THE Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (FPPS) has received an Inter-Faculty Transformation Grant worth $49,000 to support international students across its six faculties and two Monash Malaysia schools over the next two years.
The grant recognises the work of a team of student-facing staff from the Faculty, who recognised that more needed to be done to ensure international students felt supported through the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year the FPPS program focused on communication, wellbeing activities and social/networking, with leading roles taken by Dr Nilushi Karunaratne as the Academic-Student Liaison Lead, Dr Betty Exintaris as the Resilience Lead and Dr Suzanne Caliph as the Empathy Lead.
The group utilised several key recommendations in a report from youth mental health organisation Orygen, with regular academic-led meet-ups with students, periodic newsletters and wellbeing days.
"We've received a lot of really positive feedback from international students who have attended the regular Zoom events we've put on to help them feel supported and connected," said Dr Karunaratne.
"The program has been a big success for the FPPS, which is why we wanted to create this sense of belonging at each Monash faculty."
Dr Exintaris added that the program helped create an inclusive environment conducive to learning, and provides a conduit between students and support services.
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