Medical student Binh Duong Thai has been awarded the DAAD Prize for international students, including for his voluntary involvement in the project "TRIAPHON - translating in medical emergencies". The prize, given by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), expresses appreciation not only for noteworthy social engagement but also for academic achievements. Since the 2017/2018 winter semester, the prize-winner has studied human medicine at the Medical Faulty Heidelberg of Heidelberg University and has "sailed through the course" with outstanding results, said Dr Alexander Au, head of the International Relations Division at Ruperto Carola, who presented the prize at a small celebration.
During the award ceremony, Binh Duong Thai, who comes from Vietnam and is currently in his clinical practice year, reported that he plans to proceed with specialist training and later to contribute to German-Vietnamese cooperation in his homeland. He wants to encourage other students from abroad in their degree courses and appealed to them "never to give up", even when the going is not always easy at the start of their studies. Back then, he remarked, two fellow students who were awarded the DAAD Prize for academic achievement and social engagement had been a role model for him.
Binh Duong Thai interprets doctor-patient conversations in the context of TRIAPHON and also serves as an interpreter in refugee accommodation centres. Furthermore, since December 2020 the medical student has participated in a project about using hybrid AI language technologies for quality improvement in medical care. He was nominated for this year’s prize by Petra Benzinger from the Geriatric Centre of Heidelberg University Hospital, who also attended the ceremony on 13 December 2023. The award comes with prize money of 1,000 euros.