Category: Inbound Students

On March 5, 2024, MDKKU welcomed two public health master’s students, Elvira and Kaia, from Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway to the Tropical Disease Research Center (TDRC). Both are involved in the multi-country project named “Pandemic Literacy and Viral Zoonotic Spillover Risk at the Frontline of Disease Emergence in Southeast Asia to Improve Pandemic Preparedness (PANDASIA).” Their research is under the supervision of Dr. Hans Overgaard, the Project leader who holds a joint appointment with MDKKU and NMBU.

They met with Professor Dr. Banchob Sripa, Director of KKU-TDRC, along with Dr. Overgaard, Assoc. Prof. Sirikachorn Tangkawattana, KKU Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and TDRC staff, and discussed research and plans for field work in hi-risk communities.

PANDASIA is investigating potential pandemic drivers along nature-rural-urban gradients through a comprehensive collection of social and biological data and predictive modelling of zoonotic spillover rates and disease emergence in high-risk settings in Thailand and Lao PDR.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith

Five medical exchange students from Nagoya City University and Wakayama Medical University recently completed electives at MDKKU during February 2024. They were based in different departments including Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopedics, and Surgery.

“KKU Staff took very good care of us with excellent clinical internships,” said a Nagoya City University student. “Professors and Thai medical students immediately translated what patients said in Thai to English and then they explained it to me and they also took us to the cafeteria after class and introduce us to Thai food,” he added.

They were also excited with many new clinical experiences and systems and enjoyed their clinical class with some rare cases they have never experienced before.

“I was really surprised to see that the medical school system is completely different from Japan,” said a Wakayama Medical University student. “I was able to see the difference between the tests conducted on pregnant women in Thailand and Japan, and I was glad to be able to study a rare disease in Japan like Thalassemia,” she added.

Overall, they considered they had very impressive medical exchange experiences and enjoyed learning about the people, activities, cultures, food, and places in Khon Kaen.  Although they initially met language barriers, they met a lot of kindness with people helping them to communicate in many situations both inside and outside of the classroom.

We are very delighted to welcome and congratulate all of them.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith

MD-KKU recently welcomed third-year Associate Degree students from the Medical Laboratory Program at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Puthisastra, Cambodia for an exchange program at Diagnostic Microscopic Laboratory, Srinagarind Hospital between November 24 and December 1, 2023.

They had many clinical learning experiences through the exchange program including a lecture on the structure and operational procedures of the Diagnostic Microscopic Laboratory. They also visited many places such as Specimen Center Unit, Clinical Diagnostic Microscopy Unit, Clinical Diagnostic Chemist and Immunology Unit, Clinical Microbiology Unit, Molecular Unit, Andrology Lab Unit, and Srinagarind Excellent Lab Unit.

On the final day, they gave presentations reflecting on and sharing their experiences. They learned a lot and were challenged during their visit. For instance, studying abroad gave them more independence, learning how self-management is crucial especially time, financial, and task management. However, they faced language barriers. To survive in Thailand, they had to not only practice English but also learn basic Thai communication skills.

Although they were many challenges during the visit, they were very useful learning experiences. They gained new clinical experience and knowledge that can be applied to their future careers as well as practicing foreign language communication skills.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith

MD-KKU’s Department of Medicine recently welcomed Dr. Takeharu Oda, a resident from Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital, Japan on a one-week staff exchange program at the Division of Cardiology from November 27 to December 1, 2023.

Dr. Oda’s visit to KKU was under a MOU to promote academic and medical research collaborations between MD-KKU and overseas universities by exchanging doctors, nurses, and medical students. His visit’s objective was to gain medical knowledge and skills for keeping up with future challenges in medical situations and health services provision.

During his visit, he appreciated the knowledge and experience he gained with our medical staff:

“I have  such  great memories with KKU doctors because they taught me a lot about Cardiology in English that can be helpful to me.  It was easy to understand and communicate with them during my visit,” said Dr. Oda.

“KKU doctors are very educational, so this is why you should come on exchange with them,” he recommended.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith

MD-KKU’s Department of Anesthesiology recently welcomed Assistant Professor Hirotaka Okuda, MD, PhD, a physician anesthesiologist from the Department of Anesthesiology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine on a one-week medical exchange from November 20 to 24, 2023.

Professor Okuda is currently practicing anesthesia at St.Marianna University Hospital. His career is driven by a genuine desire to assist surgical patients through the challenge of perioperative management, minimizing nociceptive reaction during surgery, providing postoperative analgesia, adequate airway and circulation managements for surgical patients.

His visit to KKU was to learn from foreign hospital practice, gaining fresh insights and experiences that can enhance his professional journey. He was particularly interested in observing and understanding the operational dynamics of healthcare systems in different countries.

During his visit, he gained invaluable knowledge and experience that can help shaping the future of his own practice and deepening the exchange between MD-KKU and St.Marianna University:

“The KKU hospital has so many patients that I can see many cases, so I can have a good experience even if I stayed for a short time,” said Professor Okuda.

“I also ate a lot of local food and everything was delicious. I definitely want to study here again,” he added.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith

MD-KKU’s Department of Emergency Medicine recently welcomed Dr.Travis Westcott, an emergency medicine specialist from Emergency Medicine Department of Southland Hospital, New Zealand, for a three-month clinical exchange and training program between October 12, 2023 and January 5, 2024.

Dr. Westcott has worked in Emergency Medicine since 2005 and is passionate about providing the best possible care for patients and where possible taking a preventative medicine approach. He also has a passion for point of care ultrasound and also has non-clinical portfolios covering ultrasound teaching, emergency department security, equipment acquisition, review of reportable and sentinel events, and management plans for difficult patients and staff rostering.

During his stay in KKU, he hopes would like to learn more about South East Asia culture and languages and in particular how patients interact with the Thai health care system, to be exposed to the unique challenges of tropical medicine, and to share his emergency medicine knowledge and skills in developing specialty areas (in particular the growing use of point of care Ultrasound medicine).

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith

MD-KKU recently welcomed four medical exchange students from St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Japan to our Departments of Surgery and Emergency Medicine. Their program will run for four weeks from October 25 to November 16, 2023.

On their Orientation Day, the International Relations Officers introduced them to the Faculty of Medicine program and to some essential Thai language. Then they proceeded to the departments to meet their program supervisors and key persons.

In the afternoon they attended a campus tour on our KKU Smart Transit (shuttle bus). The KKU Sports Complex was their first stop. They were introduced to our fitness, swimming pool, and sports facilities by international services staff there. After that they moved to the KKU Art and Culture Center to see art exhibitions and also saw Isan culture and architecture at Koom Sri Tarn. They then visited the Natural History Museum, where important natural and historical resources are exhibited. Their final stop was at Food and Services Center 1 (Student Complex) where they tried out speaking Thai for shopping and buying food.

Their first day in KKU was designed to be really productive learning about KKU and medical school to ready them for the exchange program with Thai medical students, professors, and the Thai health care system.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith

On September 4, 2023, we welcomed medical exchange students for the September 2023 program from 5 European universities including University of Zagreb (Croatia), Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek (Croatia), University of Bergen (Norway), University of Ferrara (Italy), and University of Málaga (Spain).

On their Orientation Day, Assist. Prof. Jutarop Phetcharaburanin, Assistant Dean for Research and International Relations Affairs delivered a welcome speech and gave useful information for enjoying life on our campus. The International Relations Officers introduced them to the Faculty of Medicine program and to some essential Thai language. Then they proceeded to the departments to meet their program supervisors and key persons.

In the afternoon they attended a campus tour on our KKU Smart Transit (shuttle bus). The KKU Sports Complex was their first stop. They were introduced to our fitness, swimming pool, and sports facilities by international services staff there. After that they moved to the KKU Art and Culture Center to see art exhibitions and also saw Isan culture and architecture at Koom Sri Tarn. They then visited the Natural History Museum, where important natural and historical resources are exhibited. Their final stop was at Food and Services Center 1 (Student Complex) where they tried out speaking Thai for shopping and buying food.

Their first day in KKU was really productive learning about KKU and medical school to ready them for their new experiences on first day of school with new Thai medical students, professors, and the Thai health care system.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith

On August 18, 2023, we congratulated medical exchange students from Cambodia, Austria, France, Poland, Portugal, and Greece on completion of their exchange program with us. The program ran during August 2023.

On their graduation day, all made end-of-program presentations to share their elective experiences. During their presentations, all reported being impressed with their KKU experience including the environment, culture, friends and staff, and learning facilities.

They were really amazed with our KKU environment such as fresh air and physical structure. “I had a very amazing time here and I like KKU structure and environment so much,” said a Cambodian student. “KKU has so great and fresh environment that I can enjoy it so much,” he added.

They felt the KKU medical school and hospital were very positive learning environments. “The Faculty was amazing because it had everything inside the campus such as a big hospital, great education system, and good environment,” said a French student.

On the MD-KKU campus, they could easily explore a variety of clean food and many coffee houses. “The food was so good and hygiene,” said a Cambodian student. They were absolutely excited all the time when enjoying Thai food in our cafeteria. “Thai food in Hospital canteen is out of this world,” said a Polish student. 

They had a very great time not only outside but also inside the classroom. They met really good Thai friends and faculty staff taking care of them throughout the program. “Students and staff here were polite, cheerful, kind, and helpful,” said an Austrian student. Their friends and teachers were very helpful because their English was proficient, so communication in the class was so effective. “My Thai friends and teachers spoke English with me during my training, and they can translate many things about consultations on surgery cases,” said a French student. 

Our systematic learning management facilitated them to receive so many medical experiences. “I can see and learn from a lot of cases in the Srinagarind Hospital,” said an Austrian student. “I really like the work flow here because I saw that the department was divided into sub clinics which were great for the doctors and patients for easier consultation,” a Cambodian student supported.

They gained a lot of impressive experience spending their time in our campus. They also hoped to join us again and want to recommend their friends to be part of KKU once in a lifetime. “I’ll highly recommend to my friends because I had a great experience in KKU, one of the best universities I’ve ever visited,” said a Cambodian student. “For me, one month is very short but it gave me a great memory and I can’t wait to come here to study again in the future,” he added.

On behalf of MD-KKU, we congratulated all of them on their achievement. We were so pleased to be part of their successful time and glad to have them in our faculty in Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith

On August 7, 2023, we welcomed a diverse group of medical exchange students from Cambodia, Austria, France, Poland, Portugal, and Greece for the August 2023 program.

On their Orientation Day, Associate Professor Wimorat Sriraj, MD, Associate Dean for Research and International Relations Affairs delivered a welcome speech and gave useful information for enjoying life on our campus. Then the International Relations Officers introduced them to the Faculty of Medicine and program and to some essential Thai language.

In the afternoon they attended a campus tour to meet their program supervisors and departments and were introduced to the campus transport system. After that they took city tours of famous attractions of Khon Kaen. They enjoyed visiting Wat Nong Waeng to see a 360-degree panoramic view of Khon Kaen city from the peak, and to visit the elegant architecture of Wat Thung Setthi.

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith