The Faculty of Medicine, Burapha University, has maintained a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Governors State University (GSU), Illinois, United States, since fiscal year 2016. The agreement was established to promote academic collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the development of future cooperative initiatives, including student and staff exchanges, joint research, and other academic activities. In support of Burapha University’s internationalization policy and the Faculty’s vision of advancing its standards to the international level, the Faculty implemented the “Academic Conference under an International Institutional Cooperation Agreement (MOU Implementation)” project for fiscal year 2026. The program featured an academic lecture and knowledge-exchange session with representatives from GSU entitled “Sex Talk: Therapist and Parent Comfort with Sexuality Conversations.” It provided faculty members, physicians, and medical students with an opportunity to participate in an international academic activity while enhancing the Faculty’s visibility within the global academic community.
The objectives
1. To provide staff and medical students with opportunities to participate in international academic activities.
2. To strengthen institutional relationships and enhance the Faculty’s visibility in the international academic community.
3. To promote learning in medicine, healthcare services, life skills, and social skills within Thai and United States social contexts.
4. To advance the internationalization policies of the Faculty of Medicine and Burapha University.
English was used throughout the project for meetings, the academic lecture, and all meeting documents. The implementation process was as follows: 1. Coordinate online with representatives of Governors State University to define the activity framework, format, and implementation schedule. 2. Submit the project proposal for institutional approval. 3. Conduct a planning meeting to discuss prospective joint research between the two institutions. 4. Organize an academic seminar entitled “Sex Talk: Therapist and Parent Comfort with Sexuality Conversations.” 5. Exchange professional approaches and communication methods for sexuality education among faculty members, healthcare personnel, and medical students in United States and Thai social contexts. The activity aimed to promote appropriate and constructive communication about sexuality and to support safer sexual behaviors among family members, learners, and healthcare service users. 6. Evaluate the implementation and outcomes of the project.
Participation: A total of 25 participants attended the program, comprising 2 executives from Governors State University, 13 faculty members in the health sciences, 7 healthcare personnel, and 3 medical students. Participant satisfaction: Mean satisfaction scores were assessed on a five-point scale, where 1 indicated the lowest level of satisfaction and 5 indicated the highest level.
The evalulation item and mean score result as shown belows;
1. Overall satisfaction with the program = 4.9
2. Professionalism of the presenter = 5.0
3. Relevance of the knowledge and concepts to participants’ objectives = 4.8
4. Value of the knowledge gained from the program = 5.0
5. Applicability of the knowledge to participants’ study or work = 4.5
6. Appropriateness of the program duration and timing = 4.8
7. Quality and adequacy of facilities, media, and technology (e.g., meeting rooms and Wi-Fi) = 4.8
Activity Dates: World AIDS Day Week, 1–4 December 2025
Project Leader: Dr.Puangtong Inchai and Natthakan Phuikhamsing
