Thailand

Chiang Mai University, Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University (CMU) aims to produce globally impactful research by contributing to the sustainable development goal to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.  CMU offers training and research focusing on a holistic approach to managing patients with chronic conditions such as HIV, hepatitis, substance use, and mental health. In addition, they have developed expertise in health services research to advance patient outcomes, particularly in primary care.

CMU is the third oldest university in Thailand, and the first and largest outside of Bangkok. It is located near the center of Chiang Mai.  Its hospital has 1,400 beds providing for over 1,300,000 patients. CMU have strong research, clinical, and governmental collaborations within Thailand and abroad, and is recognized across Southeast Asia (SEA) as a research leader. They have collaborated on several NIH and USG funded studies including numerous HTPN and IMPAACT trials.

In partnership with UCLA (Larkins, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior), in 2016 CMU received SAMHSA/PEPFAR funding to create the SEA HIV-Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) that expanded its research efforts to include clinical capacity-building, system-strengthening, and workforce development within Thailand and across SEA. Engaging a multi-disciplinary network of providers, clinicians, and researchers, the project built the first ECHO site in Northern Thailand, and has become a critical healthcare and research partner to its federal and provincial governments, and our broader community. With an active MOU since 2016, CMU has successfully supported faculty and student exchanges for mentored experiences with UCLA, and continues to forge relationships with UCLA and other UC researchers and clinicians working in areas of psychiatric comorbidities (Ventura, Semel/UCLA), integrated primary and mental health care for at-risk populations (Shoptaw, Family Medicine/UCLA), migrant health (Parker, Infectious Diseases/UCI), and syndemic mental health, substance use disorder (SUD) and HIV (Grelotti & Koutsenok, Psychiatry/UCSD).

CMU has infrastructure to support trainees through a dedicated foreign affairs division as well as an abundance of experience in conducting sound research and building structures and systems necessary to translate science into culturally-responsive and clinically applicable approaches to improving health.

Site contact: Dr. Chaisiri Angkurawaranon