Visualising Issues in Pharmacy - an Omnium Project

6th March, 2007

Visualising Issues in Pharmacy (VIP)

About the VIP project:

The 'VIP' project is the first fully online international education initiative designed to link students and teachers in Pharmacy and Graphic Design departments from universities and colleges around the world, to address important global health issues that are of critical concern in Kenya. These issues include adherence, chronic disease, malaria, tuberculosis, immunisation and sexually transmitted diseases.

How will the VIP project take place?

Over 50 pharmacy students and 50 design students will join forces for three months, with project convenors, teachers and special guests worldwide, to work collaboratively within Omnium's fully online learning environment. Pharmacy students will participate in online discussions and forums to produce in-depth research papers on the specific health related issues. On completion of their research reports, they will then brief the graphic design students to create visual health awareness campaigns for use in the Nyanza province of Kenya.

Throughout the project students will form valuable connections with colleagues in distant parts of the world - receiving regular feedback and support from peers, teachers and established professionals, using the Internet as their sole communication tool.

Students, educators and health/design professionals wishing to be involved in VIP should visit the website and register their interest:

http://creativewaves.omnium.net.au/vip

Applications for Graphic Design participants close mid April 2007.

VIP is produced, directed and funded by The Omnium Research Group at the College of Fine Arts, (University of New South Wales, Australia) and written in collaboration with the School of Pharmacy (University of Auckland, NZ).