Preparing for the Future through
Education and Research,
Nurturing Talent in the Field of Medicine who can Contribute to Society

Waymakers, seeking to make inroad into various fields

Pharmacy education has changed to become more flexible in response to the demands of a fast-changing society and the growing pharmaceutical field. Thus, ERICA’s 2+4 year education system was introduced in 2011 in order to strengthen the clinical training required in the field while students are enrolled in the four-year college program. However, with the growing need to reinforce pharmaceutical research manpower, the school system was reorganized to extend the pharmacy program to six years in 2022. Of course there were demands from the pharmaceutical field but the will of the academic field to nurture talent who possess the necessary expertise is what made this change possible.

Following the school system reorganization, the Department of Pharmacy at ERICA now offers a major curriculum from the second year, and has introduced intensive major programs linked to high technology fields. In particular, the major is divided into a Clinical Pharmacy track and an Industrial/Research Pharmacy track for students in their 5th year to strengthen their expertise. This highlights ERICA’s effort to diversify their curriculum so that students can gain experience in various areas. One of the roles of a university is to broaden the horizons of its students by increasing opportunities to enable to directly participate in experiments and research, beyond just providing passive education. Dean Hyungshin Yim emphasized his department’s commitment to keeping up with the changing times saying, “We are striving to provide students opportunities to grow as next-generation researchers by linking the classroom and textbook-oriented education to the research field.”

Because laboratory environments are an essential aspect of the medical field, the Department of Pharmacy has been equipped with various state-of-the-art resources to produce talented graduates who possess both hands-on and research oriented capabilities. In this regard, the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology and a medicinal plant garden are examples of educational facilities that can be found only at ERICA, compared with other universities built around the same time. Dean Yim explained, “ERICA has built a space to nurture pharmacists with practical capabilities in the clinical, pharmaceutical, and research fields, by considering students’ needs and making preparations from their point of view. We are upgrading the expertise of our students by providing a wide range of opportunities for cutting-edge pharmacy education. We have also expanded the range of educational choices by linking pharmacy education to various fields.” These efforts are helping the Department of Pharmacy at Hanyang University gaining recognition as a future leader of the nation’s pharmaceutical education.

Convergence and research to form a wider spectrum

When referring to a pharmacist, many may immediately envision a local drug store doctor. The occupational spectrum of a pharmacist’s role, however, is actually quite broad. Students majoring in Pharmacy have a diverse range of choices. They can work in the pharmaceutical field focusing on research, gain employment at a university hospital in a related field to carry out clinical testing, find careers in pharmaceutical administration, engage in public office work, production of functional foods and cosmetics, or work as analysists at pharmaceutical bio companies, and so on. Such career choices have been widened due to the diverse roles the university has been playing, providing various opportunities for students to gain expertise in the field of pharmacy.

Although the basic curriculum for the Department of Pharmacy has been set according to standards set by the Korean Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the curriculum was expanded with a reorganized and extended six-year curriculum of the College of Pharmacy beginning in 2022 using IC-PBL. With a newly established pharmaceutical research program in which students independently conduct experiments and research, there are now ample opportunities to hone abilities in research independently. Dean Yim and other faculty members of the Department of Pharmacy are working tirelessly to help strengthen students’ research capabilities.

“Providing new drugs that treat incurable diseases for patients, and providing treatments that can replace drugs with harmful effects and toxicity, to increase patients’ choices are the motivations of caring pharmacists and the core value of pharmaceutical research. We encourage our students to learn, live, and work with such an attitude.”

Promoting research to solve problems in the pharmacy field, and equipping our students with excellent practical skills are the some of the core values of ERICA’s pharmaceutical education. The Department of Pharmacy is affiliated with Huons Co., Ltd., which has moved into the College of Pharmacy, and Hanmi Pharm Co., Ltd., where students are engaging in actual pharmaceutical practice in the curriculum. The intention is to provide students with various pathways to participate in research. This type of education and research environment has served as a competitive advantage, which enabled the Department of Pharmacy to be ranked 4th in the QS World University Rankings in 2021 and 2022. Moreover, the department was selected as one of three educational research institutes (nationwide) in the field of pharmacy in the 4th stage of the BK21 project, there by highlighting Hanyang’s strength in both the research and education fields. The Department of Pharmacy has been endeavoring to establish a research base for universities by winning university research center projects, securing biomedical global talent training projects, and promoting specialization for the department that hosts a pharmaceutical technology research institute. These efforts are designed to nurture talent who possess international competence.. Furthermore, the 100% pass rate of students taking the Korean Pharmacist Licensure Examination for six consecutive years is proof of the effectiveness of the program of the Department of Pharmacy.

The culture of the College of Pharmacy of Hanyang University created by its members

The Department of Pharmacy has carried on the tradition of encouraging students from entry-level to graduation with a symbolic bell-ringing event held every year. Entering students ring the bell once, and graduates ring the bell three times. When asked why such an event was planned, Dean Yim replied, “Entering students announce they have become ”one member” of Hanyang College of Pharmacy by ringing the bell once at the entrance ceremony while graduates ring the bell three times to represent the coexistence of me, you, and us. By ringing the bell, we want to make everyone aware of each other’s importance and to underscore the importance of supportive coexistence.” It is this culture of sincerity at Hanyang that is helping to build cooperation and harmony. Moreover, the mentoring program that is also available is designed to promote camaraderie among students and professors, while promoting networking among upper classmates to inspire a sense of belonging and pride in the College of Pharmacy at Hanyang University. Forming this type of culture requires voluntary efforts of the members who agree on the importance of unity and solidarity.

The Department of Pharmacy has left a meaningful footprint since its establishment 10 years ago and has grown based on the commitment and mutual respect among the members of the College of Pharmacy. We are preparing for the future by strengthening our research capabilities and constantly seeking to maintain excellent laboratory conditions for pharmacy education. Going forward is the educational philosophy of the Department of Pharmacy, which seeks to make valuable contributions to society and the global community.