• Description

  The Community Public Health study abroad program in Khon Kaen, Thailand provides an attractive option for students interested in studying community health issues and public health policy in an Asian context - in English - coupled with learning Thai as a second language. Thailand, a country known for its innovative public health system, provides a near perfect environment for students interested in an intensive and integrated immersion experience to examine issues of public health and social services on both a regional and national level through academic lectures from public health faculty coupled with site visits to communities, NGOs, and Ministry of Public Health projects.

  Academic Program
  The CIEE Study Center has been based at Khon Kaen University since 1991 and its initial focus on development was established three years later in 1994. The Community Public Health program began in spring 2010. This program combines traditional classroom instruction with extensive field study involving government, private and public health agencies, as well as visits to local communities.

  Academic Culture
  The Faculty of Public Health at Khon Kaen University prepares students in the classroom, while government officials and practitioners provide guidance during students' visits to various public health projects. Students gain skills facilitating participation and group dynamics, generating proposals, and organizing special projects.

  The program's language instruction utilizes a proficiency-based approach designed to enable students to function effectively in everyday situations. Courses at all levels combine intensive classroom learning with the use of peer tutors and interactive exercises. Language classes are offered at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels.

• Highlights

  * Focus on trends in public health management in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
  * Engage with local communities about healthcare issues, and developing and implementing public health projects.
  * Visit another Southeast Asian Country to study its public health system.
  * Interact with villagers, academic researchers, government officers, and others working to improve public health in Thailand.
  * Immerse yourself in the culture through visits to various levels of public health facilities and through community stays in Northeast Thailand.

Culture
Cultural Activities and Field Trips
Students in the Public Health program visit local cultural and natural sites of interest, and participate in frequent field trips to public health-related programs. These may include HIV/AIDS hospice or hospital wards, the Ministry of Public Health in Bangkok, the leper treatment and living facility in Khon Kaen, alternative health centers, and herbal medication production facilities.

The program may also take participants to visit various public health projects in Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam. A study visit to one of these countries typically involves an examination of health facilities in the capital or other major urban area, and at a more rural site. Details are provided in the on-site program guide as new projects are discovered.