We’ve obviously not done any travelling, but we still did work to help and train our colleagues in Da Nang
We continued partnering with the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) to train gynecologic oncology physicians in Da Nang. This is part of the IGCS Global Curriculum and Mentorship Program. https://igcs.org/mentorship-and-training-vietnam/. Throughout the year, via the IGCS, there is program of weekly tutorials and monthly tumor board for our fellows at the Da Nang Oncology Hospital (DOH). International Mentors for this program are Drs. Joseph Ng (National University Hospital Singapore), Linda VanLe (UNC-Chapel Hill) and Tri Dinh (Mayo Clinic Florida). Dr. Quy Tran, the director of DOH, is the local supervisor.
• IGCS Gyn Oncology Fellow, Dr. Tran Thi Nhu Quynh, completed her 6 months fellowship in Singapore. Timeframe was March 2021 to September 2021. She had to quarantine on each end of the fellowship. She has now returned to work at Da Nang Oncology Hospital as of the end of October . Dr. Ngoc actually graduated from the fellowship shortly before her rotation in Singapore. She had to complete an oral exam given by international gyn oncology experts (who were not members of the faculty in Da Nang) via zoom as part of her certification.
• The second fellow, Dr. Phan Thi Hong Ngoc, started her fellowship in gyn oncology in February 2020 and will be in the U.S. Feb – Jun 2022 to train with Dr. Tri Dinh and Dr. Linda VanLe. She is in the process of applying for a visa to travel.
• Dr. Tri Dinh was awarded the Global Humanitarian Award by IGCS at the Annual Meeting in September 2021. Tri says “this is an amazing honor for me and for all of us in TVD.” Please refer to the link https://igcs.org/awards/global-humanitarian-award/
• TVD received an award of $10,000 from the John P McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) for a posthumous award for Dr. Tung Van Dinh, that’s our father! He began to connect physicians in Da Nang and the US in the late 1990’s. His efforts are the beginning of what is Project TVD today and the story is detailed here The Story
See below on how we plan to use this amazing award! Also, please refer to the award link Posthumous Award in Oslerian Medicine.
Updates on Vietnam and the pandemic
• We heard from Dr. Tran Dinh Vinh, the director of the Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children, regarding the status of the pandemic in Da Nang. Da Nang was not affected by the second wave as much as Hanoi and Saigon (HCM City). As of mid-October, 2021, he reports that 90% of the Da Nang population has had their first dose of the vaccine, and 10% has received both doses.
Plans for 2022
• We have decided on July 18-22, 2022 for the next Project TVD trip. We ask that team members be present in Da Nang by Sunday July 17, 2022. Based on the impacts of COVID-19 and travel restrictions, a final decision will be made in late March 2022 and an email will be sent out to the group on April 1, 2022. For now, we will proceed with planning for the July 18-22, 2022 week, but will ask volunteers to hold off on booking flights. If you are thinking about going, please let me know by replying to the email.
• Dr. Vinh from Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children has inquired about sending 2 doctors to UTMB for training. We will use the UTMB posthumous grant honoring my father Dr. Tung Van Dinh to fund this program. We can’t imagine a more fitting use for this generous grant from my late father’s colleagues at UTMB. Dr. Gayle Olson, a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist at UTMB, and a Project TVD regular (she has gone 7 years and counting!) will look into sponsoring the 2 physicians at UTMB.
projecttvd.org 