{"id":240475,"date":"2025-07-08T20:49:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T14:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/?p=240475"},"modified":"2026-02-24T11:52:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T11:52:46","slug":"launch-of-the-bhutan-ivi-collaborating-center-bicc-regional-symposium-on-advancing-health-research-in-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/2025\/07\/08\/launch-of-the-bhutan-ivi-collaborating-center-bicc-regional-symposium-on-advancing-health-research-in-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Launch of the Bhutan\u2013IVI Collaborating Center (BICC)\u00a0& Regional Symposium on\u00a0Advancing Health Research in Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Bhutan\u2013IVI Collaborating Center (BICC)<\/strong> was officially inaugurated today at KGUMSB, marking a significant milestone in Bhutan\u2019s advancement in health research, pandemic preparedness, and regional collaboration. The ceremony was graced by Hon\u2019ble Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk, Minister for Health<\/strong>, Royal Government of Bhutan, and attended by esteemed guests from the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in partnership with the <\/strong>the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute (HKJCGHI)<\/strong>, regional experts, national institutions, and international partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This landmark launch builds upon Bhutan\u2019s long-standing partnership with IVI, which began in 1996 with the signing of the IVI Establishment Agreement. The collaboration was further strengthened with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)<\/strong> in June 2024 between the Ministry of Health<\/strong>, KGUMSB<\/strong>, and IVI<\/strong>, formalizing shared objectives in vaccine research and public health innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a. Key Focus Areas of the BICC Collaboration Include<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Establishment of the Bhutan-IVI Collaborating Center:<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Exploration of the creation of a joint place or institutional framework named BICC.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Capacity Building and Professional Development<\/strong>\n
      \n
    • Joint development of proposals for health research and CPD programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Health Research and Innovation<\/strong>\n
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      • Collaborative research on vaccine-preventable diseases, AMR, health economics, climate change, and pandemic preparedness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Academic Programs<\/strong>\n
          \n
        • Co-development of curricula, exchange programs, and scholarship opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Human Resource Development<\/strong>\n
            \n
          • Secondment, technical training, and institutional strengthening initiatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Support for Immunization Programs<\/strong>\n
              \n
            • Explore sustainable financing strategies, including strengthening the Bhutan Health Trust Fund.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              b. Symposium Highlights: Advancing Health Research in Asia<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              Following the launch, a regional symposium was convened to facilitate dialogue on emerging public health issues and collaborative research. Presentations by experts focused on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and forward-looking strategies, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              1. Mr. Rinzin Gyalpo<\/strong> \u2013 Bhutan\u2019s National Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan (NIPPRP)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. Prof. Florian Marks<\/strong> \u2013 Climate change and its impact on vaccines<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. Prof. David Aanensen<\/strong> \u2013 Role of genomics in AMR surveillance and infection control<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              4. Dr. Sunate Chuenkitmongkol <\/strong>\u2013Enhancing regional collaboration through the AVSSR initiative<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              5. Dr. Hyon Jin Jeon<\/strong> \u2013 Burden of invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella in Sub-Saharan Africa<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              6. Dr. Sanjib Sharma<\/strong> \u2013 Kidney Care Network as a community-based model in Nepal<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              7. Dr. Birkneh Tadesse<\/strong> \u2013 Vaccine research and child health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                c. Moving Forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                The launch of BICC reinforces Bhutan\u2019s commitment to regional solidarity, equitable access to health innovation, and evidence-based public health policy<\/strong>. It is envisioned as a regional platform to foster scientific exchange, support pandemic preparedness, and advance collaborative health research across South and Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                KGUMSB, in collaboration with IVI, looks forward to nurturing impactful partnerships and building resilient health systems that address current and future global health challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                The Bhutan\u2013IVI Collaborating Center (BICC) was officially inaugurated today at KGUMSB, marking a significant milestone in Bhutan\u2019s advancement in health research, pandemic preparedness, and regional collaboration. The ceremony was graced by Hon\u2019ble Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk, Minister for Health, Royal Government of Bhutan, and … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-240475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240475"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241622,"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240475\/revisions\/241622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kgumsb.edu.bt\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}