Officials of Mahidol University International College (MUIC) and the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital visited the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin, Ireland on November 13, 2024 to explore more areas of cooperation and collaboration between the three institutions.
The delegation, led by Prof. Chulathida Chomchai, MD, MUIC Dean, and Prof. Apichat Asavamongkolkul, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital; were welcomed by Prof. Celine Marmion, Academic Director of RCSI Student Engagement and Partnership Programme, Department of Chemistry and her executive team including Dr. Róisín Moriarty, International Engagement Manager.
The other MUIC executives who joined Dean Chulathida in this visit were Asst. Prof. Dr. Chompunuch Pongjit, Associate Dean for Educational Affairs; Asst. Prof. Dr. Ruchi Agarwal, Assistant Dean for Educational Affairs; and Ms. Wimonsiri Hemtanon, Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
The meeting covered topics including medical curriculum and development, student engagement, well-being, and extracurricular activities, simulation suites and curriculum of preclinical years. Also discussed were the possibility of further exchange activities between RCSI, MUIC and Siriraj, in particular the upcoming Research Summer School 2025. The Entrepreneurship in Healthcare Program is another potential area of collaboration between RCSI and MUIC.
The MUIC officials continued their discussion with their RCSI counterparts in the succeeding two days covering other important topics like preclinical and clinical phases of studies, student services, and staff support. They also had a meeting with the Graduate School of Healthcare Management officials to discuss the scope of collaboration for the Entrepreneurship in Healthcare Program.
On the last day of their visit, November 15, they met with the RCSI Foundation Year Programme officials regarding student experience and well-being. There were also discussions with the Programme Director of RCSI’s International Electives and the Education Lead of Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre about the possibilities for exchange with them.
All in all, the visit is considered a major step forward in widening MUIC’s already expansive international network, increasing the college’s academic offerings and strengthening its student support mechanism.
