Japanese resident visits MD-KKU Medicine Department on staff exchange program

 

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 welcomes professor from St.Marianna University, Japan

 

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 welcomes International Visiting Physician from New Zealand to our Department of Emergency Department

 

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 welcomes international exchange students from St.Marianna University School of Medicine, Japan

 

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

MD-KKU Medical Illustration students to attend internships abroad

 

On October 3, 2023, MD-KKU International Relations Office met with 12 Medical Illustration students for an orientation session before they leave on internships abroad in November 2023. These students will be based at APT Phaiboun Trading Import & Export Co., Ltd., Phongsavanh Bank, and Kasemrad International Hospital in Vientiane, Lao PDR, and Royal Phnom Penh Hospital in Cambodia.

The internships are part of the Cooperative and Work Integrated Education Program (CWIE) run by the MD-KKU Department of Medical illustration for students to receive hands-on experience related relevant to their future careers. The CWEI experience is an instructional mechanism for the university and entrepreneurs to collaborate in providing work-based learning to reinforce students’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values.  The Program also “work-hardens” students to real world-work by providing them experiential learning.

 

 

 

Reporting by Sathaphorn Onlamun

Editing by Prof. John F Smith