GSDM Hosts Students and Faculty from Chulalongkorn University

From May 29, 2017 to June 2, 2017 the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) hosted five students and one faculty member from the Faculty of Dentistry Chulalongkorn University (FDCU) in Bangkok, Thailand; one of our partners in the International Elective Externship Program.

The five students visiting GSDM were: Mustura (Mimi) Phadung, interested in Pediatrics, Endodontics, Oral Medicine, and Surgery; Thornthan (Mo) Songvejkasem, interested in surgery and orthodontics; Tanutchaporn (Mai) Thongngam, interested in Orthodontics and Prosthodontics; Taya (Win) Ruxwongkana, interested in Operative and Maxillofacial Surgery; and Chanapas (Can) Saengsawang, interested in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.  The faculty member from FDCU who accompanied the students was Dr. Soranun Chantarangsu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Pathology and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.

On Wednesday, May 31, the students and faculty member were hosted by Dean Jeffrey and Mrs. Kathleen Hutter at a dinner they held at their home in Newton MA.  The dinner was also attended by many faculty, staff, and students of GSDM.

Then, on Thursday, June 1, the students presented to 50 GSDM community members on their school, their programs, and their culture.  Prior to the presentation, Dr. Michelle Henshaw, Associate Dean for Global & Population Health, presented Dr. Chantarangsu with a Certificate of Recognition for contributing to the progress and advancement of dental education.  The students then took turns at the podium sharing information about the Thai culture, such as their religions, temples, and cuisine. Others in the group discussed their dental education and how they found themselves at FDCU studying dentistry. Most of the presentation, however, was focused on the University itself, the largest dental institution in Thailand. Many GSDM students in the audience hope to visit FDCU if they are selected for the Externship Exchange Program.

The International Externship Exchange Program at GSDM, which has been in place since 2013, allows fourth-year DMD students to travel to international dental schools for two to three weeks and, correspondingly, for dental students from the international schools to visit GSDM. The exchange program provides the GSDM students and the international students with firsthand knowledge of the ways in which dental education is provided in different countries, along with the different cultures of each country.