Today (29th November 2017) at 13:30 hrs. Clin. Prof. Supat Vanichakarn, Secretary General of Prince Mahidol Award Foundation under the Royal Patronage; Ms. Busadee Santipitaks, Director-General of the Department of Information and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Prof. Vicharn Panich, Chairman of Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program Steering Committee; Prof. Apichat Asavamongkolkul, Chairman of Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program Working Committee; and Prof. Sompop Limpongsanurak, Chairman of Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program Selection Committee, together issue a press release on the names of Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program scholarship recipients for 2017 at the Hall in front of Prince Mahidol Aduldej Room, 4th floor of Siriraj Medical Library, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University.
The names of five scholarship recipients 2017 of Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program are as follows:
- Mr. Kanat Chanthongdee Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
- Miss Thanitsara Rittiphairoj Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University
- Mr. Nipith Charoenngam Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
- Mr. Peem Sarasombath Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University
- Miss Suchanan Kanjanapong Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
Fourteen applicants from 7 institutes were nominated for Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program in 2017. Only 5 successful applicants meet the criteria of Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program. The Selection Committee selected the scholarship recipients and presented to the Board of Trustee which HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is a President. The final decision had been made on 2nd November 2017.
Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program has been established on 20th November 2008 according to the 2nd/2008 consensus of the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation Committee. The program aims to inspire and facilitate Thai youths studied in the health fields to pursue their dedicated life for the benefit of mankind following the footsteps of HRH Prince Mahidol of Songkla.
The steering committee, the working committee, and the selection committee are responsible to select the applicants who meet the criteria of the program, and present their names to the Board of Trustee which HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is a President, for a final decision.
The successful applicants will obtain a scholarship for research study, professional training or community development abroad or in the country with full support for 12-month overseas placement. The period of overseas placement of the scholarship recipients will be considered as a part of their three-year working period for the government of Thailand.
Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program Scholar 2017
Mr. Kanat Chanthongdee
Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
Mr. Kanat Chanthongdee is a sixth year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University. He is interested in the field of neuropsychiatry, particularly alcohol use disorder (AUD) and its neurocircuitry of craving. According to the report from Thai national health security office in 2013, alcohol dependence is the most common cause Thai men’s year loss of healthy life. However, current alcohol addiction therapies in Thailand are not able to effectively reduce alcohol craving. Since addictive substances, including alcohol, alter the activity of epigenetic pathways in the brain, drug design through epigenetic mechanism is one of the new trends which may help alcohol addicted patients deal with biological problems inside their brains. He intends to conduct animal model research in order to understand the principles of neuronal and behavioral adaption in alcohol addiction, which could promote the discovery of novel therapeutic agents.
Mr. Kanat Chanthongdee has received many honors and awards as followings:
2016 Committee in Mahidol Day Fund raising event for underprivileged patients, Lecturer in the Medical National License Exam preparation program for 3rd year medical students
2015 President of the 4th year Siriraj Medical student, Provide social community medicine camp at Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
2014 Vice-president of the 3rd year Siriraj Medical student, receive the second prize in the 12th Inter-Medical School Physiology Quiz (IMSPQ) at University of Malaya, Malaysia, Music performer in “A Night To Remember Charity Concert” by Siriraj medical students
2013 Vice-president of 2014 Cadever memorial ceremony of Mahidol University
2012 Participate as Thailand representative youth in the 6th Asian Science Camp at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
2011 Receive Silver medal award in International Biology Olympiad 2011 at Taipei, Taiwan, Gold medal award with the highest total score in Thailand Biology Olympiad 2011, and be an Exchange Student at Droste Hülshoff Gymnasium, Germany
Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program Scholar 2017
Miss Thanitsara Rittiphairoj
Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University
Miss Thanitsara Rittiphairoj is a sixth-year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. She is interested in the establishment of the innovative systematic development of the evidence-based and context-sensitive preventive medicine service system in Thailand in order to reduce, or early detect, the preventable diseases which, subsequently, could concretely held reduce both personal and national health care spending and establish sustainable solutions to health care problems in Thailand. In the recent decades, preventable chronic disease has unceasingly been the major public health problem in Thai society. Thailand is confronting with both the rapidly increasing chronic disease burden and the rising medical care spending. Thus, it is high time for Thailand to focus the attention on sustainable prevention rather than purely on cure. In principle, the most beneficial, effective and practical preventive recommendations for Thai people need to be context-sensitive and evidence-based. In this respect, Thailand needs a systematic development of a new holistic preventive medicine service system to systematically review the existing evidence of the effectiveness, to develop context-sensitive and evidence-based preventive recommendations accordingly, and to formulate and implement relevant policies for the nation in order to give the right and equal benefits to each individual and improve their quality of life in the first place, and to make an innovative academic contribution to the systemic development of evidence-based preventive medicine services in Thailand.
Miss Thanitsara Rittiphairoj has received many honors and awards as follows:
2017 Elective medical student in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery at Oxford University Medical School. Elective medical student in Jichi Medical University, Japan.
2016 Outstanding Achievement Award in Otolaryngology Department. Key organizer of The 14th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting on ‘Health Economics and Rationalized Medicine’ at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.Co-organizer. “MEDrathon #1” organized by IFMSA, SMST, AMSA and Diabetes Association of Thailand. Head of IFMSA-Thailand delegate team to the 65th IFMSA General Assembly, March Meeting 2016 in Malta.
2015 President of IFMSA-Thailand 2015-2016 (International Federation of Medical Student Association – Thailand). Exchange medical student in Dermatology Department, Universitäts Klinikum Frankfurt, Germany.
2014 Practice in Basic Anatomy for the Basic Medical Science Experience course at Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
2013 Chair of Academic Activities of the Second-Year Medical Students’Class, Pre-Medical Camp Project, Chulalongkorn University. Hold several professional development training sessions in regional and national events.
Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program Scholar 2017
Mr. Nipith Charoenngam
Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
Mr. Nipith Charoenngam is a sixth year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University. He plans to conduct a research entitled “A study of the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitaminD in response to oral vitamin D supplement and gut microbiota profile”. Today, vitamin D deficiency is very common worldwide. Several patients who receive high dose vitamin D supplement are still unable to reach adequate vitamin D status. Mr. Nipith hypothesizes that gut microbiota may affect vitamin D absorption, as scientists discovered that gut microbiota affects several functions in human body, especially absorption of nutrients in gut. Still, no study has reported the relationship between response to vitamin D supplement and gut microbiota. Therefore, Mr. Nipith plans to conduct a clinical research to test his hypothesis, which may lead to further studies and new treatment modalities for vitamin D deficiency.
Mr.Nipith Charoenngam has received many honors and awards as follows:
2017 Presented 2 oral and 2 poster presentations at ANZAHPE 2017 conference at Adelaide, Australia
2016 Head of the 5th year Siriraj medical students, class of the year 2016, receive 1ST ranking score in Ophthalmology and Pediatrics, be a medical student volunteer at Sanam Luang in honor of the Great King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and join Research poster presentation at AMEE2016 conference, Barcelona, Spain
2015 Head of the project entitled, “Early clinical exposure by direct experience program 2015” conducted by 4th year clinical students for 3rd year preclinical students, President of 4th year Siriaj student residence, receive 1st ranking score in examination part and clinical performance in Internal medicine, join research poster presentation at SICMPH 2016 conference at Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University and research poster presentation at ENDO 2016 conference, Boston, USA
2014 Vice president of academic affair of Siriraj Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology Competition, 1st runner-up in team competition and 4th place in individual competition in Inter-Medical School Physiology Quiz (IMSPQ), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and 1st ranking score in immunology
2013 Special instructor in mathematics for the students of Chulalonkorn University Demonstration Secondary School in preparation for Olympiad competition
2012 Silver medalist in International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2012 at Mardel Plata, Argentina, Silver medalist in Asia Pacific Mathematical Olympiad (APMO) 2012
Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program Scholar 2017
Mr. Peem Sarasombath
Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University
Mr. Peem Sarasombath is a sixth year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University. He is interested in the field of caring for caregivers, focusing on the implementation of Telehealth to improve healthcare for caregivers of palliative geriatric patients in Thailand. The increasingly ageing population has already been one of the dominant social and health issues in Thailand, highlighting the need for efficient and well-trained caregivers and a long-term support system for them. In particular, the caregivers who live in rural areas always lack support while their exhausting duties affect several parts of their life. Nowadays, Telehealth is a technology which should be considered.
Mr. Peem Sarasombath has received many honors and awards as followings:
2016 Outstanding Chiang Mai University Student Award, Chiang Mai University alumni Scholarship as a visiting student at Texas Tech University, Texas, USA, participating in Mobile Medical united of Royal Project Foundation
2015 Oral Presentation: “Preclinical Medical Students as a transformer: Student and Health Care Provider”, AMEE 2015 at Glasgow, United Kingdom, Screening and Advice Project among geriatric villagers at Pa Sang District, Lumphun Province.
2014 President and pioneer of health broadcasting project for the rural villagers at Sob Tiar District, Chiang Mai, volunteer and work in Community Service Project at Son Kum Pang District, Chiang Mai.
2013 Staff of “The Childhood Perfection”, group of volunteers at Mae Tang District, Chiang Mai.
Prince Mahidol Award Youth Program Scholar 2017
Miss Suchanan Kanjanapong
Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
Miss Suchanan Kanjanapong is a sixth-year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University. Her goal is to develop a computerized cognitive testing tool for dementia and to integrate it into a public registry system for dementia in Thailand. Currently, the number of dementia patients in Thailand is estimated to be more than 600,000 people and it will continue to rise in the upcoming ageing society. However, a significant number of patients are still left undiagnosed due to the lack of understandings and the lack of accessible diagnostic services. The development of the computerized cognitive testing tool for dementia will facilitate a mass screening and introduce more patients to early intervention. In addition, the computerized cognitive testing tool can be integrated into a public registry on dementia which will gather population-scale data and, hence, drive further development in the field of dementia for Thai patients.
Miss Suchanan Kanjanapong has received many honors and awards as followings:
2017 President of sixth-year medical students at Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, present Poster “Siriraj International Medical Microbiology Parasitology and Immunology Competition(SIMPIC): The Platform for Academic Competition and International Relations for International Medical Students” at Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) Conference 2017, Helsinki, Finland. Recipient of scholarship for Siriraj medical student as a visiting student at University of California, Los Angles, USA
2016 President of Siriraj International Medical Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology Competition (SIMPIC) 2016, co-President of the 15th International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM)
2015 Representative of IFMSA-Thailand for the 64th IFMSA General Assembly, Antalya, Turkey Recipient of scholarship for Siriraj medical student as a visiting student at National University of Singapore, Singapore
2014 Head of representatives of IFMSA-Thailand for the 63rd IFMSA General Assembly, Taipei, Republic of China Head of IFMSA-Thailand Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE), National Exchange Officer on Incoming
2013 General Secretary to Charity Concert Project, Siriraj the Music Lovers’ Concert (SIMULO 2013) for Navamindrapobitr 84th Anniversary Building
2012 Head of Finance and Funding, first-year Siriraj medical students’ Committee