Having now taken up the post of Dean, I wish to convey my cordial greetings and sincere appreciation to all staff of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, and our colleagues, collaborators, and well-wishers for their wonderful support, and to outline my vision for the future during my term as Dean.
During this term, we will build upon the immense strengths and successes of our Faculty in research, education, healthcare and non-health academic services, which we have been continuously developing since our foundation in 1960. Inspired by our shared vision to be “One of The World’s Leaders in Tropical Medicine”, we continue to progress, deeply committed to improving the quality of life of people in Thailand, Southeast Asia, and tropical regions the world over.
To achieve our goals, our team will focus on the “5Ps” Policy--People, Product, Policy, Participation and Planet.
People:
Our people are clearly our most valuable resource. We will continue to recruit the best employees, invest in human capital, nurture, develop and maintain that resource to strengthen the faculty’s research culture and employee engagement. The core values of Mahidol University--Mastery, Altruism, Harmony, Integrity, Determination, Originality, and Leadership will also be promoted.
Products:
Research: We must aim to uphold world-class standards in basic and translational research, ensuring we address current and pressing issues in tropical medicine. Domestic problems will also be addressed.
Education: We will achieve international accreditation and increased cultural diversity, implement more aggressive public relations and marketing strategies, expand existing programs and develop new ones, and strive to equip our graduates with the necessary skills to allow them to become the next generation of leaders in tropical medicine education, research, and healthcare services.
Healthcare Services: We will maintain our deservedly excellent international reputation, earned because of our expert clinicians and specialized diagnostic services for treating patients with tropical diseases. We will also need to broaden our market positioning, to adapt and respond to the broader definition of “tropical diseases” and “tropical medicine”.
Non-health Academic Services: We will augment our collaborating centers and training centers and increase our capacity for consultation and knowledge management, while providing customer-oriented services to establish our brand and customer loyalty.
Policy & Participation:
As Dean, I will have an open-door policy. Through events such as Meet the Dean, and official and unofficial meetings, all employees will have the opportunity to participate in the continuous improvement of TropMed. I promote a policy of accountability and transparency in all Faculty activities.
Planet:
We at TropMed have a unique capability to carry out activities that benefit society at large. Climate change is a harsh reality, and we need to effect sustainability in our workplace by reducing, reusing, recycling, and repairing resources. Part of that action will be to develop an increasingly ecologically green workplace.
Another key focus is the advent of ASEAN as a unified regional community, in 2015. This will bring with it both challenges and opportunities for all of us. While the Faculty is already well-placed to respond to this new regional socio-economic grouping, we will strive to contribute to, benefit from, and compete successfully in this community.
I look forward with great enthusiasm to serving as Dean and representing the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University. United under our shared goals, let us work together to usher in a new, energetic and productive chapter of innovation, dynamism, and public service, to ensure that TropMed’s next 50 years will surpass even the outstanding achievements of the past 50.
