UMSOP and St. Marianna University Forge Strategic International Health Care Partnership

International relationship focuses on global health education, research, and interprofessional collaboration.

By Pam Carder
April 16, 2025

In a significant step toward advancing global health care education and interprofessional collaboration, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) and Japan’s St. Marianna University School of Medicine signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during a ceremony held at Pharmacy Hall on March 27.

The partnership, anchored in shared goals to address global aging and pediatric health challenges, lays the foundation for collaborative research, student and faculty exchanges, and integrated clinical training opportunities across both institutions.

During opening remarks, Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), noted, “Together, we are poised to further enhance the quality of health care education and patient outcomes globally. I am confident that this collaboration will bring about transformative opportunities for both our institutions and the communities we serve.”

“This MOU represents more than a document—it’s a shared vision for building healthier communities through global academic and clinical exchange,” said Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD, dean of UMSOP and professor of pharmaceutical sciences. “Together, we will create opportunities to innovate and make a global impact on health care education, research, and patient care.”

A renewed spark was ignited in June 2024, when Daniel Mansour, PharmD, MS, AGSF, BCGP, FASCP, traveled to Japan as a student in the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s MS in Palliative Care program, founded and directed by Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, PhD, BCPS, FAAHPM, professor of practice, sciences, and health outcomes research (P-SHOR) at UMSOP and executive director of advanced post-graduate education in palliative care. The trip was part of an elective course, Global Health: Aging in Japan, coordinated by Diane Martin, PhD, MA, MSL, director, Geriatrics and Gerontology Education and Research Program and program director, Aging and Applied Thanatology Certificate at the School of Graduate Studies, and Takashi Yamashita, PhD, MPH, MA, professor and director, Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health Gerontology PhD Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During this experience, Mansour toured several health care sites and met Jiro Ezaki, MD, PhD, who was conducting research in Baltimore at the time. This initial connection sparked collaborative efforts in community outreach and interprofessional education later that fall.

Mansour is director of education and interprofessional clinical training at UMSOP’s Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging.

Ezaki, now serving as deputy director of the Health Science Division within Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, was recognized during the MOU ceremony for his pivotal role in strengthening the ties between the institutions. He contributed significantly to interprofessional education efforts in Baltimore, joining UMB students in community clinics and academic sessions that emphasized team-based care.

During the MOU ceremony, Hiroaki Kitagawa, MD, PhD, president of St. Marianna University, reflected on the importance of international partnerships in facing global health care challenges. “By working together, we can innovate solutions for elderly care, pediatric pharmacotherapy, and integrated medicine that transcend borders,” he said. “This partnership strengthens our commitment to training future health professionals with a global perspective.”

Nicole Brandt, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, FASCP, professor of P-SHOR, executive director of the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging, and the Parke-Davis Chair in Geriatric Pharmacotherapy at UMSOP, emphasized the role of pharmacists in addressing the needs of aging populations. “Medications are central to the care of older adults, and pharmacists are essential in ensuring safe and effective medication use,” Brandt explained. “Our work with St. Marianna University offers a unique opportunity to advance this crucial aspect of care through interprofessional collaboration.”

The signed MOU highlights several areas for collaboration, including geriatrics, neurology, pediatrics, cardiology, infectious disease, women’s health, psychiatry, and oncology. Kitagawa noted, “As health care becomes more complex, particularly in aging societies, team-based models of care are no longer optional—they are essential. This partnership sets the example.”

The ceremony also featured brief overviews of ongoing research initiatives. Among them, Yao Suzuki, MD, PhD, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at St. Marianna University School of Medicine, shared his work on fertility preservation in patients with cancer. Yoshihisa Yamano, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at St. Marianna University, presented his ongoing research into treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, while Atsushi Kawaguchi, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at St. Marianna University, discussed his team’s development of non-contact respiratory monitoring technologies for pediatric care.

From UMSOP, Kimberly Claeys, PharmD, PhD, associate professor of P-SHOR, presented her research on improving the diagnosis of urinary tract infections in older adults through the application of the 4Ms framework. Mojdeh Heavner, PharmD, BCCCP, FCCM, FCCP, assistant dean for experiential learning and associate professor of P-SHOR, shared findings from the OPTIM study, which explores pharmacist-to-patient ratios to optimize pharmacist team integration for ICU patient management. Additional presentations included Thomas Laudone, PharmD, BCPPS, pediatric clinical pharmacy specialist-emergency medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center, on pediatric clinical pharmacy services and Anastasia Kurdziel, PharmD, MS, PGY-1 pharmacotherapy resident, on a pharmacist-led opioid stewardship initiative.

Beyond clinical and research collaborations, the MOU facilitates experiential learning opportunities. “We look forward to welcoming medical students from St. Marianna into our UMB teams, and sending our pharmacy students to train in Japan,” said Michel. “These are transformative experiences that shape how future health care professionals engage with the world.”

With UMB’s designation as an Age-Friendly University and UMSOP’s international rotation program for pharmacy students, the collaboration stands as a model for future-focused, cross-cultural health care education. The two institutions will immediately begin exploring initiatives in student exchange, faculty development, and collaborative research on medication safety and integrated care.

As the ceremony concluded with the official signing of the MOU and a standing ovation, Kitagawa offered a final thought: “This is more than a partnership between institutions—it is a partnership between people, grounded in shared values and a common purpose to improve health worldwide.”

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