National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) held a five-day international conference on the future of healthcare and economic development from November 27th to December 1st, 2023, at NCKU. The conference, titled "Trends and Future Development of Digital Healthcare and Treatment," invited medical scholars from leading universities in Thailand, including Dr. Sirichai Kiattavircharoen, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at Mahidol University; Dr. Pong Pongprueksa, Chair of the Department of Prosthodontics; Dr. Chantas Mahaisavariya, Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Affiliated Hospital; Dr. Juthamas Ratanavaraporn, Director of the Medical Engineering Research Center at Chulalongkorn University; Dr. Thanaphum Osathanon, Professor at the Faculty of Dentistry; and Dr. Sarawut Kumphune, Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Chiang Mai University. In addition to participants from over 20 countries, the conference also featured representatives from the Mayo Clinic in the United States and Kyoto University in Japan. The conference also met with Aplus Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a Taiwanese company specializing in orthopaedic device development, to discuss the future market development and the possibility of industry-academia collaboration in Thailand, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.
During the conference, Thai scholars participated in a variety of discussions and workshops on clinical practice, research, training, innovation, and commercialization. They also met with researchers and academics from the Mayo Clinic and Kyoto University to discuss potential collaborations. In addition, they met with Apias Biotech to discuss the development of orthopaedic devices in Thailand, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.
Specifically, the following activities took place:
Dr. Juthamas Ratanavaraporn, Director of the Medical Engineering Research Center at Chulalongkorn University, gave a presentation at NCKU on Thailand's experience in translating research into innovation and commercialization. She also met with NCKU researchers to discuss potential collaboration opportunities.
Dr. Thanaphum Osathanon, Director of the Dental Innovation Center at the Faculty of Dentistry at Mahidol University, met with NCKU researchers from the Institute of Oral Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry to discuss research collaboration and clinical training for dental students.
Dr. Chantas Mahaisavariya, an Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Affiliated Hospital of Mahidol University, gave a presentation at the NCKU Hospital on the clinical experience of hip fracture fixation in the elderly. He also visited the NCKU College of Medicine and the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Dr. Sirichai Kiattavircharoen, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at Mahidol University, and Dr. Pong Pongprueksa, Chair of the Department of Prosthodontics, gave a presentation at NCKU on Mahidol University's latest research and services in digital dentistry, including same-day restoration. They also met with NCKU researchers from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Faculty of Dentistry to discuss the potential for implementing this model in Taiwan.
Dr. Sarawut Kumphune, Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Chiang Mai University, visited NCKU to discuss research collaboration between the two universities.
The Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at KMITL (King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang) visited NCKU to attend the international conference and discuss student exchange and dual degree programs in biomedical engineering.
Dr. Aziz Nanthaamornphong, Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science at Prince of Songkla University, met with the Director of the Department of Computer Science at NCKU to discuss future academic collaboration in artificial intelligence.
The conference was a valuable opportunity for Thai and Taiwanese scholars to share their research and expertise, and to explore potential collaborations in the fields of healthcare and technology. The conference also helped to strengthen ties between NCKU and leading universities in Thailand.
Figure 1: Dr. Juthamas Ratanavaraporn, Director of the Biomedical Engineering Research Center at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, visited National Cheng Kung University to share Thailand's experience in translating cutting-edge research into startups and commercialization, and to explore future partnerships.
Figure 2: Dr. Chantas Mahaisavariya, a physician from the Mahidol University Affiliated Hospital, Thailand, gave a special lecture at the Department of Orthopedics at Cheng Kung University Hospital, sharing his clinical experience in hip fracture fixation surgery for the elderly.
Figure 3: Dr. Chantas Mahaisavariya, Dr. Sirichai Kiattavircharoen, and Dr. Pong Pongprueksa, from the Mahidol University , visited National Cheng Kung University shared their research findings and discuss possible collaboration models ,and presented a gift to Dr. Fong-Chin Su, the Chair Professor of NCKU.
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Figure 4: Dr. Sarawut Kumphune from Chiang Mai University,and Dr. Sarinporn Visitsattapongse and Assistant Professor Dr. Kasama Srirussamee from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) visited National Cheng Kung University for a meeting and exchange to discussed student exchange and dual degree programs for biomedical engineering students.
Figure 5: Thai scholars met with researchers and scholars from Mayo Clinic and Kyoto University, as well as representatives from Aplus Biotechnology, to discuss potential collaboration opportunities and possible collaboration models for developing orthopaedic devices in Thailand, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.