see our tentative schedule for the rest of our time here. It was really nice to see what departments we would be going to as well as the rural health centers and mobile clinics that we would be going on. It makes me more excited for the time that I have left in India.
We rode a rickshaw to the post office and mailed some postcards to people at home. Hopefully the postcards will make it to people eventually, but only time will tell ;) We also tried out a couple of different restaurants in Loni. One is called the London Twist and has pizza and french fries (along with other things) but we ate that for dinner on Saturday night.
Sunday we went to the ophthalmology department's CME on cataract surgery in the morning. They had a nice program to open the day and then we listened to a couple of lectures on cataract surgery techniques. As I do not know too much about the eye I wasn't totally sure what was going on, but it seemed to me that they are doing some great things in the advancement of cataract surgery in India. I also decided that I would never be able to do surgery on the eye after watching some of the videos.
I'm really starting to enjoy my time in India and am enjoying all of the people that I am getting to interact with. Everyone here has been very gracious hosts and for that I am very thankful.
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| Riding in the rickshaw |
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| post office sign |
Great update! The photos are great...help me to "visualize" all that you are getting to do over there.
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