OPENING CEREMONY OF THE ADVANCED FACULTY DEVELOPMENT COURSE: "COMPREHENSIVE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (CPAP)" (2025-2026)

At 8:00 AM on April 21, 2025, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City (UMP) solemnly held the opening ceremony of the inaugural Comprehensive Program for Assessment Proficiency (CPAP) – an advanced faculty development training course – at Lecture Hall 3C (3rd floor, 15-story building). The course welcomed 66 faculty participants, including 42 from UMP and 24 from Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine (PNTU).

Professors Ho Hoi and Ho Kim Tuyen pictured with university leadership and all lecturers of the CPAP training program.

In attendance were Prof. Ho Hoi and Prof. Ho Kim Tuyen from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso (USA), who serve as Director and Co-Director of the tripartite educational collaboration between UMP, PNTU, and TTUHSC El Paso. Representing UMP were Assoc. Prof. MD. PhD Ngo Quoc Dat (President of UMP), Assoc. Prof. MD. PhD Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan (Vice President), and the Center for Medical Education leaders. From PNTU, attendees included Assoc. Prof. MD. PhD Nguyen Trong Hao (Party Secretary and Chair of the University Council), Assoc. Prof. MD. PhD Nguyen Thanh Hiep (President), Assoc. Prof. MD. PhD Nguyen Dang Thoai (Vice President), along with leaders from PNTU's Center for Medical Education. The event also welcomed 66 lecturers, including deans, heads of departments, and senior faculty from both institutions.

Assoc. Prof. MD. PhD Ngo Quoc Dat – President of UMP – delivering the opening remarks for the CPAP program.

The CPAP program, scheduled for the 2025–2027 period, aims to build a robust assessment system for both UMP and PNTU. It also seeks to enhance assessment literacy among faculty members through the application of Evidence-Centered Design (ECD) and international standards for outcome-based assessment such as those from the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Key training content includes: workplace-based assessment (WBA), simulation-based assessment (SBA), standard-setting methods (Angoff, Borderline Regression, Hofstee, and Contrasting Groups), and various clinical assessment tools such as Mini-CEX, DOPS, OSCE, and Multi-source Feedback. Furthermore, the program supports the long-term development and sustainability of faculty development units at both universities.

Prof. Ho Hoi – Director of the tripartite academic collaboration TTU- HSC (Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso) with UMP and PNTU delivering a welcome speech and introducing the CPAP course content.

In their speeches, Prof. Ho Hoi and Prof. Ho Kim Tuyen emphasized the critical importance of faculty development in medical education and the urgent need to strengthen human resource capacity. Assoc. Prof. MD. PhD Ngo Quoc Dat underscored the relevance of faculty assessment capacity in transitioning toward competency-based and outcome-based education—especially as it relates to preparing for future high-stakes national licensure assessments. Assoc. Prof. MD. PhD Nguyen Thanh Hiep highlighted the importance of participants' proactive and committed engagement to ensure the success of the program. Speaking after the ceremony, Assoc. Prof. MD. PhD Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan noted that the CPAP program would significantly aid both universities in preparing for the upcoming national licensing examination for health professions.

Professors Ho Hoi and Ho Kim Tuyen in discussion with UMP's leadership and the Center for Medical Education's leadership on faculty development and learner assessment in health professions education.

Running from April 21, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the CPAP training consists of a series of hybrid workshops (in-person and online), including 192 hours of in-person instruction. The curriculum is designed to develop deep expertise in assessment aligned with the competencies of a Subject Matter Expert (SME). A distinctive feature of the program is the integration of individual faculty projects, ensuring that participants not only acquire theoretical knowledge but also apply it effectively to teaching and learner assessment practices. These efforts will directly support both institutions in their pursuit of international accreditation and contribute to the development of a robust national licensure assessment system for health professions.