Soamarat Vilaiyuk, a 2005–06 International Fellow, was first inspired to pursue training in pediatric rheumatology by a child she met in her native Thailand. While working as a resident and fellow at Ramathibodi Hospital, she met a boy who had suffered from arthritis for many years. Soamarat explains, “Although he received many medications, the disease was still uncontrolled, and he couldn’t walk like a normal boy. He did not give up but kept fighting the disease without losing hope.”
Soamarat Vilaiyuk with one of her young patients
With the help of an AAUW fellowship, Soamarat studied at the University of Pittsburgh, where she worked on a medical team that cared for rheumatic patients, a valuable experience she is now applying to her work in Thailand. Soamarat says she had run out of funds to continue her studies, but after learning about the AAUW fellowships through a teacher who had also received a grant, she decided to apply: “After I got the grant from AAUW, I had hope again. I would like to thank AAUW a million times.”
One aspect of the International Fellowship that Soamarat finds uplifting is that, instead of promoting “brain drain,” it encourages fellows to return home to help their own communities. Soamarat seems to be a perfect example of why this strategy works. Currently, Soamarat is living in Bangkok and working at one of the top medical schools there. She believes she is the only pediatric rheumatologist in the country, but she has big goals for changing that: “My biggest challenge is to spread the knowledge of pediatric rheumatology to medical students, residents, fellows, and doctors all over the country, so they can help me with these kids.” She hopes to set up a clinic to serve patients with rheumatism and to conduct valuable research in the field of pediatric rheumatology.
For other International Fellows completing their studies or other women from abroad who are considering applying for an International Fellowship, Soamarat serves as evidence of the far-reaching impact of one individual returning home to better her community.
