Strengthening International Recognition, FK Unud Enhances Cooperation Networks With Harvard University and Boston University

The Faculty of Medicine of Udayana University (FK unud) conducted a working visit in order to strengthen cooperation in the field of research and exploration of other cooperation opportunities related to elective student exchanges and academic staff exchanges, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, on November 27-28, 2023. 

 

The Dean of FK Unud, Prof. Dr. Komang Januartha Putra Pintih, M.Kes, accompanied by the Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Information, who is also the Principal Investigator for the Indonesia Travel Health Network (InaTravNet) research, met with Prof. Davidson Hamer, MD, who is the Principal Investigator, Surveillance Lead GeoSentinel Network, and also Professor of Global Health and Medicine at Boston University School of Public Health and Chobanian & Avesidian School of Medicine. Prof. Ady conveyed the development of InaTravNet research and analysis of initial data analyzed from the InaTravNet platform and received a lot of input for further development from Prof. Hamer to improve disease surveillance in travelers. Also present from Boston Medical Center, Prof. Elizabeth Barnett, MD, professor of pediatric infectious disease and travel and tropical medicine researcher. Prof. Januartha conveyed opportunities for faculty exchange, including inviting staff at Boston Medical School to become senior research fellows through the UNISERF scheme, and discussed many opportunities for cooperation in capacity building in the field of travel medicine and research, especially related to infectious diseases and global health. 

 

The working visit continued by attending a lunch meeting invitation from the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine (DGHSM), Harvard Medical School, led by the Chair of DGHSM, Prof. Vikram Patel, MBBS, Ph.D. On this occasion, discussions were held regarding various opportunities for capacity building for lecturers and student exchanges, as well as research cooperation, especially those related to the role of medical anthropology in handling global health problems. Also attending this meeting from DGHSM were renowned medical anthropologists Prof. Byron Good, Prof. Mary-Jo Delvecchio Good, and mental health researcher Prof. Claudi Bockting, as well as dr. I Made Subagiarta, MMSc, an alumnus of FK Unud who is also an alumnus of Harvard Medical School.

 

The activities at Harvard University continued with a visit to Dr. Lin H. Chen, MD, who is the Director of Mount Auburn Travel Medicine Center, Division of Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine, Mount Auburn Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Lin Chen who is a past president of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) and InaTravNet research partner provides an overview of activities at the Travel Medicine Center, clinic visits, and various issues related to Travel Clinic management. On this occasion, Prof. Ady also presented the preliminary results of InaTravNet research, and opportunities for development in the following years.