Did School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland staff, professors, researcher and others that you met been helpful and easy to communicate, discuss and cooperate
All the staff members I had met were very helpful and sociable. They were discussing in details their research interest and the curriculum they are teaching with highlighting the innovative teaching methodologies they are implementing
Could you describe a regular day as a student or teacher at School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland?
Their regular day starts at 8:00 am in the morning. Their day is divided into different tasks including teaching, laboratory sessions, seminars, meetings and research. At about 12:00 pm, they have their lunches and breaks. After that, they regularly meet their masters and Ph.D. candidates. Overall, they are trying to implement different innovative strategies in their lectures and they are more devoted to their research and international publications. The day usually ends at 4:00 or 5:00 pm.
What was the best part of your experience at School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland?
I had a great chance to meet Prof. Dr. Antti Poso and Prof. Dr. Maija Lahtela-Kakkonen who have a proficiency in drug design and had the chance to try “Molecular Operating Environment, MOE” software, one of the programs they use in docking. In addition, I visited Kuopio University Hospital and saw the robots used in drug dispensing and chemotherapeutic preparations. In addition, the visit to the animal house was very fruitful.
What was the biggest challenge for you during your trip?
Everything was in Finnish language; all the signs in the streets and all the products, so situations like purchasing groceries or riding a Taxi with a driver who cannot speak English were challenging
What are your impressions of Kuopio and Finland that you visited?
It is fascinating country as it is part of Europe. Kuopio is a calm part of Finland and it is a beautiful city with magnificent landscape full of forests and lakes. The technology is in everything in their life, even for bike renting. The transportation tickets are booked via an application.
Is there something about life in Kuopio and Finland that has surprised, impressed you?
The weather surprised me as I literally saw the four seasons in one week. The weather rapidly changes even in the same day. It can start sunny and end with snow. In addition, I attended the festival of the “Labor Day”, which is in the first of May, just like Egypt. It is a special event there; the students wear special outfits with a color that indicates which faculty they are enrolled in. The graduates wear a white cap to indicate that they are graduated one day from University.
Another special day is “May Day”, which is a celebration for the coming of spring season. I enjoyed the Finnish tradition at this time of the year, Munkkia (a kind of donuts) and Simaa (a special drink).
Do you have any advice for colleagues at PUA that, in the future, will do staff exchange at School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland?
It is important to apply for Visa early enough before the visit. In addition, I recommend staying in the guest room in the university as it saved a lot of time without any need for the transportation especially in snowy days
Is there something from your experience that you can bring in to your professional role at PUA?
As a university staff member, I believe that this visit was substantial to my professional expertise. One important thing is that I am planning to apply flipped classroom in my courses to develop a more self-learner pharmacists.
What have you taken with you from this experience on a personal level?
I think the visit helped me to build up more connections with a lot of professors and staff members either in pharmacology or other specialties. In addition, I got some knowledge about Finland such as their traditional food and souvenirs.
