

Global Health Partner Engagements
Journal of the Global Health Academy
Walailak University Leadership Visit to the Global Health Academy
On March 21, 2024, Dr. Auemphon Mordmuang, Assistant Professor at Walailak University School of Medicine, visited the Global Health Academy for an administrative visit. Upon arrival, a welcome dinner was hosted with Dr. Bulat Ziganshin. The following day, Dr. Auemphon Mordmuang participated in a series of sessions organized by the global health team to introduce her to the full scope of activities at the Global Health Academy.
Dr. Bulat Ziganshin discussed the structure of global health at Nuvance Health, followed by Wendi Cuscina’s presentation on Nuvance Health policies for formalizing agreements with partner sites. Dr. Dilyara Nurkhametova then presented on the Global Health Scholars Program, and Dr. Elina Mukhametshina discussed student electives in Global Health. Dr. Lunla Udomwech, Assistant Professor at Walailak University of Medicine, also participated virtually in these sessions. These sessions sparked productive discussions. The visit continued with a tour of Danbury Hospital hosted by Internal Medicine Chief Resident, Dr. Kavisha Jain.

Global Health Scholars at Nuvance Health
In January 2024, Dr. Luan Thanh Nguyen, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Cho Ray Hospital, Vietnam, successfully completed a two-month clinical rotation at Danbury Hospital under the supervision of Dr. Richard Kaplon. We extend our sincere gratitude to Dr. Kaplon for graciously hosting Dr. Luan and for his invaluable support of our Global Health Scholars program.

Written by Dr. Luan Thanh Nguyen
My first time in the United States turned out to be an incredible experience. With the assistance of Hearts Around the World and Nuvance Global Health, I had the opportunity to travel to the U.S. and complete a 2-month training at Danbury Hospital.
I gained invaluable knowledge in adult cardiac surgery, as well as tips, tricks and strategies in valve repair, coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic root and hemiarch arch surgery from Dr. Richard Kaplon, D’Amico Anne, PA and his team. Additionally, I learned about transesophageal echocardiography through hands-on experiences with Dr. Natalia Skachkova, as well as techniques in valve interventions such as TAVR and MitraClip from Dr. Hal S. Wasserman and Dr. Mark Warshofsky. Aside from medical knowledge, I also learned about healthcare management and patient care from preoperative to postoperative stages.

Apart from academic pursuits, I had wonderful cultural experiences in the U.S. I attended dinner parties and visited Yale University with my peers from the Global Health Academy. As a young surgeon, this program has been immensely beneficial to me. It has changed my mindset and increased my confidence in medical practice. I am eager to implement the new techniques I learned in my clinical practice.
Once again, I express my gratitude to Nuvance Global Health and Hearts Around the World, especially to Dr. Majid Sadigh, Dr. Robert Jarrett, Dr. Bulat Ziganshin, Dr. Swapnil Parve, Dr. Dilyara Nurkhametova, Dr. Wendi Cuscina, Mitra Sadigh, and Dr Elina Mukhametshina, for creating such an excellent opportunity for international student exchange, particularly from developing countries like mine. I hope our organization continues to grow and assist more physicians worldwide.
Global Health Scholars at Nuvance Health
On May 11, 2024, Dr. Gohar Shahsuvaryan, a Family Medicine Doctor and Medical Geneticist from Armenia, completed a two-week clinical observership as part of the Global Health Scholars Program under the guidance of Dr. Alla Rudinskaya, Chief of the Section of Rheumatology at Danbury Hospital. Dr. Shahsuvaryan marked the inaugural Global Health Scholar from Armenia to visit Nuvance Health.

During her stay, Dr. Shahsuvaryan participated in a series of sessions organized by the global health team to introduce her to the full scope of activities at the Global Health Academy. She also presented us to her book titled “Artistic Diagnostics,” currently available in Armenian and Russian, which we plan to translate into English.
We invited Dr. Shahsuvaryan to contribute to our Journal of the Global Health Academy as the Editor of the new section, “Medicine in Art.”
We had the great pleasure of hosting Dr. Gohar Shahsuvaryan at Nuvance Health and hope that her visit will strengthen our ties, contribute to capacitybuilding efforts in Armenia, and pave the way for enduring collaboration with NIH Armenia.
Dr. Gohar Shahsuvaryan: “It is difficult to find words when emotions overwhelm the heart, especially when it is gratitude and delight. I would like to express my delight in communicating with Dr. Alla Rudinskaya - a high-level professional, an attentive and caring doctor, ready to share her experience and knowledge with colleagues, a wonderful person, and a very charming woman. I hope our professional paths will cross more than once.”
Global Health Scholar Program: Interviews and Future Plans
During February 2024, Dr. Bulat Ziganshin, Dr. Robyn Scatena, and Dr. Dilyara Nurkhametova conducted a series of interviews with 18 junior doctors from Cho Ray Hospital, who are candidates to participate in the Nuvance Health Global Health Scholar Program. The aim of the interviews was to meet potential candidates and discuss their goals and objectives for a potential visit to Nuvance Health. As a result of these interviews, a total of 12 Global Health Scholars were selected to participate in the program during the years 2024 and 2025 - 6 scholars in 2024 and 6 scholars in 2025. They were invited to visit for 8-week clinical observerships with Nuvance Health in the fields of Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, ICU, Neurology, and Pulmonology.
Additionally, Dr. Bulat Ziganshin and Dr. Dilyara Nurkhametova met with candidates from Botswana University, UNIBE, Dominican Republic, and St. Stephen’s Hospital, Uganda. All candidates will be participating in the Global Health Scholars Program doing 8-week clinical observerships in Pathology, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and other specialties.
All Global Health sites are offered the opportunity to nominate Global Health Scholars, and we anticipate more meetings and interviews with potential candidates in the future.
Launch of Monthly GH Newsletter
In January 2024, the Global Health Program launched its new Global Health (GH) Newsletter. Published monthly, the GH Newsletter is distributed among our international and domestic partners. It serves as a platform to highlight news and updates on the activities and events of the Global Health Program, showcase student and resident experiences during Global Health Electives, and keep partners and friends of the Global Health Program and Global Health Academy connected.
We encourage you all to subscribe to our GH Newsletter and share your thoughts and ideas on potential content and how to improve our newsletter.
Link to our Newsletters