Viet kieu named to head foundation

VietnamNews — Dr Vo Van Toi, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Tufts University, has been appointed excutive director of the Viet Nam Education Foundation (VEF).

At Tufts University Toi created the biomedical engineering programme and helped establish the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Earlier he served as a post-doctoral fellow at the Biomedical Engineering Centre in the Division of Health Sciences and Technology – a combined programme of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also helped create and was vice-director of the Eye Research Institute in Sion, Switzerland.

Toi has dedicated his expertise to helping Viet Nam by co-founding the Vietnamese North American University Professor network.

He also created the Biomedical Engineering Consortium of Viet Nam-International Universities and the Vietnamese Association of Biomedical Engineering, and initiated a virtual Biomedical Engineering Department of Viet Nam within Tufts’ Biomedical Engineering Department.

"Toi is an outstanding professor in biomedical engineering and is dedicated to the development of science and technology as well as higher education in Viet Nam," said chairman of VEF’s Board of Directors, Malcolm Gillis.

"With an excellent understanding of both American and Vietnamese cultures and their respective languages, he is an exceptionally able leader of VEF to advance its mission of building Viet Nam’s capacity in science and technology through educational exchange, and thus strengthening the relationship between the US and Viet Nam."

VEF is a special initiative by the US Congress to bring the US and Viet Nam closer through educational exchanges related to science and technology.

The Foundation is in its fourth year of operations and incorporates assistance from the US National Academies in developing and executing VEF programmes.

As its flagship activity, the VEF Fellowship programme has placed nearly 200 fellows at more than 50 top US graduate institutions, mostly for doctoral degrees.

VEF fellows are required to return to Viet Nam after completing their academic programmes in the US.

VEF is governed by the board of directors whose 13 members include three US cabinet members – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, and Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson. Toi, who was serving on the board as a presidential appointee since 2004, said: "I will dedicate my efforts to furthering the already proven success of VEF and will work closely with the scientific, educational, and government communities of both the US and Viet Nam to achieve our mutual goals."