Strengthening relationships across borders: VCU delegation visits Kazakhstan
By Drew Necci
In May, Monica Swahn, Ph.D., M.P.H., dean of the VCU School of Public Health; Askar Chukmaitov, Ph.D., associate professor of health policy and director of the VCU Bolashak International Scholarship Program; and Jose G. Trevino, M.D., FACS, professor of surgical oncology led a delegation from VCU to visit Kazakhstan. The main goal of the visit was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Kazakh National Medical University (KazNMU) and strengthen relationships between VCU and the leading institutions of higher learning in Kazakhstan. The visit included meetings with leadership at KazNMU and the Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology (KazIOR) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as well as visits to the Bolashak Center under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev University, and the US Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital.
During their time in Kazakhstan, the delegation participated in educational programs, a scientific conference, clinical collaborations, and high-level strategic meetings aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation in public health, medicine, surgery, research, and faculty and trainee exchanges. Swahn introduced VCU, VCU Health, and the School of Public Health by giving a presentation about the university and its programs to the leadership and faculty of KazNMU. She then met with KazNMU Rector Marat Shoranov, as well as deans, department chairs, faculty and administrators from the university, discussing faculty exchanges, student mobility, research collaborations, development of short-term and dual-degree training programs, and more.
“We were impressed by KazNMU’s extensive use of technology and social media to support education, research, and institutional communication,” said Chukmaitov in a statement. “Our meetings, presentations, and activities were widely promoted through social media platforms and large LED screens across campus in real time. KazNMU has also developed and implemented a local AI platform that is being integrated into teaching and operational workflows. For example, students use AI-assisted simulation programs in laboratory training before utilizing more costly lab resources.”
Trevino conducted surgical oncology master classes and held meetings with leadership, clinical faculty, and researchers at KazIOR. He worked with Kazakh surgical oncologists and multidisciplinary teams to facilitate knowledge exchange, develop collaborative ideas with KazIOR for cancer-focused research projects, and explore future trainee and faculty exchanges in surgery and oncology for VCU and Kazakh scholars.
Chukmaitov served as a visiting professor at the KazNMU’s School of Public Health, delivering lectures, seminars, journal clubs, and faculty discussions focused on the US healthcare delivery system, health policy and health care reform, value-based payment models, and health services research methods. He also represented VCU as an invited international speaker at the ANaMed Forum – New Generation 2026, which was a major Kazakh national conference focused on AI, medicine, and healthcare innovation. The conference drew representatives from the USA, the UK, Spain, South Korea, and 20 other countries. At the conference, Chukmaitov delivered a plenary presentation on Accountable Care Organizations as an example of US Health Care Reform.
There was significant enthusiasm for Scientific Internship opportunities for researchers from Kazakhstan, and VCU are now taking steps to achieve this goal. Swahn and Chukmaitov met with leadership of the Bolashak Center (Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education) in Astana City to advance opportunities for Kazakh physicians, researchers, and public health professionals to receive training at VCU through a Scientific Internship Program in addition to existing Clinical Internship Program at VCU. Swahn and Chukmaitov also met with officials at Nazarbayev University School of Medicine to discuss collaborative education and research opportunities.
The representatives from VCU were very thankful for the VCU-Bolashak alumni they met and interacted with while in Kazakhstan as well. Alumni provided valuable assistance to the VCU delegation throughout their visit, and acted as ambassadors for VCU in Kazakhstan, helping to facilitate the interactions and collaborations that took place between the VCU delegation and Kazakh institutes of higher learning during the visit.
“We are deeply grateful for their hospitality, generosity, and support,” Chukmaitov said. “It demonstrates the impact of the VCU–Bolashak partnership and the important role alumni play in advancing collaboration between VCU and Kazakhstan.”
The VCU delegation also discovered an interesting fact about the relationship between VCU and KazNMU, which dates back nearly 30 years. “The partnership began in 1996 when VCU helped establish Kazakhstan’s first School of Public Health through a USAID-funded project,” Chukmaitov explained. “Several current KazNMU leaders, including Rector Marat Shoranov and Dean Zhanat Kozhekenova, participated in training programs developed through these early collaborations.”
By the end of the visit, the VCU delegation had decided to designate Kazakhstan as one of the priority countries for expanding and strengthening VCU Global Health Partnerships. All in attendance were delighted with the outcome of the visit, and the many collaborative opportunities that VCU will explore with Kazakh institutions of higher learning in the future.
“It is difficult to fully convey how inspiring this visit was,” Chukmaitov said. “We returned energized by the relationships, opportunities, and ideas that emerged.”
This story originally appeared on the blog of the Department of Health Policy.
Categories Global Health, News