By: Erik Pedersen, Content Strategy Director
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BALTIMORE – A pair of faculty members from the Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Khon Kaen (BCNKK) recently spent a week visiting Notre Dame of Maryland University and representatives from Notre Dame’s School of Nursing, strengthening a long-term partnership which was formally established in June 2023.
Dr. Tipparat Udmuangpia and Dr. Suthida Intaraphet represented BCNKK, which is one of 30 nursing colleges affiliated with Thailand’s Praboromarajchanok Institute (PBRI). The trip provided opportunities to meet with students, faculty, staff, and administrators from across campus.
“It was the School of Nursing’s and NDMU’s esteemed honor to connect across cultures with our Thai colleagues,” said Dr. Kathleen Wisser, dean of the School of Nursing. “Speaking on behalf of the School of Nursing, our faculty and staff learned that we have much in common, specifically when it comes to guiding and mentoring individuals to care for the most vulnerable using caring, compassion, and evidence-based practice. Our faculty and staff, along with our Thai colleagues, worked hard to imagine continuing ways to collaborate. There is no end to the rich and robust collaborative experiences that BCNKK and NDMU might seek together.“
Dr. Tina Bloom, the Frances Kay Pitts ’96 Endowed Chair for Nursing Leadership, and assistant professor Dr. Rachael Crowe traveled to Thailand in June for a celebratory agreement signing between the institutions. They helped organize Dr. Udmuangpia and Dr. Intaraphet’s recent trip to Baltimore, which featured tours of several sessions in the SON’s Center for Caring with Technology, visits to NDMU-affiliated mobile clinics and retirement communities, and attendance at NDMU’s Ribbon Cutting ceremony celebrating the recently-renovated Knott Science and Innovation Center.
“We are so grateful to the NDMU community for welcoming us and making us feel like family,” said Dr. Udmuangpia. “We were able to learn so much about both Notre Dame and nursing education in the United States. We will bring everything that we’ve learned back to our colleagues in Thailand, and we hope to continue strengthening this partnership in the future. It benefits faculty and students at both schools as they work to transform the world.”
Off-campus visits included trips to Broadmead – a dynamic lifestyle community for older adults located in Cockeysville – and a mobile clinic in southwest Baltimore run by long-time NDMU partner Ascension Saint Agnes. NDMU’s guests also traveled to Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital to meet with coordinators of the institution’s Violence Responder and Care in the Gap programs.
Throughout the week, representatives from the two institutions discussed how to continue working together moving forward. Research collaboration, sharing active learning strategies, and potential student and faculty exchanges were just a few of the ideas discussed.
“The faculty at NDMU are very passionate about their teaching,” said Dr. Intaraphet. “They do everything they can to help students achieve their goals. It was an honor to get to meet them in person after speaking previously on Zoom. The whole trip really exceeded our expectations.”
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.
