New Collaboration Explored During Visit by Khon Kaen University Faculty

Tropical Medicine faculty Drs. Vivek Nerurkar and Sandra Chang met with faculty of Khon Kaen University, Thailand on May 26, 2015 to explore potential collaborations on Tropical Medicine research and education between John A Burns School of Medicine and Khon Kaen University (KKU). Visiting the department from KKU were Associate Professor Dr. Surasakdi Wongratanacheewin, Dean of the Graduate School, Associate Professor Dr. Wongsa Laohasiriwon, Vice Dean for International Relations and Corporate Strategies, Associate Professor Pope Kosalaraksa, MD, Deputy Director, Faculty of Medicine, and Associate Professor Rasana Wongratanacheewin, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs.  Accompanying them was Dr. Somsook Santibenchakul, MD, from the Department of OB-Gyn at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand who is currently enrolled in the Master of Public Health Program at the University of Hawaii.

Exchanges of Tropical Medicine students and faculty between Hawaii and Thailand that would take advantage of the complementary resources available at both institutions were discussed. Khon Kaen University is a public research university located in Northeast Thailand. The Faculty of Medicine at Khon Kaen University offers training for both Thai and international students in its International Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine.   Its regional partners include the National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shanghai, PR China, Hanoi Medical University, Vietnam, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Vietnam, Center of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Lao PDR, Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, Cambodia, and the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand.

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