INTRODUCTION: Sabbaticals were first offered by Harvard University in the late 17th century to
provide “renewal” for faculty members. In this period of career development, a professor might learn
new techniques, expand a research program, or finish off that book or pile of languishing manuscripts.
This article tried to organize lived experiences of a visiting scholar from Isfahan University of Medical
Sciences to Johns Hopkins University. The research aimed to study the context and conditions of
the sabbatical in an alternative academic setting.
METHODS: This article applies a narrative qualitative study integrated with Eisner critical and
connoisseurship approach as a combined naturalistic methodology.   Using narrative inquiry and
reflective analysis in form of observations and audit reports, written dairy notes and memos, the
content analyzed thematically and extracted the themes of lived experiences as well as lessons
learned and then have been transformed into tables.
RESULTS: Extracted themes from research sources are categorized into three main themes:
organizational and professional experiences; teaching, instruction, and curricular experiences; and
research and technology management experiences.   These are resulted in the explanation of the field and
events (description), discussion about them (interpretation), followed by concluding remarks (evaluation).
. It also represents research questions and findings in descriptive and interpretation phases.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This article addresses some descriptions, interpretations,
and evaluations extracted from the experiences through answering the research questions. It
categorizes these practical lessons into three categories: (1) lessons about becoming a lifelong
learner, (2) lessons about remaining a professor, and (3) innovative experiences.