Anh Duc Ngo DPH student, School of Public Health
	Exchange workshop on research and training between the University of Texas School of Public Health and Thai Nguyen Medical University, Vietnam
The growing public health problems of exposure to and risks of HIV in Vietnam is the research interest of Anh Duc Ngo as he works towards his doctorate in health promotion and behavioral science. Ngo is organizing a workshop with Vietnamese medical institutions and schools as a platform to establish common interests and goals and to exchange information. Vietnam, Ngo says, lacks the infrastructure to use the available resources to curve the spread of HIV and AIDS. “We want to organize this workshop with academic institutions in Vietnam in public health and medical fields to foster opportunities to collaborate in an HIV prevention project.” “I hope that after the workshop is conducted, we have the collaborative chain with major public health or medical academic institutions in Vietnam,” says Ngo. He sees the involvement of UTHSC-H in Vietnam as a bridge of knowledge and a way to introduce advanced techniques to colleagues in Vietnam. In addition to the exchange of information between the Vietnamese institutions and UTHSC-H, Ngo also sees the workshop as a way to build on his international public health background as he works towards his future plan to be international public health professional. The involvement of faculty and students of the School of Public Health contributes immensely to the realization of the workshop. Dr. Michael Ross will serve as technical advisor and lecturer and other Vietnamese School of Public Health students pursuing their doctorates will also work on the project. “The workshop is conducted by competent and enthusiastic students and also, we are lead by a world-leading expert in the area of health promotion and behavioral science, Dr. Ross,” states Ngo. Ngo came to study at UTHSC-H as part of the Fellowship Program between UTHSC-H and the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF). VEF was established by the people and government of the U.S. to promote ties between the two countries, including educational exchange. Ngo was one of nine students that, through VEF, was admitted for study at UTHSC-H through the agreement.