Published April 25, 2024

We are proud to share this unique six-week medical training opportunity between two Children’s HeartLink partners.

Through the Children’s HeartLink partnership, the Anesthesia Cardiac Care Team at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) hosted two visiting doctors from Vietnam National Children’s Hospital (VNCH).

Anesthesiologist Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, MD and perfusionist Nam Do Van, MD from VNCH observed and learned from UCSF’s pediatric cardiac care team and UCSF anesthesiologist Hung Nguyen, MD.

During their stay, the doctors witnessed firsthand UCSF’s world-renowned knowledge and skills in cardiac care, which they were able to bring back and share with their home institution.

Back in 2017, Children’s HeartLink paired medical volunteers from UCSF with the heart care team at VNCH. Since then, the teams work together regularly — through virtual learning and in-person training visits in Hanoi — to build VNCH’s capacity to care for more children with congenital heart disease and train more teams in the region to address the greater need in the country.

“Visits like this accelerate what our volunteers teach during on-site visits,” said Barry Jass, senior director of program operations at Children’s HeartLink. “Our hospital partners appreciate being able to come to visit the institutions where their medical volunteers work, because it helps them understand the context of the volunteers’ suggestions, see them in action. Then they can return to their home institutions and apply what they’ve learned.”

This Children’s HeartLink initiative, sponsored by the Ping and Amy Chao Family Foundation, showcases a commitment to improving heart care for children through international knowledge exchange.

For those interested in learning more about this educational experience and how it is impacting pediatric cardiac care in Vietnam, the full article written by UCSF provides a comprehensive look at the activities, learning objectives and mutual benefits of this international collaboration.