Recently, Dr. Kasem Saereeporncharenkul, Associate Dean for Education and International Affairs of the Faculty of Medicine of Rangsit University in Thailand, wrote to Shanghai Yida Hospital (Yida Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai University), formally expressing on behalf of the faculty the intention to build a long-term, stable cooperation mechanism, and setting out core dimensions of cooperation such as mutual visits by teachers and students, joint academic development and resource sharing, demonstrating the deep foundation and broad prospects of international medical exchange.

Dear Ms. Markovich：

I hope this message finds you well.

It was a great pleasure meeting you during my recent visit to Shanghai Yida Hospital. I truly appreciated the opportunity to learn more about your institution and to explore potential areas of collaboration.

On behalf of the Faculty of Medicine, Rangsit University, I would like to formally express our interest in establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our institutions. We believe this collaboration will lay a strong foundation for academic exchange and mutual development.

Specifically, we would like to propose the following areas of collaboration:

Student Exchange Program

We would be pleased to send our final year medical students( not more than 2 students annually), particularly those with proficiency in the Chinese language, to undertake 4 weeks of elective training at Shanghai Yida Hospital.

Faculty Exchange Program

We also welcome opportunities for our faculty members, certainly those with proficiency in the Chinese language, to participate in academic visits, clinical observation, and knowledge exchange.

Reciprocal Hosting

In return, we would be honoured to host students and faculty members from Shanghai Yida Hospital, particularly those with proficiency in English, to undertake short-term elective training at our affiliated teaching hospitals, including:

Rajavithi Hospital

Lerdsin Hospital

Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health

Academic Recognition and Support

With a formal MOU in place, we will be able to provide financial support for our students and faculty participating in exchange programs.

Officially recognise the training period as part of the academic curriculum and student transcripts.

We strongly believe that this collaboration will provide valuable international exposure, enhance clinical perspectives, and promote cross-cultural understanding among our students and faculty members.

We look forward to your thoughts on this proposal and would be happy to proceed with further discussions or draft the MOU for your consideration.

Thank you once again for your kind cooperation, and I look forward to working together in the near future.

Yours sincerely

Kasem Saereeporncharenkul MD.

Associate Dean for Education and International Affairs

College of Medicine, Rangsit University, Thailand.

This cross-border invitation is rooted in the fruits of the in-depth mutual learning from the two visits by the Thai expert teams on 25 March and 30 March.

During those visits, the expert team from the Faculty of Medicine of Rangsit University in Thailand and its affiliated institutions took a close look at the key disciplines and distinctive clinical departments of our hospital, spoke highly of our achievements in fields such as precise cardiac surgical care, the modernization and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine and the empowerment of smart healthcare, and held in-depth consultations on internationally advanced topics including innovation in medical education, the training of high-level professionals and coordinated clinical research, building a solid bridge for international cooperation between the two sides.

2026 marks the 51st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, and exchange and cooperation between the two countries in healthcare keep growing deeper and more substantial under the guidance of the "Belt and Road" Initiative. This letter of intent for cooperation from the Thai side lays a solid foundation for the two sides to deepen international collaboration and jointly advance the development of medicine. The exchange between the Faculty of Medicine of Rangsit University in Thailand and Shanghai Yida Hospital will move on from academic visits to a new stage of practical cooperation that is institutionalized, regular and systematic.