Source
Bryant Boutwell, Dr PH
University Administration

For more information on the Office of International Programs, please contact Dr. Bryant Boutwell, Associate Vice President for Accreditation and International Programs at 713 500 3559.
Please visit the office’s Web site at www.uth.tmc.edu/internationalprograms/

Bringing UTHSC-H to the World – Bringing the World to UTHSC-H
The Office of International Programs was created in June 2001 in recognition of the global health community we live. The office serves as a central resource for the development of formal international agreements that link our faculty and students with research, education, and service opportunities worldwide. The Office of International Programs gathers and disseminates information about current international connections while encouraging faculty, research fellows, and students to form exchanges. Currently, nearly 100 international agreements with universities around the globe are actively connecting research faculty and students. By collaborating with health care institutions throughout the world, the office is bringing the world to UTHSC-H and bringing UTHSC-H to the world.

Agreements of Cooperation
The Office of International Programs acts as a liaison between the Health Science Center and worldwide health care and educational institutions. We encourage faculty, research fellows and students to form an exchange outside of their home institution. Below is a list of agreements between the Health Science Center and our worldwide affiliates.

Multinational
Summer Research Program 2008
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Summer Research Program provides medical students with first-hand biomedical research experience in the basic or clinical sciences. Through a program agreement signed between the health science center and partner institutions, accepted students spend either 8 or 10 weeks of the summer conducting hands-on research with experienced faculty researchers at the Medical School and the Dental Branch. In 2008, the UT Health Science Center hosted twelve (12) students from China, Japan, and Taiwan. Each International Student was also paired with a MS-1 student to acclimate them to the program.

The international students who participated in the 2008 Summer Research Program are:

• Mr. Shih-Yu Chen (Max), student, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan; Dr. Jianping Jin, faculty mentor
• Mr. Chih-Yuan Hsu (Ray), student, China Medical University, Taiwan; Dr. Wenjian Zhang, faculty mentor
• Ms. Ai-Ju Huang (Amber), student, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan; Dr. Jarek Aronowski, faculty mentor
• Mr. Ken Kurokawa, student, University of Tokushima, Japan; Dr. Dianna Milewicz, faculty mentor
• Ms. Shu-Yu Lin (Irene), student, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan; Dr. Jacqueline Hecht and Ms. Karen Posey, faculty mentors
• Ms. Guiqin Sun, student, Southern Medical University, China; Dr. Phillip Carpenter, faculty mentor
• Mr. Wei-Chun Tai (Tim), student, China Medical University, Taiwan; Dr. Ah-Lim Tsai, faculty mentor
• Ms. Chu-Wen Tang (Alice), student, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan; Dr. Nachum Dafny, faculty mentor
• Mr. Cheng-Hsuan Tsai (Richard), student, China Medical University, Taiwan; Dr. Patrick Kee, faculty mentor
• Ms. Ying Wu, student, Southern Medical University, China; Dr. Seonhee Kim, faculty mentor
• Mr. Yuki Yamamoto, student, University of Tokushima, Japan; Dr. Jeffrey Actor, faculty mentor
• Mr. Chen Yao, student, Southern Medical University, China; Dr. Xiaodong Zhou, faculty mentor

Czech Republic
U.S. State Department Medical Delegation from Czech Republic
The Office of International Programs welcomed a medical delegation from the Czech Republic on October 15, 2007. Hosted by the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program and arranged by the Institute of International Education, the delegation’s program title was “Health Care in the U.S. - A Project for the Czech Republic.” The delegation requested an opportunity to learn more about graduate education focusing on health sciences with connections between the medical school and area health care institutions.

Former President Dr. James T. Willerson welcomed the delegation and Dr. Hui-Ming Chang gave an overview of the UT Health Science Center, the UT System, and TMC. Drs. Patricia M. Butler, R. Andrew Harper, and Gary C. Rosenfeld talked about educational programs at the Medical School. Dr. L. Maximilian Buja reviewed educational programs at the health science center. Patricia Colmenero (Patient Relations Coordinator, International Services Department, Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center) and Margarita Hernandez (International Financial Coordinator, International Services Department, Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center) discussed Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center, an affiliate of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

The delegation included Dr. Marketa Hellerova (Deputy Minister for Health Care, Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic), Mr. Petr Koska (Deputy Director, Economic Section, University Hospital Brno), Dr. Pavel Kozeny (Director, National Reference Center), Dr. Miroslav Mestan (Deputy Director, Medical Section, University Hospital, Hradec Kralove), Mr. Martin Dlouhy (Associate Professor, Faculty of Information and Statistics, University of Economics Prague), and Ms. Denisa Sevcikova (Office Manager, Coalition for Health NGO).

Italy
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Dr. Luigi Rovati (Professor, Department of Information Engineering, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy) visited The University of Texas School of Health Information Sciences at Houston on November 7, 2007. Dr. Rovati met with Drs. Hui-Ming Chang and Rafat R. Ansari to discuss the recently signed Agreement of Cooperation between University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and School of Health Information Sciences.

Mexico
Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
On August 28, 2008, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon Faculdad de Medicina y Hospital Universitario (UANL) in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, joined forces to train scientists and to promote research. The universities plan to carry out joint research, host visits by faculty/students of partner institutions, and organize symposia, conferences, short courses and meetings on research issues. In accordance with the agreement for a joint postdoctoral program, top UANL graduates will receive training in drug development research at The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases.

Also present at the signing were: Drs. Donato Saldivar Rodriguez (President Director, UANL), Luis E. Todd (Executive director of the Science and Technology Center for the state of Nuevo Leon), C. Thomas Caskey, Bryant Boutwell, Ambassador Francisco Javier Alejo (Executive director of the Program for Integration for the Development of the Northeastern Region of Mexico and Texas), and Johan Petterson (Executive director of NEMEX-TEX Partnership -Northeastern Mexican State and State of Texas Partnership).

People's Republic of China
Sichuan University Delegation
A delegation from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China visited the UT Health Science Center and TMC from October 16 to 19, 2007. Objectives included the study and training of qualified health professionals, medical education, research, public health education, health management, and human resources management and development.

The delegation participated in a School of Public Health program, coordinated by Dr. Jay H. Glasser, where they were welcomed by Dr. Guy S. Parcel. Meetings were held with Dr. Linda E. Lloyd, Robert J. Hardy, and Dr. Dejian Lai. The Medical School curriculum was discussed by Drs. Allison Ownby, Gary Rosenfeld, and Margaret Uthman. Darla Brown gave a tour of the Medical School and Dr. Eric Reichman gave a tour of the Surgical and Clinical Skills Center.

An informal Houston Initiative for Global Health Education and Research (HIGHER) continuing Colloquium on Global Health (funded by a Fogarty Center Grant, and is inter-institutional with the School of Public Health Global Health Program) followed, with student paper presentations and a talk by Sichuan University’s Professor Li Xiaosong, “Observations on Health and the Educational Mission.”

The delegation also met with Dr. Hui-Ming Chang, Karen O. Krakower who gave the talk “Attracting Patients and Supporters Through the Office of Institutional Advancement” and an overview of Health Leader, and Dr. Osama Mikhail who gave an overview of the Office of Strategic Planning. A tour of The University of Texas School of Nursing followed, along with a demonstration in the simulation laboratory.

The delegation included:

• Mr. Ma Xiao (Professor and Dean of West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University; Chairman, China Council on Education for Public Health)
• Dr. Li Xiaoson (Deputy Dean for Teaching & Research, West China School of Public Health Chair and Professor, Sichuan University)
• Ms. Wu Jingping (Faculty of West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University)

Slovenia
Fullbright Scholar from University of Ljublijana
The Dental Branch hosted visiting Fulbright Scholar Dr. Marko Bozic from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; under the supervision of Dr. Chung How Kau. Dr. Bozic arrived June 15, 2008 for a period of five months to further his study in developing a digital noninvasive and non-irradiating method of the face morphology analysis.

Republic of China
Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Delegation
Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) visited the UT Health Science Center on December 11, 2007. Dr. Hui-Ming Chang welcomed the delegation and gave an overview of UTHSC-H. Dr. Michael Bungo presented a video “UTHSC-H’s Response to Hurricane Katrina”. Dr. Robert J. Emery gave a presentation on “Risk Communications: An Essential Element of Disaster Preparedness.” The delegation’s objectives included: establishing a national response system with respect to chemical spills due to marine shipping activities and preparing emergency response in addition to oil spills. The Taiwan EPA Center is working with U.S. federal, local governments, and private sectors to learn how to protect people from hazardous oil and chemical spills and battle marine pollution.

Thailand
Chiang Mai University and Thailand Nursing Council Delegation
Drs. Hui-Ming Chang and Sharon K. Ostwald welcomed a delegation from Chiang Mai University on November 28, 2007. The delegation’s objective was to learn more about nursing education and tour the School of Nursing. The following overviews of Educational Programs of the School of Nursing were given: Dr. Melanie McEwen on BSN Programs, Dr. Kathleen Reeve on MSN Programs, Dr. Joanne Hickey on the DNP Program, and Dr. Sharon Ostwald on the PhD Program.

Dr. Krittapat Fukfon gave the delegation a tour of the School of Nursing. Dr. Vaunette Fay discussed eLearning with the delegation, followed by a tour of the Simulation Laboratory. The delegation also discussed hospital-based Faculty Practice with Drs. Elizabeth Fuselier and Lillian R. Eriksen.

Ukraine
U.S. State Department from Ukraine "Health Care Managment - A Project for Ukraine"
On April 17, 2008, the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program hosted a visit in Houston for a delegation from the Ukraine. Their purpose was to explore the difference between public and private health care throughout the U.S., examine financial management, quality control and administration of emergency medicine/trauma centers, explore pediatric care facilities and radiology services, and discuss hospital management.

Dr. Bryant Boutwell welcomed the delegation and presented an overview of the UT Health Science Center. Dr. Michael Bungo presented Health Care in the U.S., and Dr. Brent King discussed the history of Emergency Health Care and how the 911 response system works. Dr. Polina Gelfer presented Infant and Neonatal Care.
The delegation included:

• Dr. Iurii Baran (Leading Specialist, Anesthesiologist, Intensive Care Department, Kyiv City Emergency Hospital)
• Dr. Kyryl Gordiyenko (Chief Physician, Scientific Diagnostic Center, Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine)
• Dr. Oleksii Gromazin (Director, Health Care Department, Ministry of Extraordinary Situations)
• Dr. Oleksiy Rykov (Medical Director, DILA medical laboratory)
• Dr. Volodymyr Vityaz (Orthopedist-Surgeon, Ohmadet City Pediatric Hospital)

Office of International Programs
Bryant Boutwell, Dr.P.H., was named Associate Vice President for Accreditation and International Programs on April 1, 2008, succeeding Hui-Ming Chang, MD, MPH upon her retirement.