The Leadership Course at Chiang Mai University successfully concluded at the end of August, marking the end of an intensive four-month program to strengthen laboratory development in Laos as part of the BoliLab project.

After four months of training program, the four students had the opportunity to present their final projects to Associate Professor Dr. Ratchada Cressey, Assistant Dean for Research and International Relations, and Assistant Professor Dr. Khanitha Punturee, Chair of the Intensive Short Course Training, their instructor, and project officers from the Mérieux Foundation’s BoliLab initiative. These presentations highlighted the laboratory development plans they intend to implement in their laboratories in Laos.

During the closing ceremony, Associate Professor Dr. Ratchada Cressey emphasized the importance of the partnership between the university and the Mérieux Foundation. She acknowledged the students’ dedication who were presented with certificates in recognition of their successful completion of the course.

The trainees also had the opportunity to reflect on the course and give feedback on the teaching. They noted a marked improvement in their skills and confidence from the beginning to the end of the program. The training had a significant impact on their management and leadership concepts skills, and they were able to visit different laboratories while working on their development plans. These plans will soon be presented to hospital directors to build confidence in the quality of the laboratories.

This course is part of a long-term vision. The partnership between the Mérieux Foundation supported project (BoliLab) and Chiang Mai University will continue next year with a new group of students. Interviews to select the next group of participants will be held in October, providing another opportunity to train future leaders in the field.

About BoliLab

The BoliLab project was created following the construction of the new Bolikhamxay provincial hospital with funding from LuxDev and inaugurated in July 2018. Working closely with the provincial Department of Health and the NCLE (National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology), the Mérieux Foundation is contributing its expertise in developing and supporting medical biology laboratories with limited resources in the provinces of Bolikhamxay, Vientiane Province and Khammouane.

The overall aim of the project is to strengthen the capacity of health services in the three provinces.

The following initial specific objectives identified are:

• Strengthen the quality of diagnostic services of the Bolikhamxay, Vientiane Province and Khammouane provincial laboratories
• Strengthen the diagnostic quality of laboratories in Bolikhamxay, Vientiane Province and Khammouane provinces
• Integrate the Bolikhamxay, Vientiane Province and Khammouane provincial laboratories into the national laboratory network.
• Develop the leadership of laboratory managers

The specific objectives of the extensions include:

• Propose an inter-provincial capacity-building program for laboratory staff
• Support the redevelopment and creation of new laboratories in the provinces