Ohio Northern University’s Raabe College of Pharmacy has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pharmacy Council of Ghana and the school of pharmacy at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to begin preparations for implementing a doctoral program of pharmacy in Ghana.

The three groups will help KNUST transition its pharmacy education from the current bachelor’s to a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. This new partnership was sparked by a West African Health Organization initiative – of which Ghana is the lead country – to standardize medical education and the standard of care. With the region’s most advanced social, educational and political structures, Ghana has been selected to take the lead in moving West Africa’s pharmacy education forward.

“Ghana is making the commitment as a nation to elevate the standard of care and has partnered with the Raabe College of Pharmacy to help provide guidance and input,” said Dr. Jon Sprague, dean of pharmacy at Ohio Northern University. “One of the most striking aspects of my visit to Ghana stemmed from my interactions with practicing pharmacists in hospital and community settings. From very different perspectives, they all expressed the same need for an increase in academic clinical training and for changes in pharmacy practice that allow them to apply these clinical skills.”

During the signing ceremony, T.C Fleischer, dean of pharmacy at KNUST, stressed the need for this important understanding with their counterpart from the U.S.A.

“ONU is poised to influence pharmacy care across a subcontinent,” said Dr. Jeff Talbot, assistant professor of pharmacology at ONU who was instrumental in fostering this new partnership. “Our role is to provide guidance and expertise in three specific areas: to shape their doctoral curriculum, to contribute to the continuing education of pharmacists and to develop experiential learning for students.”