Frontier Public Health Personnel Capacity Development for Preparedness for Future Severe Human Health Threats in the Region

The Center of Excellence for the Hill tribe Health Research (CEHR), School of Health Science, Mae Fah Luang University, organized a final model (4th) on “One-year field epidemiological training program” for 93 public health and medical doctors who are working in disease prevention and control in the Asia-Pacific Region including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Cambodia.  The program has been fully funded by the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund Project under the project “Frontier Public Health Personnel Capacity Development for Preparedness for Future Severe Human Health Threats in the Region.” The training was operated between 15-17 December 2025 at Asawin Grand Convention Hotel, Bangkok.Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tawatchai Apidechkul, who is the project leader, had emphasized the importance of regional preparedness for the emerging diseases that could emerge in the countries located in the tropic zone and a large people living in the region.  

On the first day, fellows presented the prestigious project that they have been working on over the past few months on disease prevention and control. Fellows were assigned to work on a project using knowledge and skills gained from previous modules (no.1-no.3) on disease prevention and control in their setting. During the period working on their project, fellows were supported by the faculty from Mae Fah Luang University  (MFU) and the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), Thailand.  The first day provided a dynamic platform for fellows to showcase their projects, fostering academic exchange and strengthening public health networks. During the presentation, two experts, Dr. Panithee Thammawijaya and Dr. Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, from the FETP program at the Department of Disease Control, MOPH, Thailand, provided critical and insightful feedback on their work.  In addition, Dr. Montira Inkochasan from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) presented “Risk Communication,” which is the key competency for leaders working in a crisis. 

The second day,  Dr.Peeriya Watakulsin, M.D., MPH from the MOPH-Thailand provided updated information on “Vaccines for Disease Control”, followed by Dr. Pawinee Doungngern, MD, MPH, PhD, from MOPH-Thailand, who led a discussion on the topic “Adverse Event Following Immunization Surveillance System in Thailand”. In the afternoon session,  Dr. Sungmok Jung from the National University of Singapore, who is one of the global modelling scientists,  lectured on the topics of “Concepts and Applications of Infectious Disease Modelling” and “Application of Infectious Modeling: Disease Control and Vaccination Monitoring.”   

On the final day, Dr. Soawapak Hinjoy, DVM, MSc, MPH, DrPH, expert from MOPH-Thailand, presented on “One Health and Disease Control.” Dr. Suriwan Thaiprayoon, PhD,  from the Global Health Division of MOPH, shared information on “The Policy Landscape in Global and Regional Health,”. Finally, Dr. Alisa Yannasan from WHO-Thailand delivered the topic  “Essential Leadership Skills for Global Health Professionals,”. This special one-year training program was designed into four modules covering concepts of epidemiology, implementation science, concepts of disease investigation, biostatistics,  vaccine and vaccination, and epidemiology leader skills development.  The program has been effectively operated by the experts from MFU, MOPH-Thailand, and WHO. A total of  31 outstanding projects were completed and presented at the end of the program.

Poster awards

• 1^st winner awards
  • Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance in Lao PDR, 2020-2024: Trends of Resistant Pathogens and Policy Implications
• 1^st winner awards
  • Factors Associated with Diabetic Retinopathy Among Diabetes Mellitus Patients in the Mekong Subregion: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.
• 2^nd winner awards
  • Predicting Functional Dentition among Older Adults in Thailand using Machine Learning Models
• 2^nd winner awards
  • Mortality Trends and Risk Factors Among People Living with HIV in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam, 2010-2025
• 3^rd winner awards
  • Effectiveness of Mass Drug Administration in Reducing Malaria Prevalence in Lai Chau Province, Vietnam.
• 3^rd winner awards
  • Burden of Loneliness and Suicidal Ideation Among School-Going Adolescents: A pooled analysis of GSHS Thailand 2008-2021

Poster Presentations and links

• Trends and Determinants of Routine Childhood Immunization Coverage in Myanmar (A rapid systematic review)
• Factors Associated with Syphilis Infection in Newborns Delivered by Mothers with Syphilis Infection in Upper Southern, Thailand: A case-control study
• Trends of Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) at Conflict-Affected and Hard-to Reach State in Myanmar
• Structured Text for Rapid infectious Disease Evaluation using Artificial Intelligence
• Determinants of Knowledge and Psychological Distress from Facebook Use During COVID-19 in Myanmar
• One Health and Multisectoral Collaboration in a Japanese Encephalitis Case, Mahawan Subdistrict, Mae Sot, Tak Province, Thailand (2025)
• Tuberculosis and HIV Co-Infection in Myanmar: A secondary data analysis
• Prevalence of Hypertension and Diabetes Among People Living with HIV in Mandalay, Myanmar
• Prevalence and Descriptive Epidemiology of Malaria Among Displaced People in Conflict-Affected areas, Myanmar: A cross-sectional study
• Prevalence and Factors Associated with Cataracts Among the Population in Hpa-An District Karen State, Myanmar: A cross-sectional study
• Status of the Undernutrition in Under 2 Years Old Children in the Targeted Community in Myanmar
• Public Health Concern: Investigation of Rattus spp. And Flea in the Transmission of Atypical Human Trypanosomiasis (AHT) in the Slum Areas
• Challenges in the Implementation of the SLMC Policy on Emergency Medicine Training for Pos-Internship Medical Doctors in Sri Lanka: An Implementation Study
• Spatial Distribution and Epidemiological Determinants of Chikungunya in Thai-Laos Border
• Factor Associated with Antibiotic Misuse Among Adults in Yangon Region, Myanmar
• Factors Influencing Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Loss to Follow-Up (LFU) in Mon State, Myanmar: A case-control study
• Establishing and Enhancing Disease Surveillance System for Possible Disease Outbreaks in Earthquake- and Conflict-Affected Areas of Myanmar
• Determinants of Family Planning Services Utilization Among Women During Conflict Situations in Thandaunggyi Township, Karen State, Myanmar
• Operational Challenges and Services Utilization of the ICCM Facilitator Program in Conflict-Affected Rakhine State: A Mixed-Methods Study
• Assessment of the Health Personnel Readiness for Multi-Hazard Emergency Response in Chiandragiri Municipality, Nepal
• Prevalence and Determinants of Probable Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Earthquake-effected Adults Following the March 2025 Earthquake in the Mandalay Region, Myanmar: A Pilot Study
• Genetic Diversity of Escherichia coli Isolated form Breeder and Layer Chickens
• Six-Year Surveillance of Dengue in Svay Rieng Province, Cambodia: Incidence and Age-Group Risk 2019-2024
• Epidemiology of TB and Its Treatment Outcome Associated Factors, 2016-2023, Kampong Cham, Cambodia
• Prevalence of HIV and Syphilis and Their Associated Factors Among Female Entertainment Workers in Kep, Cambodia