Through our Improving Access, Curriculum and Teaching in Medical Education and Emerging Diseases (IMPACT-MED) Alliance, USAID is working with Vietnam to enhance the quality and effectiveness of medical education provided in institutions across the country. In late March, IMPACT-MED invited Harvard Medical School to conduct a curriculum reform training for 60 faculty members from four IMPACT-MED partner medical universities. Since Vietnam’s Ministry of Health believes in USAID’s curriculum reform program in Vietnam, they requested USAID to invite 28 faculty members from eight non-partner medical and dental universities to participate in the session as well and provided funding for them to attend. The training focused on integrating basic science subjects and clinical cases into the curriculum as well as innovative approaches to teaching the revised curriculum.

So What? Vietnam is mobilizing domestic resources to expand the reach of USAID’s medical education reform program. This will help USAID achieve its goal of creating new models for higher education and high-quality medical workforce in Vietnam.