Come and visit us at the Flex Space area to learn more about the University of Puthisastra (UP). Enjoy with many exciting activities and event-rundown including Microscope display and experiment, hands-on experience with the Anatomy manikins, get your BMI on site, Vital sign and many more.

You will also get to join in fun activities like Kahoot game and cube challenge with your friends and a chance to win amazing prizes from UP during this event. Let’s save the date!

Note: OPEN for Associate Degrees in Health Sciences programs including Laboratory Sciences, Nursing and Midwifery! Deadline of application: 10 March 2023 by 5pm!

Hurry UP! Application form is now available!

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Signing Ceremony between the University of Puthisastra and Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital

On 24th January, 2023, there was an official MOU signing ceremony between the University of Puthisastra and Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital held at Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital. Professor Dr. med. Ky Santy, Director of Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital, and Professor Ian Findlay, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Puthisastra, both signed the MOU and shared a clear vision for their future active collaboration.

This momentous occasion was also witnessed by Dr. Bio. Denis Laurent, General Director of Kantha Bopha Foundation.The objective of the MOU is to ensure high-quality healthcare training and to follow national standards by cooperating to provide knowledge and experience to UP students through the practicum as well as to be part of the development of the Nation and to get along with national administration reform following a rectangular strategy of Government. The University of Puthisastra has more than 160 MOUs with national and international partners to guarantee that students receive a complete education through their practicum, internship, competition, exchange program, and other collaborative initiatives.

The University of Puthisastra is a proud university with 100% success rates in National Exit Exams. 100% pass in Medicine, 100% pass in Dentistry, 100% pass in Pharmacy, 100% pass in Nursing, and 100% pass in Midwifery – the very best results in Cambodia. Additionally, the University of Puthisastra became the first and only Cambodian university ranked among over 1400 of the World’s Top Universities in very prestigious Times Higher Education Rankings, especially a Top 500 university for Sustainable Development at the United Nations.

UP Celebrates 2023 Nightingale Ceremony

The 31st January 2023 was a memorable day for students and staff from the faculty of Nursing & Midwifery. The Nightingale Ceremony is celebrated for the memorial of Mrs. Florence Nightingale, who is considered the founder of modern nursing. The Nightingale Ceremony and Pledge are held for welcoming students into their profession and commit themselves to always maintaining high ethical standards of care for their patients.

The lighting ceremony involved the Head of Faculty, and staff members lighting the candles. Their flame is passed on to the new students through a candle ceremony – a symbol of passing on knowledge to the next generation. Students then together expressed their commitment to their profession by reciting the Nightingale Pledge and singing “We are the world”.That’s such an honored great event that our MoU partners Sunrise Japan Hospital Phnom Penh, MUCH, Center of hope friendship clinic, National Pediatric Hospital and nursing professions joined this ceremony.

A study tour of the Science Research students to the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge

On Friday, 27th January 2023, the first generation of the Bachelor of Science Research program in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Puthisastra had a study tour of the Virology Unit of the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge.

The purpose of this study tour was to strengthen the students’ capacity and to increase their knowledge about modern molecular laboratory equipment and some important work processes/ flows in the research laboratory.

UP’s 2nd and 3rd Medical Laboratory Technology Students Start Their Clerkship

On January 30, 2023, second and third year students of Medical Laboratory Technology, the Laboratory Science Department, University of Puthisastra began their clerkship in the Medical Laboratory of private and public hospital located in Phnom Penh:

• Second Year start their clerkship at Cho Ray Phnom Penh Hospital, Preah Ang Duong Hospital and Preah Ketomealea Hospital.
• Third Year students start their clerkship at National Pediatric Hospital and Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital.

The clerkship will last for one month (Full-Time Shift) which started from January 30 to February 24, 2023.

MOU between the University of Puthisastra and the PMI VectorLink Cambodia

The University of Puthisastra was delighted to sign MoU with PMI VectorLink Cambodia. During the MOU signing ceremony, Prof. Ian Findlay, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Puthisastra, gave a remarkable speech about how UP has prepared the young generation for the upcoming future challenges, including ICT, English, research, and solid foundational knowledge of health sciences.

Prof. Ian Findlay also shared some pearls of wisdom and goals with VectorLink Cambodia to ensure that the collaboration will bring a positive change for students, staff, and Cambodian society as a whole.

Meanwhile, VectorLink Cambodia, Mr. Im Chanry, Chief of Party and Dr. Matthew John Kirby, Entomology Technical Director, were also thrilled to sign MOU with the University of Puthisastra. They believe this MoU will strengthen the capacity of students and laboratory staff in entomological surveillance techniques, including sample preparation and dissection, ELISA technique, and PCR.

Faculty of Medicine Staff Joined the Online Consultative Meeting on the new Bachelor of Medical Sciences Curriculum Framework organized by the Ministry of Health

Staff from UPs Faculty of Medicine including the Dean Professor Sandro Vento participated in the Consultative Meeting on the new MD Curriculum Framework to provide input on the first draft. All five Cambodian Medical Schools were invited to the meeting.

H.E. Prof. Thir Kruy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Health, gave the introductory speech and outlined that the framework is crucial to improve medical education in Cambodia.

The meeting focused on the proposed shortening of the duration of the Program (four rather than six years) and the proposed structure of the competency-based curriculum

Growth Mindsets Vs Fixed Mindsets: What is the Difference?

Have you ever heard about fixed mindsets and growth mindsets? Recognizing your attitudes towards learning can help you find new ways to approach problems and handle setbacks!

A person with a fixed mindset is all about “natural talent.” They think that someone is born with skills or not, and that abilities and talents may not be able to be improved. If you have ever thought, “I’m just not good at math”, or “she is just good at sports” – that’s a fixed mindset at work!

People with a growth mindset believe that they can do things through effort and that nothing can prevent them from what they want to do. Therefore, their intelligence, knowledge, and talents can develop over time.

Research shows that a growth mindset has a huge positive impact on learning. People with a growth mindset stay focused on their goals and see problems as lessons to learn from. They then become less frustrated and depressed when things do not run as smoothly as planned, compared to those with fixed mindsets. They achieve their goals because they take failures as opportunities to grow and progress. They don’t need to know how to do everything in advance, they just need to start. Learning is part of the process. People with a growth mindset are also more likely to develop resilience than those with a fixed mindset. Growth mindset people take on challenges and look for opportunities to do something new. What is learned along the way is just as valuable as the end result, so trying in the face of setbacks and failures is encouraged!

For example, a person with a growth mindset is willing to try something new. They believe that, through practice and their effort, they could succeed in it. They may not be good at science, but they can come up with learning strategies and find new ways to learn. Sports might be difficult to start with, but all athletes improve with training and conditioning, even Olympians! With practice and persistence, we can all make things happen and learn from mistakes.

Which kind of mindset do you have? Can you think of ways to focus on your growth to help you study and learn?

YEAR-5 PHARMACY STUDENTS CONDUCT COMMUNITY OUTREACH

As healthcare providers, our intention is to always make a significant difference in patients’ lives but also serve as role models for our pharmacy students and residents.

Improving pharmaceutical care and disease understanding should never stop at the doors of a hospital or pharmacy, but should extend well into the community. However, although the distribution of medications is important, we found many opportunities to provide additional help. In a continual effort to forward the role of the profession of pharmacy in the public environment, UP pharmacy students will conduct this activity to improve their skills and knowledge. Year-5 pharmacy students conduct community outreach at mundulkiri province from 3rd to 6th of February 2023:

This activity has many purposes:
• Survey how medicine/drugs are used, stored, bought, or discovered
• Review medication usage within the household
• Providing risk factor screening for diabetes, hypertension and other con-communicable disease
• Provide education and training on how to prevent diabetes, hypertension and other con-communicable disease
• Dispense leaflets on the availability and benefits of vaccination
• Dispense leaflets on how to find correct and trustworthy information on medicine/drugs in order to fight misinformation on social media etc.
• Provide guidelines and information on how to find the best medical care in their living area.

UP & IELTS Cooperate on Benchmarking of UP English Degree

The University of Puthisastra & IELTS are pleased to announce a strengthening of their long- term cooperation with IELTS benchmarking of the UP English Degree. Set to launch in Semester 1, 2023, the UP English Degree is a 4-year degree program providing students with the necessary English language skills for sustainable employability and high-level career prospects.

UP is a valued member of the global IELTS Alliance Program after signing an MoU with IELTS in January 2021. The UP English Degree will be benchmarked at the exit point by IELTS. This means students graduating from the UP English Degree will have an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no individual band score less than 6.

This score of 6.5 with no band score less than 6 is generally required to apply for the majority of Bachelor and Master’s degree programs at international universities in Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK and Ireland. 6.5 with no band score less than 6 is also the score required to be awarded any of the prestigious Australia Award, New Zealand, Chevening or Japan Development scholarships.

You can check what scores you need for the study, employment and migration dreams you have using the IELTS Recognising Organisations portal at https://ielts.idp.com/cambodia/about/who-accepts-ielts/organisations-that-accept-ielts In some ASEAN countries such as the Philippines, the majority of IELTS test takers need a score to be able to work overseas in the nursing, elderly care and medical sectors in countries such as Australia, the UK, Canada and the United States. Therefore, UP English Degree graduates will be uniquely positioned to study, work or migrate at institutions, employers or locations of their choosing.

UP & IELTS have launched a new promotional campaign around the UP campus to encourage those studying English and dreaming of a further international study or careers to prepare for and sit an IELTS test.

IELTS is the world’s most popular high stakes English language test with over 4 million tests taken in the last year and over 11,000 institutions worldwide – including universities, schools, employers, immigration authorities and professional bodies, including medical and nursing associations globally – recognise IELTS as an international benchmark of English language capacity.

Faculty of Medicine: Internship Orientation

The Faculty of Medicine has provided Internship orientation for batch-6 medical students who will start their first Internship rotation in February 2023.The presentation focused on Internship Policy and Logbook, Internal Exit Exam, Law and Regulation in the medical profession. We wish our students success in their new journey as medical interns!

Science Research Program Organized a Seminar entitled “Modification of Cotton Fabric with Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Coated Carbon Dots as a Sensor for 17α -Methyltestosterone.”

On Wednesday, 25th January 2023, the Science Research Program, at the University of Puthisastra organized a special seminar entitled “Modification of Cotton Fabric with Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Coated Carbon Dots as a Sensor for 17α-Methyltestosterone” at Hall B, University of Puthisastra.

The honor invited speaker of the seminar was Mr. LIM Monyrathanak, a graduate student in Analytical Chemistry from the King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand with Mr. BE Sokkeang, Program Coordinator and Lecturer of the Science Research Program, the University of Puthisastra as the facilitator. This special seminar was organized to share information on hormones, and scientific research work and to raise awareness about the effect of 17α-Methyltestosterone on human health.
After the special seminar ended, all participants learned and gained a lot of knowledge and experience from our invited speaker related to 17α-Methyltestosterone and its effect on human health.

Faculty of English at UP launches wide range of teaching strategies for students’ benefits

“[…] diversity that is part of […] society needs to be reflected in the student body, faculty and staff, approaches to teaching, and in the college curriculum. (AAC&U, 1995, p. 8, as cited in Hurtado, 2001). Diversity becomes more important in the classroom, and assessments have to be thoroughly crafted to reflect the diversity of the classroom to mirror the student body and their approaches to learning. In the Faculty of English, we are trying to implement a wide range of teaching strategies as well as assessment forms to accommodate the diversity and needs of our students. For the first assessment of this Academic Year, we assessed our Year 2 and Associate Degrees students through presentations and projects. The following impressions and reflections are from our lecturers who are impressed by the dedication and great results the students were able to come up with.

Nichola Heaton (Year 2, Level C1): “ In December 2022, year 2 students from the C1 class prepared and delivered a two-minute oral presentation with an accompanying infographic about global warming. Students spent time researching the causes and impacts of global warming alongside finding solutions to reduce the harmful effects of some contributing factors to this world’s issues. Students displayed enthusiasm and passion when it came to presenting solutions to these issues and demonstrated a deeper understanding of the deepening crisis that global warming is causing to our planet.”

Cheab Puthika (Year 2, Level B1): “ Year-two students were tasked to watch TedTalks Videos on various topics–Society, Business, and Food–and give in-class presentations about their opinions regarding the talks. The activity was proven to be exceptionally useful, as students were encouraged to take advantage of the educational resources available on the internet to support their learning. By watching educational videos such as TedTalks, students acquire new knowledge and information, get inspired, and reflect, which contributes to their educational development.”

Neang Lyda (Year 2, Level A2): “Students who are in Year 2 A2 level were assigned to make a presentation on the latest news for their first assessment in week 7 (December 2022). They were required to video-record their presentation with PowerPoint and upload it to UPOP. It could be seen that students were devoted to the given task as they had to find the latest news from a credible source which they had to make a slide presentation on. By doing this task, students could demonstrate their skills in presentation, research, technology, summary, news report, and critical thinking. It has been a great opportunity for students to obtain various types of necessary skills that are useful and applicable to their academic journey.”

Ry Rangsey (Year, Level B1): “Students in Year 2 B1 level delivered impressive oral presentations regarding their first summative assessment of the TedTalk videos they had watched. The contents of the talks related to their previous English lessons, namely society, food, and business. Each one of them shared interesting inputs and lessons that they’d learned after watching the talk. In doing so, students could concisely present information, critically generate and synthesize ideas, and effectively communicate the messages.”

NORIN Rathana (ADL, Y1, Y2): “A group of ADLY2 students enthusiastically conducted a presentation on locations where foreign students can get local dishes for their first Summative Assessment. Another group of students collaboratively worked on a project on tourist attraction sites in Phnom Penh where they went to the National Museum and the Royal Palace.”

ADLY1 students prepared a rigorous presentation on the topic “Online Class” after collecting data using Google Form as a survey tool. Another group of ADLY1 students conducted a small-scale research on Distance Learning for their second Summative Assessment. All in all, projects and tasks that support students’ diversity as well as useful skills are adapted and implemented into the classroom and assessments. The Faculty of English believes in finding what is crucial for student’ majors and their future careers ”

References:
Hurtado, S. (2001). Linking diversity and educational purpose: How diversity affects the classroom environment and student development. The Review of Higher Education, 30(2):185-196.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED456199.pdf

IDENTIFICATION OF RUTIN IN AROMATIC PLANT FOR ANTI-AGING COSMETICS BY UP PHARMACY STUDENTS

Our students, Ms. Keopanha Pen and Mr. Philip Poul have been conducted the research in the topic of “Identification of Rutin Compound in HPLC Analysis of Selected Aromatic Plants.” According to our literature review, rutin is in flavonoid group which is a bioactive compound from plants, fruits, vegetables and fungi. It provides health benefits through cell signaling pathways and antioxidant effects, Anti-inflammatory, Antifungal, especially Anti-aging. We also found that rutin was being used as one of the compositions in many kinds of cosmetics such as eye care, cleansers, treatment, masks, moisturizers, and many more. The following are some rutin-containing cosmetic products that are sold in the market.

Students have chosen five different aromatic plants in Cambodia to detect rutin such as Ocimum qratissimum L., Coriandrum sativum L., Polygonum odoratum Lour., Coleus aromaticus Benth by using several methods including Total Flavonoid Content (TFC), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assays and HPLC-UV analysis within the specific condition.

As the result, we detected the present of rutin in five different aromatic plants in different amounts using TFC. Yet, there is no detected antioxidant activity in aromatic plant Polygonum odoratum Lour. using FRAP. According to HPLC result, we detected rutin in aromatic plant Ocimum qratissimum L. and Coriandrum sativum L. in the concentration of 0.92 µg/m and 1.60 µg/m, respectively.Our results indicated the presence of antioxidant activities and flavonoid compounds particularly rutin compound. We believe that this information would be useful for further experiments in vitro and in vivo to support the clinical trial study, and toxicological effects to develop as pharmaceutical products as well as cosmetic products in the future.

UP PHARMACY STAFF JOINS 2023 YOUNG RESEARCHER PROGRAM

The Young Researchers Program (YRP) is a six-month part-time policy research training and coaching fellowship opportunity conducted by Future Forum for recent graduates and young professionals. Through a highly competitive, nationwide selection process, our pharmacy staff, Ms. Eng Poliny was accepted into the 2023 YRP January to July Cohort.

The fellowship kicked off with a three-day public policy retreat at Bamboo Resort in Kampong Cham province from January 13 to 15, 2023. During the retreat, Poliny had a chance to meet with other young research fellows and mentors, who have various professional backgrounds, including education, health, biotechnology, the environment, international relations, and so forth. Furthermore, she was able to develop the big picture and future thinking through megatrends discussion exercises. In addition, she has learned how to mind map policy problems through real-world observation in the community along the Mekong River in Preaek Preah Ang village, Stueng Trang district, Kampong Cham province.

After that, Poliny has actively participated in full-day training every Saturday at Future Forum office, completed reflection assignments, and attended group discussion sessions on Zoom every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 12 PM to 1 PM. Following the conclusion of the six-month training cycle, Poliny is expected to produce an individual policy research proposal for consideration under the Future Forum research grant allocation, with a view to publication in the Journal of Future Cambodia. Moreover, she has the opportunity to publish independent work through a variety of Future Forum publication avenues.

With this training, Poliny will gain the fundamental skills needed to conduct in-depth research, think critically, and provide sound analysis. As the University of Puthisastra (UP) encourages staff and students to be active in research, we hope that more staff and students will participate in this program in the future.

The achievement of UP pharmacy students in Practical work class

Pharmaceutical technology is a course that covers pharmaceutical Products. This course provides students on the manufacturing process and the use of machines. Students also learn about the composition, formula, and functions of the reagents in order to produce good quality medication.

During the practical class, students are very interested in this subject. They worked hard and focus on practical work. All the products they had produced such as syrups, suspensions, balms, creams, and suppositories. Thus, not only produce but also create their own brand and packaging.

Think about the future, there are many work opportunities in Pharmaceutical Industry in Cambodia. So students can use their skills to apply for position that they wish to do. Moreover, they can work on Production, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, or Research and Development departments to test the new formula or methods to ensure Good Manufacturing Products.