Seven years ago, Penn joined forces with VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam, to develop undergraduate and graduate curricula while building a world-class faculty in health sciences and nursing, with a shared goal of transforming medical and nursing education in Vietnam. This year marks a significant milestone: five years since VinUniversity opened its doors—and the first time it achieved a five-star QS ranking in nine categories. Among the youngest universities to achieve this distinction from the global educational ranking organization, VinUni exemplifies the power of deepening connections to advance health and well-being—one of the great challenges of our time.
Earlier this month, Interim Penn President J. Larry Jameson traveled to VinUniversity to celebrate the university’s growth and success. Speaking to a packed room of more than 200 students, faculty, and administrators, alongside Penn alumni and faculty, President Jameson expressed great pride in the alliance’s achievements. He also explored the transformational role of higher education.
“Excellent universities fuel individual success,” said Jameson. “That’s why most of you decided to enroll here. Excellent universities drive societal progress, and excellent universities help ensure humanity and the planet will thrive.”
In his talk, Jameson noted that people who’ve attained more education, and effective education, tend to have not just higher incomes but better health outcomes and higher rates of civic engagement. Citing Carl June’s pioneering CAR T cell therapy and Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó’s Nobel Prize-winning mRNA research as examples, Jameson discussed the value of partnerships between scholars and business, particularly in biology. And he nodded to recent Rhodes Scholar Om Gandhi, who co-authored more than 10 peer-reviewed manuscripts during his time at Penn and conducts research on developing new cancer therapies and diagnostic approaches, as an example of the “unbelievably amazing" talent of individuals coming out of universities today.
“But I also think we can do more to evolve in step with the global currents of our time,” Jameson said, highlighting Penn’s framework for the future, In Principle and Practice.
Since 2018, Penn Medicine and Penn Nursing—in collaboration with the leadership of Penn Nursing Dean Antonia M. Villarruel—have worked closely with the VinUni College of Health Sciences with their ambition to transform medical and nursing education in Vietnam. This has included developing new and innovative curricula, training faculty, and fostering international collaboration.
“There are always risks in new ventures, but the trust developed early on between Penn and VinUni fostered an environment of innovation and acceptance to new ideas and educational approaches that don’t just mirror, but in many ways move beyond practices in the west,” says Glen Gaulton, director for the Center for Global Health at Penn Medicine, and a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine. “Our recent visit celebrated VinUni’s fifth anniversary—a remarkable milestone that reflects the strength of our partnership and the shared vision for advancing health equity through health sciences education.”
VinUni matriculated its first cohort in 2020 and graduated its first nursing cohort in 2024. Thirteen VinUni graduate students earned scholarships for Penn in 2022, and since 2018 there have been 250 Penn faculty, residents, and trainees who’ve had meaningful academic exchanges with VinUni. In the year ahead, Penn Nursing will contribute to the implementation of a Master of Nursing program at VinUni that is research-focused.
“This fifth anniversary of VinUniversity is an auspicious one, and Penn Nursing is so proud to be a part of it,” says Julie Sochalski, associate dean for academic programs at Penn Nursing, who leads their alliance with VinUni. “Together as full partners with the VinUni Nursing Program, we went from groundbreaking to graduation in five years, and built a model of nursing education that will have VinUni nurse graduates ‘be the change,’ advancing nursing’s role and impact throughout Vietnam. Our hearty congratulations, and we know this is only the beginning of an exciting journey ahead.”
In closing his talk, Jameson spoke of “global cooperation and collaboration” as another component of excellence.
“The world is more connected than ever, and that trend is only going to accelerate,” said Jameson. “These kinds of partnerships, like the one we have here, improve our ability to deliver on our missions; they also help to bridge cultural and geopolitical differences, even and especially when those bonds become strained. Education is something we should all be able to share together in common across the world.”
