Visiting Professor Barbara Rose Gottlieb: Partnering with the University of Health Sciences (UHS-VNUHCM) in Medical Education Reform, Scientific Research, and Training

2025-04-23 14:09:48

As part of VNU-HCM’s 2025 Visiting Professor Programme, the University of Health Sciences (UHS) welcomed Professor Barbara Rose Gottlieb from Harvard Medical School to support the reform of Vietnam’s medical education. Professor Gottlieb contributed significantly through two key workshops on modern clinical teaching and curriculum development for the Practice of Medicine (POM) module. Her efforts led to the creation of a draft pre-clinical POM curriculum and a collaborative technical team across multiple universities. She continues to partner with UHS-VNUHCM through monthly online training and long-term research collaboration.

As part of the Visiting Professor Programme of Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), the University of Health Sciences – VNUHCM (UHS-VNUHCM) had the honour of welcoming Professor Barbara Rose Gottlieb – Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – to deliver lectures, participate in thematic seminars, and contribute to the reform of the undergraduate medical curriculum in Vietnam.

A seasoned international expert with longstanding engagement in Vietnam, Professor Barbara Rose Gottlieb is one of the first sixteen international scholars invited by VNU-HCM under its 2025 Visiting Professor Programme. Since 2017, she has been involved in Vietnam through the Health Advancement in Vietnam (HAIVN) project, focusing on the development of the Practice of Medicine (POM) module—a competency-based clinical medical training model that integrates communication, feedback, clinical reasoning, and professionalism skills early in the curriculum.

Significant Milestones

Professor Gottlieb played a pivotal role in two notable workshops that marked turning points in the reform of medical education in Vietnam:

1. April 2023 Workshop at UHS
Theme: “Reforming the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum: Introduction to Clinical Teaching, Practice of Medicine & Professionalism”
As the keynote speaker, Professor Gottlieb presented fundamental principles of modern clinical education, and introduced observational and feedback techniques such as RIME, Mini-CEX, and SPIKES, as well as the philosophy of early integration of soft skills and professionalism in pre-clinical years. The workshop enabled the faculty members to deeply engage with the “learning by doing” approach from early training stages. Participants received training in delivering effective feedback and laid the groundwork for standardising the POM curriculum in accordance with Harvard’s model.

2. December 2024 Workshop in Can Tho
Theme: “Developing the Practice of Medicine and Professionalism in the Pre-Clinical Phase (POM/TCN)”
Together with her colleague Dr. Nora Osman (Harvard Medical School), Professor Gottlieb conducted in-depth training on curriculum design for POM modules targeting second- and third-year students in local hospitals and community health centres. The workshop explored strategies for evaluating professional maturity, incorporating communication skills into sensitive clinical encounters.
A key outcome was the draft framework for the Y2–Y3 POM curriculum, and the formation of a multi-institutional technical team including UHS-VNUHCM, Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy. The team proposed a model for competency-based assessment at Skills Labs, and all institutions committed to piloting the synchronised POM module from the following academic year.

Sustainable Vision and Long-Term Collaboration

In addition to in-person workshops, Professor Gottlieb committed to providing ongoing support to UHS-VNUHCM through monthly online training sessions in curriculum design, assessment, teaching and communication skills, and to engaging in long-term collaborative research in fields such as medical education, professional competencies, student mental health, and care for vulnerable patient populations. With her sustained and impactful contributions, Professor Barbara Rose Gottlieb has brought not only academic expertise from one of the world’s leading medical institutions but also a solid foundation for advancing medical education reform in Vietnam.

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