25 December 2024

UP VOICE VOL.45 – August 2020

The Official Newsletter of the University of Puthisastra (UP)-Vol.45 August 2020 Download

University of Puthisastra Fully Prepared To Accept Students Again

Plans to reopen the campus buildings are well underway and include best practice on controlling the spread of COVID-19 to help keep students, families, and staff safe. The key principles of the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Education, Youth & Sport (MoYES) have been used in our planning processes, and include:

  • A limited number of students coming to campus at the same time;
  • Social distancing between desks in all classrooms;
  • Personal Protective Equipment being ready when required for Laboratory use;
  • Signs for distancing in all classrooms, laboratories and offices as well as throughout the public campus areas to remind everyone of best practice;
  • Ensuring an efficient contact tracing procedure if case cases occur;/li>
  • Hand sanitiser available at all gates to the campus (all visitors must wash their hands when entering campus);
  • Hand sanitizer widely available in all public areas of campus;
  • The use of sanitiser spraying machines once a week to clean inside the campus;
  • Cleaning and sanitising of classrooms twice a day, using disinfectant.
  • All students and staff to wear face coverings.

UP Dental Clinic Implements Guidelines to Ensure Safety During Covid-19 Pandemic

The UP dental clinic has introduced new guidelines to ensure safety for patients, students and staff. These include:

  • Plastic screens between chairs to prevent cross contamination;
  • Temperature taking, hand sanitizer and Covid-19 questionnaires for staff, students and patients on entry to the clinic;
  • Strict requirements for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) including plastic outer gowns and face shields;
  • Thorough cleaning of dental units and surroundings between each patient.

These procedures are in line with the new draft National Guidelines for Dental Clinics which UP contributed to and which should be approved and released in the near future.

Patients have confidence in these new measures which have been implemented and monitored by our clinic Managers, Dr Sothea and Dr Sereybot. This is part of our ongoing efforts to make the UP Dental Clinic where patients can receive high quality treatment in a clean and safe environment. UP’s dental clinic is now taking patients.

WHAT’S UP ON CAMPUS -16-17-18 September 2020, pchum ben days                              -24 september 2020, constitutional day

Arrival Of New Technology For The Department of Laboratory Sciences


Modern technology plays a significant role in daily testing at Medical Diagnostic Laboratories. It is therefore paramount that our students are properly and professionally trained to in how to use modern technology as part of their training for their degree in Medical Laboratory Technology.

On July 16th 2020, two new pieces of laboratory equipment arrived at The Department of Laboratory Sciences, UP. The Hemogram Analyzer is used to provide a Complete Blood Count (CBC) which includes blood levels of platelets (PLT), red blood cells (RBC), and white blood cells (WBC), and is typically the first test requested by a physician to evaluate a patient’s general health status.

The Electrolyte Analyzer can measure electrolytes like Na+, K+ Ca2+ and Cl- in serum, plasma, whole blood, CSF and urine and is used to analyze the maintenance of body functions.

We are excited to provide students and staff with this new modern laboratory equipment to train on during their practicums. The Department of Laboratory Sciences is ready for the reopening of UP’s campus to provide our students with new experiences in their practical classes.

Medical Genetics Online Course Delivery At Up By Professor Dominique Germain

Professor Dominique Germain, Chairman of the Division of Medical Genetics at the University of Versailles in St. Quentin en Yvelines (UVSQ), France since 2007, Professor (elected) at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at UP, has delivered an online Course of Medical Genetics to Year 6 medical students from the 20th to the 22nd July 2020.

Medical genetics is arguably the future of healthcare, being increasingly able to predict, prevent and diagnose disease. As well as providing targeted, personalized drug therapies that are MUCH more effective, the rise of personalised, pharmacogenomics is revolutionizing many areas of medicine.

Professor Germain is an internationally recognized expert in Fabry Disease and in other rare diseases (such as Gaucher and Ehlers-Danlos), and she has co-authored 150 publications in prestigious international journals and nine book chapters, and has an impressive h-index of 41 (Scopus) and 51 (Google Scholar).

UP recognizes the need to expose students to the world’s Best Practice so graduates can work all over the world. Therefore, UP’s Faculty of Medicine (and other Faculties) are increasingly involving internationally recognized clinicians and scientists to provide state-of-the-art teaching to our students.

Ms. Darasour LA, UP pharmacy student
Wins Scholarship At The University of York, UK

It is apparently crazy to dream amazing stories that will happen as we close our eyes and drift to sleep, yet those dreams can help shape our thoughts and daily actions. As a scholarship chaser, Darasour frequently had dreams of seeing the words SCHOLARSHIP AWARD WINNERS in her email inbox on her phone!

We are delighted to report that her dream has come true. She has won a Sharifah Sofia Albukhary Scholarship Award and has been awarded a place at the University of York in England.

She has been asked by many people how much work she put into her scholarship application. “One word might not be enough to describe but it was extremely intense. So it’s better to start doing research on scholarship, specifically focusing on their objectives (Region, Merit, Academic or financial base etc). Look up the university website first to get ideas of who is qualified to get the offer from them.” said Darasour.

She will put the process of getting a scholarship from University of York into two categories. Initially, applying for admission through the United Kingdom’s University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and getting an offer from the universities. She suggests that we should have a consultation with a school counselor to consider if the course that we intend to apply is right for us. Only then, start a personal statement and request a reference letter from your school.

After getting an offer from the university, we are eligible to apply for a scholarship. Following that, Darasour started her scholarship application straightaway. Despite the fact that she got offers from three universities, of of which have full fee scholarships, she applied her scholarship only to the University of York, as she likes their teaching and research facilities which are very impressive, so she could get exposed to new technology and science, as well as the rich cultural environment of the university and York itself, a very historic city in England. She also asked some of her friends and lecturers to read her personal statement, give feedback and correct any errors.

Looking At Runners’ Teeth!

DARIYA KUO
” MANY RUNENRS LOOK AT THEIR WATCH WHEN RUNNING.
ME, I LOVE LOOKING AT RUNNERS’ TEETH. “

Indeed, running can be a really tough sport for your oral health, said Daiya Kuo, a 3rd Year Dentistry student from the University of Puthisastra.

The story began in 2017 when I volunteered to help organize the Sihanoukville International 1/2 Marathon. It was the very first time for me to get
experience with this kind of event. I was just very keen on looking at runners’ teeth every single time they passed by to grab water, Coke, Pepsi, nuts or chocolate. Many runners are mouth-breathers, a habit that can leave them a bit dried out. The gels, chews, and sugary drinks that fuel their run also feed bacteria that occur naturally in the mouth. Sticky chews and dense protein bars can damage crowns and fillings. Those faster runners often clench their jaws or grind their teeth during races. I was thinking of becoming a runner as well and see how I’d feel with my dental health. While most people say
running keeps you strong physically and mentally, nobody talks about dental care! One year later, I ran my first 5km race at the 5th Bokor Marathon Charity Run on Bokor Hill in Kampot. A great feeling indeed.

The story began in 2017 when I volunteered to help organize the Sihanoukville International 1/2 Marathon. It was the very first time for me to get experience with this kind of event. I was just very keen on looking at runners’ teeth every single time they passed by to grab water, Coke, Pepsi, nuts or chocolate. Many runners are mouth-breathers, a habit that can leave them a bit dried out. The gels, chews, and sugary drinks that fuel their run also feed bacteria that occur naturally in the mouth. Sticky chews and dense protein bars can damage crowns and fillings. Those faster runners often clench their jaws or grind their teeth during races. I was thinking of becoming a runner as well and see how I’d feel with my dental health. While most people say running keeps you strong physically and mentally, nobody talks about dental care! One year later, I ran my first 5km race at the 5th Bokor Marathon Charity Run on Bokor Hill in Kampot. A great feeling indeed.At that time I realized that running was fun and I would like to extend my knowledge in dental care for runners by doing extra research in related topics. In 2019, my university created a running club! I was so happy to join the club, getting to know other students and lecturers from different faculties. I have to mention my amazing English teachers Leah Wood and Jake Pedersen who always ran with us every Sunday at 5pm at the Olympic Stadium during my early days of running. The first day of running was very hard for me and after 100 meters I wanted to give up. But, both teachers told me that it would get better day by day. With their encouragement, I managed to run non-stop, first for 5km and then 10km. Soon I got used to running and I always felt excited to join races. I experienced that it’d always help me to relax and reduce the stress after school.

Half a year later after the club was established I happened to meet a lecturer from the Pharmacy faculty, Eng Muyngim, who organized the 5k/10k time-trials at the Sokha Hotel loop in Phnom Penh. There were around 200 students from UP joining that race. Surprisingly, I learned that she is also a national athlete, a pharmacist with a Masters Degree in Sports Science. Quite cool! She inspired me and my friends more than she had believed. One of her stories that came to my mind all the time was when she went to Malaysia last April, initially to join the 10th Asian Medical Education Association Symposium along with other lecturers including Jake and my Dean of Dentistry, Dr. Callum. It happened that 3 hours prior to the start of the symposium, Muyngim began her 6km race organized by Sunway University. She missed the first part of the symposium, but arrived straight at the conference hall in her business dress with a huge gift basket she won from the race. Gosh, it was a funny story yet so inspiring! With my friends Sreypoun, Muyseang and Vira, we are now leading the UP Running Club and spreading the running culture and telling all the great stories at our university!

Year 5 Pharmacy Students Restart Clerkship Activities For Their Last Academic Year

With reference to the letter from the Ministry of Health, ‘N0165 អបស.អធម’, dated June 9th, 2020, allowing health science students of all levels and specialties who are studying in the final year, and intern students, to redo their clinical internships in hospital for the academic year 2019-2020, University of Puthisastra (UP) has sent 110 pharmacy students (Batch 5) to continue their clerkships in Pharmaceutical Industry, Quality Control, Pharmacy Management and Traditional Medicine.

The intended clerkship objectives are to put students into real pharmaceutical practice, to carry out professional responsibilities, direct them to contact with reality, to familiarize students with professional activities and practices.

Pharmacy students can gain much more knowledge in public sectors and they have a lot of opportunities to practice with modern equipment and contact with the government and industry’s staff. Before allowing students to do internships, the Faculty of Pharmacy designed safety clerkship guidelines and provided safety training to students. Also, our clerkship preceptors will follow up on student activities to make sure students are learning within a safe learning environment. The preceptors also evaluate our pharmacy students’ performance based on their UP preparations:

Pharmaceutical industry:

  • Pharma Product Manufacturing (PPM) and Chea Chamnan Laboratories Co.Ltd (CMP)

Quality Control:

  • National Health Products Quality Control Centre and Consumer Protection Competition and Fraud Repression Directorate-General (CCF);

Pharmacy Management:

  • Central Medical Stores (CMS) and Department Drugs and Food (DDF);

Traditional Medicine:

  • National Centre of Traditional Medicine (NCTM).

UP Joins Online Regional Workshop On Oral Cancer

Recently Dean Callum Durward of the Faculty of Dentistry joined the Asia Pacific Oral Cancer Network(APOCNET) online 3-day workshop with participants from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Nepal and Indonesia. This meeting follows the inaugural meeting which was held in Kuala Lumpur in September 2019.

APOCNET was established to address the high prevalence of oral cancer cases in Asia, which appears to be on the rise. Oral cancer is amenable to early detection through visual oral examination, yet in many Asian countries, including Cambodia, the disease presents at a late stage and consequently has poor outcomes. The issues around oral cancer are similar across Asia‐Pacific countries, and therefore strategies to address these could be more effective if there was more collaboration between the countries.

The workshop discussed how to improve engagement and collaboration between stakeholders in oral cancer detection and management, focusing on 4 different priority research areas:

  1. Tobacco and areca (betel) nut control – to address the two main risk factors for oral cancer.
  2. Establishing oral cancer registries in each country – to provide accurate information on the incidence of oral cancer, which can be monitored over time to detect trends and support planning for interventions.
  3. MeMoSA – “Mobile Mouth Screening Anywhere for Early Detection of Oral Cancer” a mobile phone App that enables early detection of mouth cancer in rural areas by healthcare professionals.

The three Cambodian participants in the workshop took part in discussions on these collaborative research projects, and it is hoped that once implemented they can contribute towards reducing the oral cancer burden in Cambodia and the region.

UP Orthodontists Provide Excellent Results!

Our three part-time orthodontists, Dr Anand Marya, Dr Adith Venugopal and Dr Jatin Gambhir, see orthodontic patients three evenings per week. The case shown here has recently been completed by Dr Anand. She firstcame to UP with an anterior cross bite and “crooked teeth” when she was 11 years old.

Over the next two years Dr Anand aligned the teeth with braces on the top and bottom teeth. The patient was very happy with the result. If you would like to have a free consultation with one of our orthodontists, please speak with our dental clinic receptionists.

Medical Laboratory Technology Student Clerkship


Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all educational institutions in the country, including the University of Puthisastra, have been closed.The Department of Laboratory Sciences at the University of Puthisastra has been dealing with this challenge by delivering teaching to our Medical Laboratory Technology students via distance learning, using the Google Meet platform. Although theory classes have gone well so far, medical laboratory technology students depend on practical experience to improve their skills for success in Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all educational institutions in the country, including the University of Puthisastra, have been closed. The Department of Laboratory Sciences at the University of Puthisastra has been dealing with this challenge by delivering teaching to our Medical Laboratory Technology students via distance learning, using the Google Meet platform. Although theory classes have gone well so far, medical laboratory technology students depend on practical experience to improve their skills for success in their careers in the health sector.their careers in the health sector.

Our Clerkship program has played a vital role in providing students with opportunities to observe hospital and laboratory room workflows. In particular students are able to learn about real practice and explore new opportunities for learning that they haven’t previously undertaken.

As the students were about to start their Clerkship studies, the Department of Laboratory Sciences’ staff conducted a Clerkship Orientation with the students in respect of the new Semester Clerkship Program on July 15th, 2020. This orientation covered important policies in respect of training, with a particular emphasis on keeping safe in the workplace and student self-safety, especially during this uniquely challenging time, with COVID-19 at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

Following the orientation, starting on July 20th, 2020, Medical Laboratory Technology students from the University of Puthisastra have begun their clerkship in Medical Laboratories at several hospitals within the capital city of Phnom Penh led by Laboratory Sciences’ staff. During this clerkship, which will last for three-weeks of full time shifts, students are encouraged to try their best in order to gain vital knowledge and skills.

IMPLANT COURSES AT UP

Currently UP has two dental implant courses underway. The first is our two-year Postgraduate Diploma of Implantology course which is being conducted by a team of top lecturers and clinical tutors from Australia and Cambodia.

Because of the Covid-19 situation, the theory part of the course is now being taught online. It is based on a similar course conducted at Sydney University, and is very demanding for the participants, who have to complete several major assignments, exams and clinical requirements.

The dentists on the course come to UP to treat patients in our dental clinic under the supervision of local teaching staff. They are presently looking for patients who have missing teeth and would like to have an implant. Dentists in the course need to complete a minimum of six implant cases each.

The other implant course UP is currently hosting is the course run by Unident based on the Ankylos implant system. 25 dentists have enrolled for the course, which is being conducted by two specialists from Roomchang Dental Hospital – Dr Nol Rithy and Dr Chav Bunhean. UP’s partnership to run this course stretches back five years. It is known to be one of the best introductory courses in implants in Cambodia. The first module was completed recently, with several young UP graduates participating. UP is able to offer the high quality Ankylos implants, as well as several other systems.

UP Nursing joins Consultative Workshop on digital learning platforms for Health Professionals

On 28th July 2020, Ms. Tun SreyPeov, Head of Nursing Department, joined the workshop titlied “Consultative Workshop on Digital Learning Platforms for Health Professionals” at the Sokha Hotel. This workshop was arranged by Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (MOYES) and co- organized by Ministry of Health (MOH) with support from UNFPA Cambodia. Participants attending came from UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs, relevant government ministries and the private sector.

The objectives of the workshop were:

  • To create a common understanding of the role and need for e- learning digital platforms in Cambodia in the Covid 19 context.
  • To discern the features of such learning platforms to ensure proper ownership, relevance and sustainability.

Mr. Soktha, (MOYES) presented on digital platforms that the Ministry is using such as video recording, live streaming through face book, and various websites. UNFPA introduced the digital platforms and activities of Moodle, video recording, google G-suite. There was very enthusiastic and active discussion on the comprehensiveness and innovation of digital learning tools and many shared ideas of the ways forward to bring digital learning platforms to health professionals in education in Cambodia.University of Puthisastra has many ideas to be able to share as well as learn from,at these forums based on the experience over recent months delivering learning to over 2000 students online during COVID-19.

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