Learner Profile
Nkombe Rewora Boris Sidewell
HMX Course
Nkombe Rewora Boris Sidewell’s interest in immunology stems from his knowledge of health issues in his home country of Gabon – where infectious diseases such as malaria are prevalent – and his experience studying pharmacy in Italy. He took HMX Fundamentals Immunology to deepen his knowledge of the immune system while getting ready to pursue a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences.
Why were you interested in taking the immunology course?
I just graduated pharmacy school. Immunology was already a subject that had my attention because of the various ways in which we can study this for cancer, allergy, autoimmune disease, and, for me, being a pharmacist, it’s really, really important to have this knowledge of the system.
What did you find particularly valuable about the HMX course?
It was really a good way to share the knowledge with us. My university did not have features like conversations between patients and doctors [in clinical application videos]. This was my first time with this type of thing.
Were there other aspects of the course that you appreciated?
I felt really free in this course because the material was [released] every week, so I had all week to study. And it was really a treat for me.
Do you see this knowledge being useful in your pharmacy career?
Yes, especially for the subject of allergy. I didn’t know there was such a diverse and different way to understand allergy…sometimes after my graduation I was a little lost in this subject because it’s a very big subject, and in immunology I had the chance to have a great understanding of the allergy system, the allergy complex. So in my work as a pharmacist, this course can be helpful.