ACEP Now publishes UTH-EM Team’s Innovative TBI Care Efforts in Vietnam
Congratulations to UTHealth Houston Emergency Medicine Global Health Team including Theresa Tran, MD, MBA, FACEP and Shabana Walia, MD, MPH, FACEP who recently published their global health efforts to improve traumatic brain injury (TBI) care and outcomes in Vietnam. ACEP Now, “A Train-the-Trainer Model Implements Traumatic Brain Injury Protocol in Vietnam.” 
Motorcycle crashes continue to be a major public health problem in Vietnam. Despite a helmet law implemented in 2007, road traffic accidents continue to be a leading cause of death and disability in Vietnam. To improve this problem, our team from the Department of Emergency Medicine at UTHealth Houston partnered with Hanoi Medical University to hold a novel TBI train-the-trainer program.
UTHealth Houston EM faculty and residents implemented the EPIC (Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care) Traumatic Brain Injury Project, which has proven effective in the U.S. The training was tailored for local healthcare workers, including nurses, emergency physicians, and trauma surgeons, using a comprehensive approach with didactic sessions, hands-on workshops, and simulations.
The employed a train-the-trainer model to ensure sustainability, equipping select local emergency medicine physicians to train their peers. This initiative, supported by the China Medical Board Foundation, secured a global health equity grant for a one-year pilot project.
Hoang Bui Hai, MD, a leading EM physician in Hanoi, noted the significant impact, saying, “The project changed the way we treat traumatic brain injury.” This effort showcased a successful transfer of knowledge from a high-income to a low-middle-income country, demonstrating resilience and adaptability among Vietnam’s healthcare professionals.
This collaboration laid a foundation for future joint efforts between UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School and Hanoi Medical University. The next step is to evaluate the effectiveness of Vietnam’s modified EPIC-TBI protocol through a pilot project, reinforcing our commitment to global health and excellence in emergency medicine.
