Craig Blinderman, M.D., M.A. (‘02) participated in a two-week program to train Vietnamese physicians in palliative care, with a focus on reducing symptoms of AIDS and cancer in Vietnamese patients. Sponsored by Vietnam-CDC-Harvard Medical School AIDS Partnership (VCHAP), the training consisted of two one-week courses. The program utilized a “hands-on” clinical mentoring approach, in addition to lectures and case studies.

“Essentially we prepared physicians to train others to provide palliative care for HIV patients,” he said. “We plan on publishing our experience and hope to use this curriculum for further educational purposes in the future.”

Dr. Blinderman is currently an attending physician at the Palliative Care Service at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and recently completed a Medical Ethics Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. He also serves as an instructor in medicine for Harvard University. According to the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, more than 100 Vietnamese are infected daily. The estimated number of infected people in the country increased from 122,000 in 2000, to more than 280,000 in 2006.

“There's a sub-population within Vietnam that is of serious concern,” Dr. Blinderman said. Vietnam has the second highest HIV prevalence among female sex workers, with more than 6.5 percent estimated to be infected, according to the United Nations. VCHAP, which was founded by Harvard Physician and Instructor Dr. Eric Krakauer, is a cooperative agreement of the Centers for Disease Control’s Global AIDS Program.