Five student delegates represented the University of San Carlos (USC) Department of Pharmacy in an international academic exchange program with Walailak University (WU) last January 12––23, 2026, in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.

The USC delegation was composed of Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences student Stan Matthew S. Taylaran and Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy students Maxine Alyssa A. Gemeniano, Loraine Faith S. Bardelas, Nina Francesca F. Quimbo, and Reina Zosien D. Longakit. They were accompanied by Department of Pharmacy faculty members, Asst. Prof. Yolanda C. Deliman and Mark Niño B. Melgo.
Throughout the two-week visit, the delegates were immersed in cutting-edge research and in the various fields of pharmacy practice in Thailand. Among the sites they toured were Walailak University Hospital, Tha Chang Hospital, Ban Ton Liap Health Promoting Hospital, and local community drugstores. The experience promoted intercultural awareness, as well as meaningful information exchange in general healthcare and pharmacy practice.

Apart from exposure to local culture and pharmacy practice, the students also participated in lectures and laboratory classes of WU School of Pharmacy. Moreover, they were involved in research immersion activities, during which each student had the great opportunity of working under the tutelage of different professors with varying areas of expertise, including pharmacognosy, immunohistopathology, pharmaceutical technology and instrumentation, organic synthesis, drug formulation and analysis, and oncology.
This year’s academic and cultural exchange program with Walailak University marks the fourth run since its establishment in 2023. Since then, research collaboration between the students and faculty of both universities has greatly expanded, promoting research capacity building and strengthening the purpose of this international linkage. More importantly, this exchange marks another step towards the boundless growth of pharmacy education, affirming USC Pharmacy’s efforts in fostering students’ professional advancement and holistic development through international exposure.
