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Uthaiwan Kanchanakamol
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 Director,
The Study and Development Center for Dental Public Health
Chiang Mai University
Increasing Community Capacity and Empowering Community
Members to Improve the Health and Well-being of Chiang Mai
Hill Tribes and Low-income Groups in Three Thai Districts
Thailand
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Uthaiwan Kanchanakamol (Thailand) is Director of
the Study and Development Center for Dental Public Health,
Faculty of Dentistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai
Thailand. His research interests are in Health Promotion,
Oral Health Promotion, Community Dentistry, Health Decentralization,
Dental Public Health, Civil Society and Community Participation.
Dr. Kanchanakamol has served as Chairman of the Community
Dentistry Department and Associate Dean of both the Faculty
of Dentistry and the Graduate School, Chiang Mai University.
He has served three consecutive terms as an elected academic
representative to the Chiang Mai University Council and
was one of the founders of the Thai Dental Council, the
Diploma in Dental Public Health Program and the Thai Master
of Public Health Program, Chiang Mai University.
Dr. Kanchanakamol also served as the local coordinator in
the International Oral Health collaborating program and
the International Dental Public Health Program between the
Sparkman Center for International Public Health Education
(SCIPHE), USA, the Intercountry Center for Oral Health,
Thai Ministry of Public Health, Chiang Mai University, and
the World Health Organization.
Dr. Kanchanakamol has also been active in numerous NGO's.
He was chairman of the Campaign Committee for Local Autonomy,
Social Research Institute, Chiang Mai University, Director
of the Coordinating Committee for the Northern Community
Based Organizations, and Director of the Chiang Mai Community
Radio Pilot Project. He has also served as Chairman of the
Coordinating Committee for Conserving the Ping River and
Environment.
Selected Publications:
· Kanchanakamol, U. (1999) Resolving environmental
conflicts: cultivating civic values by using sustainable
garbage management. Presented at the SPIDR's 27th Annual
International Conference "Before the Millenium: learning
from the past and looking to the future". Organized
by the Society of Professionals in dispute resolution (SPIDR),
held at Baltimore, Maryland, USA September 22-25.
· Kanchanakamol, U. (1998) Learning Social Advocacy
Though Participatory Action Study in Oral Health Promotion.
Paper presentation at the Third Congress of Asian Academy
of Preventive Dentistry Chiang Rai, Thailand: November 2-4.
· Kanchanakamol, U., et al. (1996) Prevalence of
Developmental Enamel Defects and Dental Caries in Rural
Preschool Thai Children. J. Community Dental Health;
13:204-207.
· Kantamaturapot, K., Kanchanakamol, U. (1992) The
Effectiveness of Oral Hygiene Program in Primary Schoolchildren
Under Supervision of Teachers and Schoolchild and Health
Volunteers. J. Dent Assoc. Thai, 42:5-6 269-278.
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Increasing Community Capacity and Empowering Community
members to Improve the Health and Well-Being of Chiang Mai
Hill-Tribes and Low-income Groups in Three Thai Districts
The Chiang Mai area has been selected since June 2001 for
a pilot project in which health-care will be decentralized
to local governments and community groups. Local area health-care
will be planned and programs implemented under the authority
of provincial health boards consisting of representatives
from local government, the communities themselves and the
Ministry of Health. There is an urgent need to prepare the
communities and their representatives to effectively participate
in this new system.
The proposed research will be participatory action in nature,
aiming:
· to determine how to improve implementation and
effectiveness in promoting the integral development of youth,
seniors and women in Hilltribes and low income communities
while increasing community cohesion and collaboration through
cultural, political, social and artistic activities;
· to determine how to improve implementation and
effectiveness in promoting development of skills among sub-district
administration/organization and municipality personnel in
the area of community development;
· to determine how to improve implementation and
effectiveness in promoting creation of community partnerships
by local actors for health promotion.
This involves providing incentives, skills and strategies
to community members to enable their effective participation
in designing and implementing new autonomous health care
and social service systems that meet local needs. This is
especially crucial for disadvantaged groups like the Chiang
Mai Hill-Tribes and other low-income communities.
Specifically, it is proposed that proven, effective participatory
action techniques are utilized to educate, empowers, and
involves members of these communities. These include training
in the use of focus groups, Delphi methods, consensus development
through negotiation/compromise techniques, participatory
planning, needs assessment methods (with emphasis on "asset-based"
methods developed by McKnight and Kretzman) and basic program
evaluation techniques. In addition, community organizations
such as area hospitals, NGOs, local governmental groups
will be enlisted as collaborators in this learning process.
Their involvement will have the additional advantages of
identifying issues early-on for discussion and resolution,
enabling coalition-building and increasing trust between
the three partner groups.
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| NCS Scholars, Midterm Meeting, Mexico. |
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NCS Scholars Lori Leonard and Seggane Musisi during first Global Health Summer Course Meeting.
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| Conferences & Workshops Calendar |
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