18 years of development: How Dr. Wan-Yu Lin started her own anticoagulation clinic in Taiwan

In 2008, Dr. Wan-Yu Lin, a student at National Taiwan University (NTU), stepped foot on The Ohio State University's campus as the very first student to participate in the College of Pharmacy's Global Pharmacy Initiative. The initiative allows students to expand their understanding of pharmacy practice through international collaboration.  

“The Global Pharmacy Initiative provides clinical and cultural immersion for Ohio State and global pharmacy learners to advance patient access to pharmacist care in communities from local to global,” said Jennifer Rodis, PharmD, FAPhA, associate dean for outreach and engagement and clinical professor at the college.

For then-Dean Bob Brueggemeier and Assistant Dean for Professional Affairs Dr. Ken Hale, founders of the initiative, the vision of this collaborative was more than just an interesting opportunity; it was a way of educating students beyond their primary national health care system. Through this endeavor, students witnessed new hospital, ambulatory and community pharmacy settings in the U.S.  

One day during the initiative, Dr. Lin had a pivotal conversation in her professional directory when she visited the college’s Clinical Partners Program and asked Dr. Rodis how she could start her own anticoagulation clinic in Taiwan. Dr. Lin visited the college this year, approximately 18 years after this conversation, with an anticoagulation clinic of her own back in Taiwan.  

Dr. Lin is now a faculty member in cardiovascular care at NTU and spends 50% of her time in an anticoagulation clinic that she developed. To this day, Dr. Lin still remembers the insights Ohio State provided her with to embark on this journey.