Seameo Tropical Medicine: Indonesia

INTERNATIONALIZATION strategies popularly give prime opportunities for both academics and students to have off-shore academic experiences whether these are further studies, visitor-ships or exchange. During this pandemic and its health protocols, we can turn to some international organizations for the needed mental energy boost such as availing of further training as well as forging links. Guiding us in our strategies is the maiden Commission on Higher Education Memo Order 55, s. 2016 (CMO) entitled: The Policy Framework and Strategies on the Internationalization of Philippine Higher Education.

Seameo Tropical Medicine Network. As a member country of the Asean community, let's not overlook that within Asean borders there is for us awaiting the assistance that we need in our internationalization efforts. There is the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (Seameo) - a regional intergovernmental organization established in 1965 among governments of the eleven Southeast Asian countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Seameo's goal is to promote regional cooperation in education, science and culture in the region." It has 26 regional specialist centers hosted among the 11 member countries. Of these 26 centers, four are known as the Tropical Medicine Network. The Seameo Tropmed Network operates through four Regional Centers specialized in different fields, i.e., Medical Microbiology, Parasitology and Entomology (Malaysia), Public Health (the Philippines), Tropical Medicine (Thailand) and Community Nutrition (Indonesia). (http://www. seameo-recfon.org/about-us/our-history/) The regional centers are affiliated with academic and research institutions in their respective member countries. The Tropmed Central Office headed by the Secretary-General/Coordinator and his staff based in Bangkok, Thailand performs administrative, technical and coordination functions for the Network. It processes scholarships, organizes seminars and technical meetings, operates publications, information services, personnel exchanges and technical services. (https://www.tm. mahidol.ac.th/seameo/1992-23-4/1992-23-4-550.pdf)