Establishing Global Partnerships - University of Pennsylvania ...

Collaborations in Thailand
Collaboration and networking are the
hallmarks of an ongoing relationship
between Penn and Mahidol University
of Bangkok,Thailand. During a recent
trip to Penn, Mahidol Dean Kobkul
Phancharoenworakul, PhD, and Somchit
Hanurcharurnkul, PhD, director of
Mahidol’s doctoral program, set forth
working parameters for the launch of a
new working relationship regarding
sending Mahidol students to Penn for
one year of their doctoral education.
“The main purpose of our trip is
to seek further collaboration between
our universities to enhance capabilities
of research for both doctoral students
and others.We are looking forward to
seeing some collaborating research
efforts among faculty members as
well,” said Dr. Phancharoenworakul.
The research agenda in Thailand is
in many respects surprisingly similar to
health care issues in the United States.
“Women are particularly vulnerable to
stress now because of their multiple
roles in a changing society,” said Dr.
Hanurcharurnkul.“This is a general
phenomenon. Our focus right now is
on health care reform.”
Both Deans Meleis and
Phancharoenworakul agree that sharing
experiences between the two cultures
can only enhance outcomes.“We seek
to learn modern technology and technical
applications from this country, but
Penn can learn much from Eastern
culture,” said Dr. Phancharoenworakul.
Another significant problem is the
paucity of linen to dry neonates.“We
introduced a problem-solving dialogue
with nurses and helped them to find
sustainable solutions,” said Dr. Gennaro.
Penn in Africa
Professor Susan Gennaro, DSN, FAAN,
RN, Director of International Center of
Research for Women, Children, &
Families, conducted two research projects
in Malawi,Africa.They involved the
health of the tiniest patients, those who
cannot be advocates for themselves and
who, in the direst of circumstances, may
not be able to make a cry for help on
their own.
“Basic Neonatal Resuscitation” is a
research project designed to reduce poor
birth outcomes by training all nurses
who care for laboring women in one
hospital in Blantyre in neonatal resuscitation
techniques. Early indications are
that the intervention decreased infant
mortality by 40 percent indicating that
in experienced hands much can be
done with a relatively modest grant, in
this case, awarded by the University of
Pennsylvania Provost Fund to Kent
Bream, MD, a family physician, and Dr.
Gennaro.“The beauty of this is you can
do something so that you don’t have an
ill child,” said Dr. Gennaro.“People are
alive due to our efforts.”
Former Penn doctoral
student Usavadee
Praditkul Asdorwised
now acts as faculty
collaborator with Penn
Nursing for a comparative
health care
course in Thailand.
She is shown with her
daughter Nathawan
Asdorwised, known as
Nathy, who was born
in the U.S. during the
final days of her
mother’s dissertation.
In other work in Africa, Penn
Nursing trained the trainer to expand
the reach of information given to nursemidwives
in Malawi that was later replicated
in Uganda. Early indications are
that this project that replicates information
and education from group to group
of indigenous people in extremely rural
communities is a low-cost, sustainable
intervention that has improved the
health of women and their infants.
Penn in Hong Kong
Sarah H. Kagan, PhD, RN,Associate
Professor of Gerontological Nursing,
and Doris R. Schwartz Term Professor
in Gerontological Nursing, delivered
the nursing keynote address at
“Frontiers in Biomedicine,” the annual
scientific meeting of the University of
Hong Kong Faculty of Medicine prior
to the 9th Annual Hong Kong
International Cancer Congress held at
the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
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