Dr. Yazan Al-Akam, from the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy visited the American University of Shinando.

During his visit, Dr. Al-Akam gave a series of lectures and scientific workshops on pharmaceutical science and research, which were well received and interacted.

This visit is part of the agreement between Yarmouk University and the American University of Shinando, which aims to promote cultural and scientific exchanges between the two universities.

Within the framework of international cooperation and knowledge exchange between Yarmouk University and Shenandoah University in Virginia, and through the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program, the student project by Bartek Kowron from Shenandoah University has been awarded three prestigious prizes. These awards include the American Chemical Society/Virginia award for outstanding achievement in Chemistry, Shenandoah University Research Expo award for the graduation project, and the Alpha Chi award for experimental projects by university students. The project was supervised by Dr. Yazan Akam from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Yarmouk University and Prof. Kadeep from Shenandoah University. The project was titled "A New Approach to Enhancing Vitamin B12 and D3 Fortification in Drinking Water Using Zinc Nanoparticles: A Potential Solution to Vitamin Deficiencies in Plant-Based Diets".

 On the occasion of International Women's Day, a group of faculty members at the Faculty of Pharmacy at Yarmouk University presented educational lectures for the local community, addressing female students in various schools.

 Among these lectures: a session entitled "Adolescence in Girls and Proper Handling of this Stage", coordinated in collaboration with the Model School and presented by Dr. Mariam Al Ameri to the school's female students, highlighting the importance of understanding the stage of adolescence for girls and how to handle it correctly.

Another lecture covered "Pharmaceutical Forms of Medicines and the Reasons for their Differences", delivered by Dr. Hadiea Mashaqbeh to the female students of the Model Yarmouk School, focusing on the available pharmaceutical forms and their importance in pharmaceutical practice and patterns of use.

A lecture on "Colds and Allergy Medications" was presented by Dr. Alaa Makhaimer to the female students of the Model School, shedding light on medications related to cold and allergy problems, and how to deal with them. Furthermore, a session on "Adolescence in Girls" was coordinated by both Dr. Mariam Al Ameri and Dr. Deniz Al-Tawalbeh at the Maison School to educate the students about adolescence, the changes that occur during this stage, and how to deal with them in this age group.

The lectures received great acclaim from the students in the schools, reflecting the significant importance of these awareness initiatives in educating the community about various health issues, especially for teenage girls.

The Accreditation and Quality Assurance Centre held an orientation meeting for the students of the College of Pharmacy who are expected to graduate in the second semester and the summer semester of the academic year 2023/2024. The meeting aimed to introduce the university proficiency exam.

Dr. Razan Mhaidat emphasized the exam's importance for future employment and the significance of taking it within the specified times to obtain the university degree. On the other hand, Dr. Rasha Dabour presented the general and specialized cognitive competencies covered in the exam, the preparation and handling process. The exam aims to assess the competencies required of graduates to meet the demands of the job market. The Assistant Dean for Quality Assurance in the Pharmacy College, Dr. Asel Rataan, and Dr. Bilal Al Ja'idi, the Faculty's Vice Dean, confirmed that review lectures conducted by faculty members will be held in preparation for the proficiency exam, and the College will hold a mock exam for its students.

Prof. Ala’a Al-Jabali has been chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RCS). This honor highlights his exceptional contributions to transdisciplinary research in the chemical sciences and highlights his excellence and inventiveness. It is important to remember that the Royal Society of Chemistry, which was founded in 1841, is the biggest organization in Europe dedicated to the growth of chemical sciences and provides governments with recommendations on scientific policy.

Dr. Mervat Al-Sous from the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the Faculty of Pharmacy participated in the educational event "Women and Health" organized by the Princess Basma Centre for Jordanian Studies in collaboration with the Jordanian Women's Union.

The discussion revolved around the concept of "menopausal transition," previously known as menopause in women, and the importance of estrogen hormone in women, which helps prevent heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and osteoporosis, explaining that a decrease in estrogen levels increases the risk of developing these diseases.

It also highlighted the types of estrogen and how to take it, indicating the duration of alternative hormone therapy where most individuals take hormone replacement therapy for five years or less with continued monitoring by a doctor and reassessment of the treatment plan. She emphasized that if a new medical condition develops during hormone replacement therapy, a doctor should be consulted to discuss whether continuing hormone replacement therapy is still safe.

The benefits of hormone replacement therapy during the menopausal transition phase were discussed, such as reducing hot flushes, night sweats, strengthening and protecting bones from fractures, aiding in protection against diabetes, and reducing the risk of heart disease if hormone replacement therapy is started within 10 years of the onset of menopause. Side effects were mentioned, like headaches, and contraindications such as having uterine cancer or blood clots.

The risks of hormone replacement therapy during menopausal transition were reviewed, including blood clots, uterine cancer, and breast cancer, stressing the importance of following a set of general treatment guidelines like maintaining a healthy and balanced diet, regular exercise, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Under the patronage of the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Professor Fadia Mayyas, the college hosted Dr. Hanan Al-Badur from the Faculty of Sharia at Yarmouk University, where she delivered a lecture titled "Once in a Lifetime". Dr. Al-Badur discussed the virtues of the month of Ramadan and its importance as an opportunity to get closer to God, reflect on oneself, and utilize time wisely during this holy month.

The Faculty of Pharmacy at Yarmouk University conducted a specialized training workshop focused on item analysis as a tool for test outcomes assessment. The purpose of the workshop was to improve the academic staff's ability to evaluate the quality and performance of test items.

Dean Dr. Fadia Mayyas opened the session by highlighting the importance of utilizing these tools in questions assessment. Following this, Assistant Dean of Accreditation and Quality Assurance, Dr. Aseel Rataan, along with Dr. Yazan Akkam, on the difficulty index and discrimination index, as well as strategies for addressing various issues that arise after the exam based on student responses. They also explained how item analysis can aid in crafting better exams and pinpointing areas for improvement.

Additionally, academic staff has learned how to analyze different aspects of test items, such as difficulty and discrimination indices, and was given guidelines on handling highly difficult or negatively discriminative questions. The aim was to ensure each test item effectively measures the intended knowledge or skills, contributing to reliable and valid assessment outcomes. Through numerous examples, attendees gained hands-on experience with item analysis techniques and tools and were equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to refine their assessments, leading to more accurate evaluations of student learning.

The Faculty of Pharmacy held its first lectures in continuing pharmacy education in clinical pharmacy  and pharmaceutical practice directed towards faculty members to enhance the available resources in clinical care and pharmaceutical practice, keeping up with global advancements, introducing new trends and innovations in disease treatment through regular reviews of the latest global guidelines and policies for treating various diseases in preparation for introducing pharmaceutical practice labs, clinical courses, and clinical training in the new pharmacy plan for 2021. The Dean of the College, Professor Fadia Mayyas, presented the first of these lectures to review the latest principles and global policies followed in treating hypertension and heart failure.

Professor Fadia Mayyas, Dean of the College of Pharmacy, participated in a workshop via the Zoom platform, which included a group of researchers and students from various scientific research centers in Jordan. The workshop was titled "Precision Medicine: A Modern Approach to Diagnosing and Treating Diseases."

Dr. Mayyas highlighted the importance of scientific research in this modern approach to diagnosing and treating diseases, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. She emphasized the importance of resorting to new, modern techniques that rely on studying genes and stem cells and their role in diagnosing and treating diseases, particularly epidemics, cancer, heart diseases, and diabetes.

She also highlighted the significance of using these techniques in designing vaccine, which was the first line of defense against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, she discussed the importance of such workshops for students and graduates in providing them with various skills and modern theoretical knowledge that help expand their horizons and job opportunities in the labor market. Among the participants in this workshop was Dr. Adeeb Al-Zoubi, and it was organized by Pioneers Academy. The workshop was attended by more than 500 students and graduates from various medical and pharmacy colleges in different Jordanian universities.