An academic collaboration between Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand and the School of Health Sciences, Bangor University
An exciting collaboration has been established between the School of Health Sciences at Bangor University and Mae Fah Luang University in Thailand, including close collaboration between The Center of Excellence for the Hill Tribe Health Research (CEHR) and the Ageing & Dementia@Bangor Centre.
The opportunity to collaborate around public health and rural communities is an exciting initiative.
The hill tribe people in Thailand refer to one of the ethnic minority groups living along the mountainous areas, especially in northern Thailand (Princess Maha Chakri Siridhorn Anthropology Center, 2019). There are six major groups: Akha, Lahu, Karen, Hmong, Yao, and Lisu. WHO estimated that more than 3.5 million hill tribe people lived in Thailand, particularly in the Thailand- Myanmar-Republic Lao bordered areas (WHO, 2019).
Image from: The Center of Excellence for the Hill Tribe Health Research (CEHR), Thailand.
This collaborative venture between Bangor and Mao Fah Luang universities has centred on driving forward partnerships around shared areas of interest and expertise through postgraduate research (PGR) communities at both universities. This has provided a platform for not only engaging in collaborative PGR activities such as a monthly PGR -research seminar series but also PGR exchange and joint projects, as well as advancing a joint set of research projects. The initiative builds on a current doctoral project focused on exploring stigma amongst hill tribe communities around HIV/AIDS by Onn Laingoen from Mao Fah Luang University. The seminars have ranged across a range of topics with joint presentations by Bangor and Mao Fah Luang academic staff and PGR students. These included methodology sessions such as ’A different lens and the insider perspective - developing 'Participatory Case Study Work' in Ageing Studies - Dementia, Parkinson’s and COPD as exemplars’, ‘Sexually transmitted infections – drivers and mitigations of risk’ and Exploring the area of sexual violence towards women and facilitating support, including a feasibility study to evaluate the opportunities for enhancing care provision in cervical screening for women in Wales who have experienced sexual violence and/or sexual abuse.
It is led by Dr Sion Williams, Professor Gill Windle and Dr Catrin Hedd Jones at Bangor University and Assistant Prof.Dr.Tawatchai Apidechkul and Dr Siwarak Kitchanapaiboon at Mao Fah Luang University. At its core the partnership draws on the academic strengths of the School as well as the support provided by the Doctoral School as a hub within its development, facilitated by Professor Andrew Hiscock and Dr Ross Roberts. The initiative is based on a partnership with colleagues at Mae Fah Luang University in Thailand, to foster closer PGR ties and develop a research agenda around ageing, dementia, developing sexual health and sexual violence against women as areas of shared interest for rural communities in Thailand and Wales.