DHAKA: Duke Medicine Global Support Corporation, (DMGSC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Duke University, signed an agreement with SUN Healthcare Foundation (SUN Healthcare), Bangladesh on June 9, 2014 in Durham, North Carolina, USA. 

Under this agreement, Duke Medicine will provide advisory services to SUN Healthcare on the development of an academic health system in Bangladesh. 

Dr. Michael Merson, a member of the Board of Directors of Duke Medicine Global Support Corporation, and Major General (Retd) Amjad Khan Chowdhury, CEO of the SUN Healthcare Foundation and CEO of PRAN-RFL Group, Bangladesh signed the agreement on behalf of respective organization.

SUN Healthcare plans to develop in Bangladesh an academic health sciences system (AHSS) integrating a school of medicine, clinical research, and a healthcare delivery system. 

A team of Duke Medicine experts will visit Bangladesh soon to launch the landscape analysis that will include analysis of existing hospitals and health systems in Bangladesh, existing models of payment and reimbursement in the country, and existing systems of undergraduate and graduate medical education in Bangladesh.

Duke will also formulate high-level guidelines for forming an academic health sciences system (AHSS), including various international models of governance and management.

Ahmed A Hasan, MD, PhD, FACC, an internationally known prominent physician scientist and cardiologist of Bangladeshi origin residing in Washington DC, (SUN Healthcare, USA), Rukmini Balu. PhD, MBA (Director of Strategy and Partnership Development, Duke Medicine Global), Krishna Udayakumar, MD, MBA (Head of Global Innovation for Duke Medicine and Vice President, Duke Medicine Global Support Corporation) and Joseph Rogers, MD, FACC (Senior Vice Chief for Clinical Affairs, Division of Cardiology, Duke University Medical Center) were present at the signing ceremony.

After the signing, Chowdhury and Dr Hasan had a roundtable discussion with the Duke Medicine participants, including, Robert Califf, MD, MACC (Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Translational Research, Duke University Medical Center),about the mission, vision, goals, and strategies that SUN Healthcare will pursue in establishing an integrated academic healthcare delivery system in Bangladesh.

BDST: 1652 HRS, JUL 01, 2014