Health Frontiers promotes the philosophy of life-long learning among all physicians.  HF has played a leading role in supporting and facilitating Continuing Medical Education activities for Lao physicians.  This has included annual CME conference in Laos for physicians from all over the country, as well as international conferences for teachers in the Pediatric and Internal Medicine programs.

Pediatrics

Dr. Leila Srour, former Pediatric Residency Coordinator, currently serves as the Pediatric CME Coordinator.  Dr. Srour along with a group of dedicated Lao pediatricians formed the CME Working Group which helps to plan and facilitate educational opportunities.

The first Pediatric CME conference was held in 2006, and have since been held annually or bi-annually.  The meetings are attended by all Lao pediatricians and have included presentations by Lao doctors as well as by invited experts from Wellcome Trust, WHO, and guest speakers from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the United States and Australia..  Presentations include clinical reviews and case presentations on various topics including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases. 

Lao pediatricians have been invited to attend and present at the annual Thai Pediatric Society.  For the past several years, at least one Lao doctor has been accepted to participate in an intensive three-week tropical medicine training program in Tanzania, sponsored by the Swiss Tropical Medicine Institute.

Pediatric CME Report 2005

Pediatric CME and Graduates Report 2006

Pediatric CME and Graduates Report 2007-8

Internal Medicine

The Internal Medicine Board has organized yearly Continuing Medical Education conferences addressing a variety of topics.  IM attendings, residents, and physicians from all over Laos attend annually.  In addition, Lao IM residents, graduates and staff doctors have had opportunities to travel to Thailand and other locations for subspecialty conferences.  Formal educational collaborations with groups in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam are ongoing.  

Through a collaborative effort among Lao teachers, residents, and Health Frontiers volunteers, the first Internal Medicine review book in Lao language was printed and was made available at annual conferences.

Partners

Mines Mineral Group

Health Frontiers has received generous funding from MMG to support Pediatric CME for the past several years . They have recently entered into an agreement to continue this generous support through 2015.  MMG, an Australian-based Mining Companry, is proud to be a sponsor of the Lao Pediatric Workforce Training program in conjunction with the University of Melbourne Department of Pediatrics at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

World Health Organization

From 2006-2008, Health Frontiers received generous funding from the World Health Organization to support Continuing Medical Education activities in Laos.  These funds supported CME conferences for both Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, as well as additional conferences focusing on respiratory infections and particularly Avian Influenza.   Health Frontiers has also collaborated with WHO, USAID and the Wellcome Trust to improve ICU education and patient care in Vientiane.  Lao nurses and physicians who work in critical care units received advanced training at Khon Kaen University and in Cambodia (see below) as part of this project, with financial support from WHO.

Angkor Hospital for Children

As part of a collaborative project funded by WHO to improve critical care in Laos, twelve Lao pediatricians and nurses received advanced training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care at the Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  This collaboration developed out of recognition that the challenges of providing health care under limited resources are similar in both countries, and both Angkor Hospital and Health Frontiers strive to improve the care of children by augmenting the skills and knowledge of the local physicians. 

Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

The Royal Children’s Hospital supports the continuing professional development of Lao pediatricians.  Physicians Glenn Bowes, Gary Warne and others have contributed their time to teaching and development of CME opportunities, and medical education specialist Jenny Gough has attended CME conferences and assisted with the important evaluation process and planning of future conferences.  They have also spearheaded fundraising efforts which have contributed money to CME activities.