The Faculty of Dentistry at the University of British Columbia has received an in-kind gift of $8 million USD from the Ho Chi Minh City National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology to create an oral health research centre.
Currently, in Vietnam, about one in 500 babies are born with a cleft lip or cleft palate; 80 per cent of children suffer severe tooth decay, and oral cancer occurs frequently with often fatal outcomes.
The UBC Dentistry-Vietnam Oral Health Research Centre will provide a dynamic hub for education, research and knowledge transfer in Southeast Asia to help address these challenges. The 1,200 square metre [12,916 sq. ft.] facility will be housed on the fourth floor of the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology. The Centre will focus on research areas that include oral cancer, dental caries and craniofacial birth defects.
“Through collaborative research, we aim to advance oral-facial health and scientific knowledge across international boundaries,” says Dr. Charles Shuler, dean of the Faculty of Dentistry.
The Centre will facilitate transfer of knowledge to local and international researchers to raise the baseline of oral health care in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, increasing the local capacity to treat the most pressing oral health issues.
“Our hospital is proud of cooperating with UBC,” says Dr. Lam Hoai Phuong, director, of the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology. “It is a valuable opportunity to exchange knowledge between visiting dentistry residents, UBC faculty, Vietnamese scholars, dental students and general dentists,”
“This partnership is a game changer for global health research and education,” says Dr. Chris Zed, associate dean of strategic and external affairs. “The UBC Dentistry-Vietnam Oral Health Research Centre will increase the quality and impact of new discoveries and scholarship.”
Westcoast International Involvement in Vietnam
The announcement above is happy news for Dr. Andrew H.F.Tsang and Dr. Ashish Vashisht, both of whom are at The Practice at Westcoast International. Both happen to be the closest of friends and classmates graduating as dentists from UBC in 1997.
Since 2000, Dr. Andrew has been an instructor for the UBC Faculty of Dentistry in Vietnam working with dental residents in program supervision and development. The early days were difficult conditions performing dentistry in places including the Cancer and Tumor Hospital of HCMC. The program has now evolved in supporting several orphanages in conjunction with UBC with a research and service component. From 2000, Dr. Ashish concurrently served as Associate Instructor for the Faculty in Vancouver, Canada. His focus was teaching senior dental students attain skill sets in restorative, endodontic and prosthodontic dentistry.
“Westcoast International is excited to see UBC’s first and foremost major research center to be set up in Asia. UBC chose the best of all places in Asia…. Vietnam,” notes Dr. Andrew.
Westcoast is donating funds to the new UBC Oral Health Research Center in Vietnam and will continue to contribute to the UBC program.
Background
The Faculty of Dentistry has a long-standing history and commitment to Vietnam. Over the past decade, faculty members, general practice residents and dental students have rotated to Ho Chi Minh City to provide patient treatment and oral health education. They have treated a broad spectrum of diseases not typically seen in British Columbia – experience that subsequently benefits Canada’s multicultural dental health population.
This gift – the Faculty of Dentistry’s largest to date – forms part of UBC’s start an evolution campaign, the most ambitious fundraising and alumni engagement campaign in Canadian history. The goals are to raise $1.5 billion for students, research and community engagement, and to double the number of alumni involved annually in the life of the university by 2015.