Boston, Massachusetts, USA – 6–11 December 2025 Prof. Piyamitr Sritara, MD, FRCP President of Mahidol University, together with senior executives, conducted an official visit to leading universities and research institutions in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, with the objective of strengthening international collaboration in health sciences, medical innovation, and advanced technology.
The delegation included Prof. Chagriya Kitiyakara, MBBS (Lond), FRCP Acting Vice President for Research, Assoc. Prof. Nopraenue Sajjarax Dhirathiti, Ph.D. Vice President for Global Partnerships and University Council, and Assoc. Prof. Vichita Ractham, Ph.D. Vice President for Corporate Communication and Branding. The visit focused on fostering partnerships in areas such as artificial intelligence in health research, translational medicine, simulation-based medical training, proton therapy, and emerging biomedical technologies.
On 6 December 2025, Prof. Chagriya Kitiyakara, MBBS (Lond), FRCP Acting Vice President for Research, visited Harvard School of Public Health to explore potential collaboration on a global AI hackathon, multi-center cohort databases for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, health systems research, and engagement with the Prince Mahidol Award Conference, as well as academic exchange through Harvard’s Master of Public Health community medicine programs with the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital. On the same day, he visited Boston Children’s Hospital’s Immersive Design Systems to advance collaboration on lifelike medical training models, 3D and virtual surgical planning for congenital heart disease, and simulation training protocols. The delegation also visited Blavatnik Harvard Life Lab Longwood at Harvard Medical School to discuss potential collaboration in pharmaceutical startups and Phase I clinical trials at Ramathibodi’s RAMACC facilities.
On 8 December 2025, the Mahidol delegation visited the MIT Media Lab, an internationally recognized interdisciplinary research center, and participated in a working dinner with Prof. Steve Eppinger of MIT Sloan School of Management. The group also attended a Mechanical Engineering design class to gain insights into innovation-driven education.
On 9 December 2025, the delegation visited Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where they were warmly received by Dr. Thomas Bortfeld and Dr. Susu Yan from the Department of Radiation Oncology. Discussions focused on the development of proton therapy, including MGH’s experience, infrastructure requirements, financial considerations, and emerging compact proton systems, with a shared vision toward establishing Thailand’s first Proton Therapy Center. The group also visited Nuance Experience Center at Microsoft Burlington and held discussions with the Harvard-Yenching Institute.
On 10 December 2025, the delegation met with Dr. Leonardo Riella, Medical Director of Kidney Transplantation at MGH, to explore collaboration in xenotransplantation and met with representatives from Inter Pharma and MGH medical staff to discuss further research and training cooperation.
On 11 December 2025, Prof. Piyamitr Sritara, MD, FRCP President of Mahidol University, and the delegation were welcomed by Prof. Duane Boning, Vice Provost for International Activities at MIT, along with senior faculty members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The delegation also visited the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) and Kendall Square innovation ecosystem to learn about global best practices in innovation hubs. The visit concluded with participation in sessions on Biotechnology in Africa and Modern Marketing at Venture Café.
This strategic visit underscores Mahidol University’s strong commitment to advancing global partnerships, cutting-edge research, and medical innovation to improve healthcare systems in Thailand and the region.
