Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. President | St. John's University website

Ebtesam Ahmed, a Clinical Professor at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, has been awarded a Fulbright Specialist Program Award. This recognition allowed her to share her expertise in palliative care and pain management with pharmacy students and faculty in India.

The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange initiative sponsored by the US government, aimed at fostering connections between the United States and other countries. Dr. Ahmed, who joined the faculty in 2008 after completing her residency at the University of California at San Francisco, emphasized the dual role of faculty members: teaching in classrooms and holding clinical appointments at affiliated hospitals.

Dr. Ahmed has provided global instruction on pain management and palliative care to pharmacists, physicians, and healthcare professionals. She has led numerous workshops on related topics such as ethics and end-of-life care. Her interest in oncology began during her studies at St. John’s University when she was intrigued by cancer's formation and spread while dealing with her mother's ovarian cancer diagnosis.

During her first rotation at UCSF, Dr. Ahmed discovered palliative care through observing a team focused on alleviating patient pain. "I fell in love immediately because they appreciated that holistic, humanistic approach," she said.

Currently serving as a Clinical Pharmacist at The Mount Sinai Hospital's Supportive Oncology Clinic, Dr. Ahmed works within an interdisciplinary team aiming to improve patients' quality of life. She described this work as both humbling and rewarding.

In 2013, Dr. Ahmed joined the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), which seeks to enhance access to palliative care globally through advocacy and policy reform efforts. Her involvement with IAHPC intensified her empathy for patients lacking adequate care access.

In 2022, amid personal health challenges, Dr. Ahmed applied for the Fulbright Specialty Program after identifying a suitable opportunity at C.L. Baid Metha College of Pharmacy in India. The program aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange and partnerships through public health education initiatives.

Accepted into the six-week program last March, Dr. Ahmed engaged with their clinical pharmacy department to evaluate teaching methods and promote practical applications of theoretical knowledge. She introduced concepts of palliative care to students unfamiliar with them, leading lectures and providing feedback on case presentations.

Despite the program's brief duration, Dr. Ahmed maintains contact with Indian students and faculty members she met during her visit: "They were also teaching me," she noted about being immersed in their culture.

Looking ahead, Dr. Ahmed hopes to establish a memorandum of understanding between St. John’s University and C.L. Baid Metha College to facilitate resource sharing and student exchanges.

Dr. Ahmed emphasizes to her students that while dispensing prescriptions accurately is vital, it is equally important "to treat people as humans."