Submitted by Dr. Kun-Young Sohn, recipient of the 2024 CSCC Grant for Educational Activities and Professional Development
Seventeen years after leaving Nepal in 2007, I had the opportunity to visit Nepal again last April, thanks to the generous support of the CSCC Grant for Educational Activities and Professional Development in 2024. I would like to share the story of part of my visit with my colleagues.
Kathmandu University opened its School of Medical Science in 2001, and I was appointed as a Professor in Biochemistry in 2002. After a two-year study leave, I taught Biochemistry from December 2004 to October 2007 to MBBS students and administered the Basic Science Program as the Academic Director. The school is on a hill with a panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges and has a vibrant atmosphere with enthusiastic students and faculty.
During my two-day visit from April 24-25, I gave lectures on monoclonal gammopathy and prenatal screening for Down syndrome to first- and second-year medical students. I also discussed method validation with lab medicine students and faculty. The Nepalese Association for Clinical Chemistry organized a national conference on April 27, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, and invited me as a plenary speaker. I shared my experience with intra-operative monitoring of PTH and adrenal venous sampling. These processes involve effective communication between doctors and laboratories, which is not yet common in Nepal, making the topic quite interesting and inspirational.
Dr. Bijaya Mishra from B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, also gave an insightful presentation on newborn screening. She discussed the importance of early detection and the feasible tests needed for initiating newborn screening (NBS) in Nepal. Her passion for initiating NBS highlighted the health inequities due to the lack of infrastructure in Nepal. I introduced Dr. Mishra to the training program offered by NBS Ontario at CHEO, and she later received the IFCC PSEP scholarship for training from January 13 to February 14, 2025. I believe she will pioneer the NBS program in the Eastern zone of Nepal. Given the country’s underdeveloped infrastructure, I believe separate screening programs could also be established at the provincial level.
My visit was both exciting and fruitful as it allowed me to reconnect with old friends, colleagues, and former students who are now faculty members at various institutions. It was also rewarding to connect a young clinical chemist with the NBS Ontario program. I am grateful to CSCC for supporting my travel back to Nepal and hope they continue funding more visits to under-resourced areas worldwide.
