Newsletter
News from the Directors
Following the completion of the first year of the inaugural
two year training program in Speech Therapy, TFA
Directors recently met with our Partners, Dr Dung from the
ENT Hospital and Vice Rectors Dr Dung and Dr Dieu from
Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine. Mr Claude
Potvin, in country manager for Australian Volunteers
International also attended this meeting, the purpose of
which was to evaluate the current program as well as
engage in strategic planning for the future expansion of
the current speech therapy program at PNTU and
throughout Vietnam. Our Vietnam partners expressed
their enthusiasm for the current program, particularly
acknowledging, in addition to the two fulltime AVI
volunteers, the efforts of TFA, with some assistance from
Australian Business Volunteers (ABV) to enable 25 speech
therapy lecturers and clinicians to provide in total over 300
days of voluntary work.
Planning for a second cohort of students to commence in
2012 is underway and for a subsequent cohort to
commence in 2013. PNTU has selected an ENT specialist
to undertake a masters degree in Australia to enable her
to be a future program leader, thus continuing to work
towards the long term goal of the first undergraduate
program which will be run by PNTU in 2015.
This progress has only been made possible because of the
assistance from our supporters and volunteers. We would
like to express our sincere gratitude and wish you all a
joyous festive season and a happy and successful new
year ahead. We look forward to your continuing support
in the year ahead.
Directors Lindy McAllister and Sue Woodward
enjoyed meeting up with students and
lecturers during their recent visit to HCMC.
The Directors of TFA would like to thank all
supporters, volunteer lecturers and clinical
educators for their vital contribution to the
Speech Therapy Training Course and would
like to extend Seasons Greetings to you all.
News from Course Co-ordinator,
Ms Marie Atherton
Term 5 of the Speech Therapy Program has again been an
exciting, hectic period. As you may recall from my last
communication, Janella Christie commenced at PNTU in
July to assume responsibility for the clinical education
component of the Program. It is indeed wonderful to now
be part of a team and to share the experience of working
at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine (PNTU) and
living in HCMC. They say “two heads are better than one”
and this is no truer than here where there are many “first
times” for so many things, whether it be developing the
Speech Therapy Program and working with the students
and colleagues, or living day to day in a country where we
know and understand so little.
Term 5 saw the ever-enthusiastic students embrace a huge
workload in the subjects of Communication Disorders of
Neurological Origin (CDNO), Cleft Lip and Palate and
Craniofacial Disorders, Childhood Stuttering, Paediatric
Language Disorders and Professional Research Projects.
Mrs. Chris Sheard, from the University of Sydney very
bravely agreed to take on the task of teaching the
ASHA Conference 2011(L-R) Professor Sharynne
McLeod, Marie Atherton, Ken Biele, Bea Staley,
Kartini Ahmad and Karen Wiley.
December 2011 ● Trinh Foundation Australia Limited ● ACN 134 997 694
students all there is to know about CDNO. Chris arrived at
the start of September for a 4 week block of teaching that
was supported by a second successful collaboration
between TFA and Australian Business Volunteers (ABV),
(Louise Brown had previously been supported by a
collaboration between TFA and ABV). Chris hit the ground
running and it would be fair to say sustained a pace that
left both students and lecturers amazed! I did wonder on
more than one occasion whether Chris would like a little
break from the frenetic pace but the answer to my
enquires was always...”No, I‟m fine, as long as the students
are”. Sincere thanks to Chris for her wonderful work and
never-ending enthusiasm.
Sincere thanks are also extended to Dr Sally Hewat, Dr Di
Jacobs, Professor Lindy McAllister and Ms Felicity Megee.
Sally paid a flying visit to introduce the students to the
theories of stuttering and to the assessment and
management of stuttering in childhood. It was extremely
exciting to learn that Sally and her family will be returning to
HCMC in late February/March 2012 when Sally will continue
her lectures and clinical education in stuttering, and also
assist the students with their research projects and anything
else that Janella and I may need assistance with! Di
Jacobs was welcomed to HCMC in November to provide
lectures in Paediatric Language Disorders and like Chris and
Sally, embraced all that HCMC had to offer. Professor Lindy
McAllister generously gave of her time to provide a lecture
on Qualitative Research Methods and Felicity Megee
provided clinical education opportunities in Speech
Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer and assisted with the
preparation of the students‟ oral exams and clinical
education experiences in Term 6. Many thanks for your
wonderful contribution and tireless support of the students
and of the Speech Therapy Program.
Also in November I was fortunate to be able to attend the
American Association of Speech and Hearing (ASHA)
National Conference in San Diego. I had been invited to
speak at a symposium on working in countries such as
Africa, Malaysia, Nicaragua and Vietnam where there is
little access to speech pathology services. San Diego is a
lovely city and it was wonderful to be part of an event
where up to 12,000 delegates were in attendance! I feel
there were a number of very positive outcomes from my
attendance at the conference, not least a greater
understanding and appreciation on my behalf of the
different processes and challenges to introducing a new
profession within a development context. I am hopeful that
attendees at the seminar gained an awareness of the
importance of taking on the challenge of introducing
speech therapy to countries that have little experience with
the profession. If the number of emails I have received
since the conference is anything to go by, I am confident
that increased numbers of speech pathologists are
considering working in the development area and
hopefully will commit to undertaking this important work.
My thanks are extended to TFA for supporting my travels to
the ASHA conference. I would also like to thank Professor
Sharynne McLeod for her support, and to all who made the
trip possible.
And so, it is likely that by the time you read this article, Term
5 of the Speech Therapy Program will have finished, the
students will be back in their work places, and visiting
volunteer clinicians from Australia and other places abroad
will be in HCMC to provide clinical education and
supervision for the students. I am preparing to head home
for Christmas – it has been a hectic 12 months and the
thought of spending some quiet time with family and
friends is very appealing. For those of you who are still
considering coming to HCMC to be part of this amazing
initiative, please DO send me an email or contact
TFA….I‟d love to be able to discuss with you how we may
be able to meet here next year!
I look forward to being in contact in the New Year, and I
wish you all a safe and happy festive season.
TFA Speech Pathologist Volunteers Day
15 October 2011, Sydney
Report from Director, Alison Winkworth
About seventeen speech pathologists got together in
Sydney on a Saturday in October, to share experiences
volunteering for TFA in Vietnam, or to consider
volunteering during 2012. The aim of the get-together
was to also divide up into groups of potential project
mentors for the current Vietnamese speech therapy
students who will each be conducting a research or
quality project, in small groups of 4 or 5, in topics that
relate to their patient caseloads in their hospitals.
These mentor groups of volunteers will be an essential
resource as students conduct a real project that will be
of benefit to their future practice and to their patients
who have communication and swallowing difficulties.
Thank you to St Andrews College at The University of
Sydney for hosting our Volunteers Day.
The University of Newcastle
Speech Pathology Students Fundraising for TFA
Special thanks to Katrina Lim and her fellow students for
holding a raffle at their recent Graduation Ball. They
raised $230.15 for TFA. Thanks also to Gabrielle and
Damon McCabe, proprietors of the Customs House
Hotel, Newcastle for providing the first prize.
‘Speech Therapy Vietnam’
Fundraiser for TFA in Canada
Thank you to Sandra Feduszczak for holding this
fundraiser in her local pub the Casbah in Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada. This band night featured a local band
„The Vanishers‟ as well as a raffle with some impressive
prizes. The total amount raised was $1,500.00 Canadian
Dollars. Sandra also was interviewed about this event on
local radio which also increased awareness of TFA in
Canada. A remarkable effort Sandra!
Thank you also to returned Clinical Education
volunteer Emily Armstrong and her local community
of Bangalow for raising a further $400.00 for TFA
December 2011 ● Trinh Foundation Australia Limited ● ACN 134 997 694
Dr Cuong working with a patient at
Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital
Spotlight on a Course Participant:
Dr Cuong
My name is Le Van Cuong. I‟m a doctor working at Ho
Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital which is one of the two
national cancer centers with 1200 beds for in patients. I
graduated from University of Medicine at HCM City in
1994. Since then I have specialized in head and neck
cancer as a surgeon. After operation and radiation the
patients usually have voice and swallowing disorders. It
is difficult for us to control these problems with surgery
and medicine alone. That‟s why I decided to attend the
speech therapy course.
It‟s the first intensive course of speech therapy in
Vietnam. Before, I learnt myself from text books and from
senior‟s experience but I have felt an urge to be more
professional in my work. Speech Pathology is itself a
huge area with sub-specialties. The course gives me
knowledge to understand the causes, nature and
treatment strategies to deal with voice and swallowing
difficulties as well as other problems.
Now, every week we have about 40 patients who need
speech therapy. They have vocal cord paralysis,
laryngeal cancer (treated with radiation, total and
partial laryngectomy), glossectomy, floor of mouth
surgery, maxillo-facial surgery and palatal surgery. By
completing the course, I hope that I will be able to
professionally manage the voice, speech and
swallowing issues associated with patients who have
head and neck cancer. I will then train my colleagues
and develop speech therapy services in my hospital.
Views of a Returning Volunteer
clinical education blocks, therapy was always postoperative. In some cases patients were already weeks
or
months
post-op,
many
with
very
limited
communication or swallowing capacity, and most with
no understanding of why they were experiencing these
problems. It became clear early on that if nothing else,
we needed to educate and inform patients and
clinicians about the potential implications that their
surgery could have on communication and swallowing.
On my most recent visits, we have had patients
scheduled for “pre-operative counseling” and provided
people with the opportunity to meet with a
laryngectomee visitor prior to their surgery, a major shift
in the management of this caseload.
The work at the Oncology Hospital, and in Vietnam in
general, is challenging but incredibly rewarding. Initially,
it was very difficult to imagine how a clinician might
function without a videofluoro suite or an endoscopy
tower. It was even more difficult to fathom an enormous
caseload of patients
post laryngectomy with no
communication
rehabilitation,
let
alone
the
consideration of a voice prosthesis. Each visit these once
“shocking realities” seem less problematic as we work
with the students and their colleagues to maximize
therapy within the constraints of their resources. Each
visit, we learn more about Head and Neck Cancer
treatment in Vietnam, including the unique challenges
for Vietnamese patients and therapists.
Regardless of the caseload, this work is challenging and
demands flexible, resourceful clinicians who are willing to
learn as much as they are to teach. The time I have
spent in Vietnam, and particularly at the Oncology
Hospital, makes me appreciate the access to, and
quality of, Head and Neck Cancer Care in Australia.
Felicity Megee being observed by the
students at the Oncology Hospital
by Felicity Megee
I became involved with the Trinh Foundation and speech
therapy in Vietnam in 2009. Since then I have visited
several times and have taken on varied roles including,
examining, lecturing and clinical education. I am very
fortunate to have been involved with Trinh and the
speech therapy program from the outset.
The
awareness of communication and swallowing disorders
and the impact these problems have on people
continues to improve with each trip.
My clinical background is in Head and Neck Oncology
and ENT, and so I have worked predominantly at the ENT
and Oncology Hospitals. Speech Therapy has changed
significantly over the past 2 1/2 years. During the first
Sapa Puppets from Vietnam
Thank you to our supporters who are selling Sapa Puppets
on behalf of TFA. These are our latest fundraising venture.
Order forms are available by emailing TFA
info@trinhfoundation.org
December 2011 ● Trinh Foundation Australia Limited ● ACN 134 997 694
Acquiring New Knowledge in Vietnam
Dr Dianne Jacobs during her lecture series
in Paediatric Language Disorders
Mrs Chris Sheard teaching Communication
Disorders of Neurological Origin
Chris with
student Hang
Dr Sally Hewat during her
lecture series on stuttering
Janella Christie assisting a child
with feeding as her mother
and the students observe
Dianne Jacobs
lecturing
Janella discussing the development
of a Vietnamese speech assessment
Sally with the students at the
conclusion of her lecture series
Students discussing
speech characteristics of
children with cleft palate
A Clinical
Education Session
at the Oncology
Hospital
How can you help us?
For all donations please see our website
Students Dao, Xuan and Quyen
working with a child
www.trinhfoundation.org
Thank you to all those who continue to provide
support in the form of funds, expertise and
resources. This on-going support is vital to our
program. For further information about how you
can help us please see our website
www.trinhfoundation.org
Trinh Foundation Australia is proud to be a partner of Global
Development Group (Vietnam Speech-Language Program Project
J594). GDG is an Australian Non Government Organisation [NGO]
carrying out humanitarian projects with approved partners and
providing aid to relieve poverty and provide long term solutions
through the provision of quality aid and development projects.
For more information about
Global Development Group, (ABN 57 102 400 993), visit
www.globaldevelopment.org.au
December 2011 ● Trinh Foundation Australia Limited ● ACN 134 997 694