The College of Pharmacy at Yarmouk University organized a scientific trip to the Royal Botanical Garden in Tal AL-Ruman under the supervision of Dr. Deniz Al-Tawalbeh.

At the outset, Dr. Hatem Tayfour, Director of the Plant Conservation, explained to students about medicinal plants and their medical uses, and then engineer Hanan Al-Mfadi, head of the Medical Grass Department, provided information about the Plant Museum and ways to conserve and store plants.

During the field tour of the garden, students picked and punched various medicinal plants for drying and storage to be later kept at the herbarium in the College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Deniz Al-Tawalbeh gained a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) under the program of Taziz to continue her research at Philips Marburg University in Germany.

This DAAD grant is awarded to young scientists and academics wishing to carry out research in Germany for up to 3 months. She will work on her project at the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Institute, to explore novel natural combination therapies for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

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.

In line with the strategic plan of the Faculty of Pharmacy to update and develop the curriculum, enhance field training, train students, and prepare them in the field of industry to improve the program's outcomes and quality and enhance competitiveness in the job market, industrial training has been localized in the Technology 2 course to be available to all pharmacy students to visit pharmaceutical factories. The Faculty of Pharmacy at Yarmouk University has organized more than 11 field visits to Dar Al Dawa, Al Hikma, MS Pharma and API pharmaceutical factories during the current semester to accommodate all students registered for the course.

These visits aim to familiarize students with the most important pharmaceutical factories, their different departments, machinery and equipment, work mechanisms, and stages of the pharmaceutical industry. These visits are considered a valuable addition to the curriculum, as they provide students with the opportunity to engage in practical work and apply theoretical concepts to real-life situations, thereby enhancing the quality of the educational process. All visits included lectures on the company's departments and manufacturing processes, as well as a lecture on pharmacovigilance and interactive activities for students, and a tour inside the manufacturing facilities. Each student is required to write a report on the visit, which is evaluated by the course instructor.

All visits were characterized by a high level of organization and interaction, contributing to achieving the desired goals. This visits were met with great enthusiasm by the students, as they showed their excitement and encouragement for this type of training that connects the theoretical aspect with the practical aspect.

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.

Dr. Alaa Yehya, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, and Dr. Ali Hmeidat, Assistant Professor of Biotechnology from the faculty of Pharmacy at Yarmouk University, visited the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in the US as part of the "Partnership Development" grant that the American Embassy in Amman and Fulbright funded. Dr. Chris Shaffer, of the Faculty of Pharmacy at UNMC, welcomed the visitors and encouraged them to explore opportunities for collaboration. The Office of International Relations at UNMC held discussions during the visit to explore further opportunities for partnership and exchange programs between the two institutions. The focus was on fostering collaborations that benefit Yarmouk University and UNMC faculty and students.

The visit also included a tour of the I Excel Center, a cutting-edge facility that leverages virtual reality for innovative learning platforms. Additionally, Yarmouk University faculty members had the opportunity to meet students from UNMC's Faculty of Pharmacy who had previously participated in a joint class on pharmacogenomics with their counterparts at Yarmouk University.

The discussions during the visit centered around identifying common research interests and exploring potential avenues for collaborative research projects. The visit served as a platform to strengthen ties between Yarmouk University and UNMC, paving the way for future collaborations and knowledge exchange in the fields of healthcare and academia.

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.