PBRI Partners with UBD Brunei to Strengthen Academic Collaboration and Research for Public Health Development Towards Global Engagement

On 9-10 April 2025, Praboromarajchanok Institute (PBRI), Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, led by Professor Emeritus Dr. Vichai Thienthavorn, M.D., President of PBRI, together with Asst. Prof. Dr. Kamonrat Turner, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, Prof. Dr. Sirikasem Sirilak, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Asst.Prof.Dr. Sukjai Charoensuk, Director of the Office of the President and Director of Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Chonburi, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Thanee Glomjai, Director of Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Phayao, and Chair of International Relations, attended an executive meeting with Dr. Hazri bin Haji Kifle, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Prof. Dr. Kenneth Kok Yuh Yen, Dean of Institute of Health Sciences, and the UBD management team in Brunei Darussalam.

During the meeting, PBRI presented its organizational overview, highlighting its vision to become a “World Class University for Primary Care for Primary Health Care”. The team also introduced its innovative NCD screening tool, “Ping Pong 7 Colors”, and showcased its ongoing international collaboration with Harvard University as a mentor institution.

UBD expressed strong interest in PBRI’s health innovations and operational approaches and showed clear intent to establish a formal academic partnership in the near future. The collaboration will focus on student exchange programs, joint hosting of international academic conferences, curriculum development, and collaborative research. These initiatives aim to enhance education quality and build regional and global academic networks while improving the quality of life for the people of Brunei through a proactive “Prevention before Treatment” model.

This meeting marked a significant milestone in expanding academic collaboration between Thailand and Brunei, reinforcing PBRI's role as a leading medical and public health education institution ready to drive knowledge and innovation onto the global stage.

Moreover, on 10 April 2025, Prof. Emeritus Dr. Vichai Thienthavorn, M.D., President of PBRI and the PBRI Administrative team paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Miss Bussara Kanchanalai, Ambassador of Thailand to Brunei Darussalam, in Bandar Seri Begawan. The delegation shared the outcomes of the collaboration with UBD and discussed the objective of enhancing Primary Health Care for Brunei’s citizens using the PBRI Model.

The Ambassador expressed full support, recognizing the model’s potential benefits to public health and expressed willingness to promote this initiative as a flagship project of Thailand contributing to the well-being of Bruneians.

As a token of goodwill and symbolic representation of health monitoring, PBRI presented the “7-Color Life Traffic Ping Pong Model” to the Ambassador during the visit.