Mahidol University delegation visits UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry

A delegation from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Dentistry met with leaders from UTHealth Houston and the School of Dentistry during an International Scholar Training Program visit held August 2-4. Photo by Kyle Rogers.

UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry welcomed a delegation from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Dentistry in Thailand from Aug. 2-4 as part of an ongoing collaboration through the International Scholar Training Program, under the UTHealth Houston Office of International Affairs.

The Mahidol University delegation included Bundhit Jirajariyavej, DDS, MSc, dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, and Tippanart Vichayanrat, DDS, MSD, DrPH, deputy dean for international relations and organizational communication, along with nine dental students.

During their visit, the group met with leaders from UTHealth Houston and the School of Dentistry, including Kevin Morano, PhD, senior vice president for academic and faculty affairs at UTHealth Houston; John A. Valenza, DDS ’81, dean of the School of Dentistry; Robert Spears, PhD, MS, associate dean for student and academic affairs; and other School of Dentistry leaders and researchers. The delegation also toured the dental school and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Professor Sudarat Kiat-amnuay, DDS, director and head of the UTHealth Houston Office of International Education and International Scholar Training Program, organized the visit with support from Spears and others.

During their visit, the Mahidol students participated in an all-day digital dentistry training course led by Michelle Aguilos Thompson, DDS, interim associate dean for patient care and director for digital dentistry at the dental school. They also attended prosthodontics lectures presented by Kiat-amnuay and Asneiry Aponte, BS, DDS, MS, professor of restorative dentistry and prosthodontics at the dental school.

In December 2023, the two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding to promote teaching and research activities and deepen collaboration.

Through the International Scholar Training Program, international dentists and students have opportunities to learn about U.S. standards of dental education and practice while building connections that support future academic, clinical, and research collaborations.

The collaboration has also provided opportunities for School of Dentistry students, including a weeklong international externship at Mahidol University in Bangkok, completed in December 2025.