MUIC partners with Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital on biodesign and health innovations

The collaboration was aimed at enhancing student’s learning experience through innovating solutions to real-world problems in medicine and healthcare. MUIC is ready to launch five courses in the Designing Health Innovations Minor which are designed for all students who aspire to strengthen their skills as  innovators of medical, health and wellness innovations.

The agreement entitled, "Project Execution in Teaching and Learning Activities of the Designing Health Innovations Minor and the Master of Science Program in Biodesign in Medicine (International Program)" reflects the realization that social trends and education trends in Thailand and globally have gone beyond textbooks. The new generation of students are looking for experiential learning, an educational approach that emphasizes hands-on, active learning through direct personal experience. Thus, today’s higher education institutions need to design a multidisciplinary curriculum that delivers the multiple skills needed to solve problems for various stakeholders in society. Through this process, students will also learn teamwork, critical thinking, visual and verbal communication, as well as business decision making, all of which are critical in solving various problems posed by stakeholders in society.

Prof. Chulathida Chomchai, M.D., Dean of MUIC, revealed that "Designing a community health innovation was originally an isolated course that was taught at MUIC’s Bachelor of Science program for two semesters. It received a very good response from students, giving us the idea that it should be expanded to other non-biology students at MUIC  to help students develop their own capabilities in becoming innovators of  new products and work processes which can be useful in the medicine, health and wellness industries. Through the process of designing different health innovations, students will become more and more experienced at innovating prototypes that have both economic and social values that will contribute to the social and economic wealth of   the nation,” she said.

This collaboration covers both the teaching and curriculum development, as well as other academic services related to innovation and entrepreneurship. The newly designed minor encompasses five minor courses: 1. Community Health Innovations 2. Design Thinking in Health  3. Case Studies in Health Innovations 4. Cutting-edge Technology for Health Innovations, and 5. Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Science. All of these are not only about science, technology, and medicine but are also about the ability to understand business and market mechanisms, how to communicate prototype ideas to stakeholders, how to bring new products to market, and how to perform market testing.

Apart from that, students also learn to listen with empathy, entrepreneurial skills, understanding of patents and intellectual property management, and analysis of prototype feasibility based on case studies. 

In this regard, Dean Chulathida added that "Designing Health Innovations may seem like a new discipline for Thailand but it is becoming very popular in major universities abroad like Stanford University in the US, where it is called Biodesign. Our curriculum is based on this Biodesign model of teaching.”

The first course will be offered in September this year. Dean Chulathida said they expect to have an initial batch of 30 students. “In the future, perhaps in the next 4 - 5 years, it could be developed into a major, depending on the feedback. At present, MUIC has a total of 4,000 students and 17 programs are currently offered. Our aim is to encourage students from other faculties to study Designing Health Innovations as a minor, not only Biological Sciences students,” she said.

Prof. Apichat Asavamongkolkul, M.D., Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University said that the soon-to-be-signed agreement is “timely because the world's climate and environment are changing rapidly and have a negative impact on physical health, prompting the medical industry to develop and innovate in order to improve the quality of life and the public health system of the country. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize business management knowledge, product design, and creative thinking to develop the medical personnel's competency to accommodate these changes.”

“Mahidol University International College (MUIC) has excelled in teaching and learning in arts, business administration, and international communications while the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital mainly specializes in producing healthcare specialists, so we share the same thought about exchanging knowledge between the two faculties to develop students from the undergraduate to the doctoral level to have a broader vision that accommodates future works,” he said.