March 2026

Dear friends,

March is National Nutrition Month, and this year's theme is Discover the Power of Nutrition, highlighting the vital role adequate nutrition plays in helping individuals and communities thrive. HVO is proud to work with registered dietitians and nurses who volunteer their expertise to strengthen and advance the quality of nutrition care globally. The integration of clinical nutrition into health systems saves lives, reduces healthcare costs, shortens hospital stays, and builds healthier, more resilient communities.

Through our partnership with the Medical Education Exchange Team (MEET) and Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Vietnam, HVO volunteers provide virtual education to faculty and trainees in Can Tho. By sharing evidence-based practices, discussing complex cases, and supporting professional development, volunteers are helping strengthen local capacity in clinical nutrition. Below, you will find a statement from our on-site coordinator on the impact of this collaboration.

During National Nutrition Month, we celebrate not only the power of nutrition, but also the dedicated volunteers and partners who make this work possible. Together, we are investing in stronger health systems and healthier futures.

Sincerely,

April

April Pinner, MSPH, RD

Executive Director

MEET-HVO Clinical Nutrition and Fitness Project 

The MEET-HVO Clinical Nutrition and Fitness Project is dedicated to facilitating international collaborations between professionals to improve health sciences nutrition education and patient care in academic, medical, and community settings. The content spans the spectrum of scientific and practical understandings of the role of diet and nutrition from medical nutrition therapy to lifestyle medicine, and health and fitness across the lifespan. Activities include collaborative remote educational courses and webinars located on HVO’s Remote Education Interface (REI), in-person lectures, and hands-on workshop activities.

"Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy (CTUMP) has maintained a collaborative partnership with MEET for more than ten years, engaging in academic exchange and teaching activities for students through biannual on-site visits by MEET to CTUMP, typically held in April and November. In this collaboration, Dr. Susan Kleiner, Head of Nutrition at MEET, has served as a key liaison, providing us with valuable opportunities to learn from and share experiences with U.S.-based experts in nutrition education and research. In 2025, we were further connected with HVO through MEET to organize a series of academic webinars. The CTUMP Nutrition Team collaborated with specialists from MEET and HVO to develop the project entitled “The MEET–HVO Clinical Nutrition and Fitness Project,” implemented via a remote interface platform. This initiative delivered a webinar series covering eight topics related to nutrition for patients with cancer, gestational diabetes, and food poisoning. The program received strong participation and positive feedback from health care professionals, trainees, and students at CTUMP. This encouraging response has motivated us to continue planning and sustaining collaborative activities with MEET and HVO in 2026 through this valuable webinar series. Hopefully the program will be widely disseminated to potential participants and will attract the engagement of experts interested in clinical nutrition in health care."

- Ts Bs Trương Thành Nam, HVO on-site coordinator

30 Years of Friendship: Rehabilitation in Bhutan

Ms. Linda Wolff and Dr. Sanga Dorji share their years of experience working together to revolutionize rehabilitation care in Bhutan.

Oncology - Dharan, Nepal

“BPKIHS is now an officially approved Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) site. This is a monumental step for our institution. It ensures that HVO volunteers now visit on a regular basis, providing a continuous stream of international expertise. Our trainees are exposed to global best practices in oncology, palliative care, and hematology. The education of our residents no longer depends on a single individual but is supported by a global network. Looking forward, our collaboration is only beginning. We are committed to a long-term partnership that includes organizing sustained educational activities to empower local healthcare providers with specialized oncology training; generating a pipeline of skilled manpower through the DM Medical Oncology program to ensure no patient in Eastern Nepal is left without expert care; and establishing a global partnership in research to expand Nepalese cancer data and contribute to international oncological studies.”

– Dr. Soniya Dulal

Building Surgical Bridges

“We never know where we are going to end up - we never know what will come our way, as COVID showed us. I think expanding your vision is very important. When you go places where people have access to better technology and resources, you will get to see people doing things you rarely have a chance to do. Repetition builds excellence. But it’s also very important to see people managing without access to the same resources. They are still treating their patients as best they can with what they have. In Portugal, in the US, as doctors we always face inconveniences and things we don’t expect. We need to be ready for challenges. Having these volunteer experiences, learning from other people, this is the best way.”



– Dr. Rómulo Silva

Volunteer Opportunities

Anesthesia, Laos is recruiting in-person volunteers for a pediatric hospital. Expertise in preoperative evaluation, intraoperative management, physiology, pathophysiology, and quality improvement is needed. Interested volunteers should contact Natalie Cary.

Hematology, Phnom Penh, Cambodia is recruiting hematology scientists with a special interest in flow cytometry, as well as hematology-oncology clinicians, nurses, and laboratory-based scientists to assist with monthly virtual lectures and case conferences and in-person assignments. Volunteers are needed for both virtual and in-person assignments. Interested volunteers should contact Lauren Franklin.

Hematology, Peru is recruiting pediatric and adult hematology-oncology clinicians, hematopathologists and laboratory-based scientists/medical technologists/histologists for overseas placements. Virtual volunteers are needed to join monthly online case discussions. Spanish language proficiency is preferred. Interested volunteers should contact Lauren Franklin.

Nutrition, Cambodia is recruiting dedicated health care professionals, including dietitians, nurses, nurse practitioners, speech language pathologists, physician assistants, doctors, and other relevant clinicians with expertise in diabetes, lactation, feeding skills, oncology nutrition, gastroenterology, pediatric neurodevelopmental disabilities. They are also in need of pediatric surgeons with expertise in gastric tube placement and pediatric clinicians with expertise in PICC. Volunteers are needed for both virtual and in-person assignments. Interested volunteers should contact Lauren Franklin.

Oncology Nursing, Vietnam is recruiting an inpatient staff nurse or outpatient infusion nurse to provide feedback and mentorship on monthly virtual case discussions. Interested volunteers should contact Lauren Franklin.

Oral Health, Uganda is recruiting pediatric dentists for in-person assignments to support didactic lectures, clinical training, and curriculum development, with interest in research. Interested volunteers should contact Lauren Franklin.