The BCMF Team « Burma Children Medical Fund

The small, yet efficient, BCMF staff team is made up of core and auxiliary members. A few individuals also serve the organization in an advisory capacity.

Core Staff Team

The core team consists of five individuals – Kanchana Thornton, May Soe, Ma Myai, Roda Htaw and Chan Lung Kham, who are located in the Mae Sot and Chiang Mai offices. BCMF has staff representation in Chiang Mai to oversee patient care, manage patient appointments and effectively liaise with Thai hospital staff.

	Kanchana Thornton Position: BCMF Program Manager Education: Bachelor of Nursing, Post-Graduate Diploma in Maternal and Child Health Contact Information: kanchana@burmachildren.com Before volunteering at the Mae Tao Clinic on the Thai-Burma border in 2001, Kanchana worked as an emergency nurse for three years. Initially supported by Australian Volunteers International (AVI), this position is now funded by a private donor. Kanchana has worked as the Clinic’s Thai Government Liaison Coordinator and Child Health Program Coordinator. As the BCMF Program Manager, she is responsible for overseeing all operations of the organization. Kanchana manages the logistical operations and organizational finances, organizes patient transport to other healthcare facilities, and liaises with partner organization staff, medical personnel and the Thai authorities.
	Ma MyaiPosition: Program Assistant Education: Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) Contact Information: mamyai@burmachildren.com Ma Myai is responsible for the organization of all the required documentation and patient registration for the weekly patient transfer van to Chiang Mai. She also assists with administrative tasks and serves as a translator during patient interviews. Ma Myai speaks Burmese and Phwo Karen, and is studying English and Thai.
	Roda HtawPosition: Program Assistant Education: Bachelor of Education (Psychology) Contact Information: roda@burmachildren.com Roda manages patient files and intake, and assists with database management. She plays a large role during patient interviews talking to the patients, transcribing their responses and often translating. Roda also prepares reports for the Thai authorities regarding patient transfer, and assists with the organization’s accounts. Roda is fluent in Sgaw Karen and Thai, speaks and writes English well, and is learning Burmese.
	May SoePosition: Child Outpatient Department Program Manager (Mae Tao Clinic) Education: Basic Medical Training, Maternal and Child Health training, Mae Tao Clinic department rotational training Contact Information: may.soe2@gmail.com May Soe assists with the identification of patients for the program and the referral process between Mae Tao Clinic departments and BCMF. She is the primary liaison for patients and assists with translation, offers counselling and provides medical support. May Soe is responsible for communication with patients regarding their transfers and treatment plans. She is also the main BCMF contact for patients and Clinic staff. May Soe is fluent in Burmese and Karen, and is studying English and Thai.
	Chan Lung KhamPosition: Program Assistant Chan is the sole BCMF staff member in Chiang Mai. He is responsible for the overseeing of patient care at the safe houses there. Chan assists patients with their navigation of the hospital and deal with the challenges of being in a city for the first time. He ensures that patients attend their appointments and acts as a translator when possible. Chan also serves as an advocate for BCMF patients at the hospital in Chiang Mai.

Auxiliary Staff Team

Auxiliary staff members include medics from the Mae Tao Clinic, short and long-term program volunteers, and occasionally, physician volunteers.

	Dixie AyePosition: Child Outpatient Department Clinical Supervisor (Mae Tao Clinic) Dixie is the clinical supervisor in Child Outpatient Department at Mae Tao Clinic. Her involvement with BCMF includes assistance with translation during communication with patients, including the intake and interview process. Dixie speaks both Karen dialects (Pwo and Sgaw), Burmese, Thai, and some English.
	Naw ReePosition: Reproductive Health Outpatient Department Clinical Supervisor Naw Ree is in charge of the outpatient department of Reproductive Health at Mae Tao Clinic. BCMF works with her to facilitate the Burma Women Medical Fund (BWMF) program which is run in cooperation with her department. Naw Ree collaborates with BCMF to manage the BWMF accounts, set patient appointments, and keep track of patients waiting for surgery. When BCMF does patient intake interviews for BWMF, Naw Ree occasionally serves as a translator.
	Tin ShwePosition: Referral Team Manager (Mae Tao Clinic) Tin Shwe manages the Clinic’s referrals team coordinating patient visits to the Mae Sot Hospital. Because all BCMF patients need a referral, Tin Shwe is an important part of the BCMF process. When Clinic departments refer patients to BCMF, they work with Tin Shwe during the process to refer patients to Mae Sot Hospital. Once this has happened, Tin Shwe or another member of the referrals team will contact BCMF core staff for patient intake.
	Mu NiPosition: Adult Inpatient Department Manager (Mae Tao Clinic) Mu Ni manages the adult inpatient department at the Mae Tao Clinic. When patients are unable to be treated at the Clinic due to the severity of the condition on unavailability of specialized treatment, Mu Ni refers patients to BCMF for assessment.
	Paw PriPosition: Child Outpatient Department Medic Paw Pri has been a medic at the Mae Tao Clinic for many years. She conducts medical consultations of children under 12 at the paediatric outpatient department. She works closely with BCMF when she identifies a child with a health problem that requires treatment in Chiang Mai. She also assists BCMF as an interpreter during patient intake interviews.
	Katie CamarenaPosition: Program Assistant Contact Information: katie@burmachildren.com Katie was a self-funded volunteer for BCMF from September 2009 until April 2012. In April 2010 she became an AVI volunteer and was tasked with assisting BCMF’s development in terms of fundraising, donor relations, and using new mechanisms for administration and reporting. Katie is particularly interested and skilled in media and technology. Although Katie finished her AVI placement in late 2011, she remains involved in BCMF activities. Now back in Australia she writes reports, updates BCMF’s web presence and social media, and goes to events to raise awareness.
	Pari ChowdharyPosition: Program Assistant Education: Bachelor of Science (BioPsychology – Cognitive Neuroscience) Contact Information: pari@burmachildren.com Bringing with her a passion for global health, Pari joined the BCMF team as a self-funded volunteer in October 2012. While assisting local staff with patient intake and the pre and post-operative interview process, Pari is responsible for the development of a variety of preventative, health promoting, and disease/condition-specific patient education materials. She is working to create a comprehensive what-to-expect illustrative/video series to assist patients with their transition to the Chiang Mai Hospital. Pari also helps manage BCMF’s web and social media presence, and assists with report-writing.
	Samantha CarterPosition: Program Assistant Education: Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), Masters in Public Policy and International Affairs (International Development) Contact Information: samantha@burmachildren.com Samantha joined the BCMF team in October 2012 as a self-funded volunteer. Her primary responsibilities include the development, implementation, and maintenance of BCMF’s monitoring, evaluation, and data systems. This includes expanding existing systems for tracking key data on BCMF patients and their treatment, establishing monitoring systems to track BCMF activities, revising BCMF’s interview protocols, and developing performance indicators to report on patient outcomes. Sam also helps conduct patient interviews, write quarterly reports, and manage BCMF’s financial accounting systems.
	Jacqui WhelanPosition: Program Assistant Contact Information: jacqui@burmachildren.com Jacqui joined the BCMF team in 2008 as part of the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) program. For a year she worked closely with local medics to further develop systems for processing patients. Currently in Australia, Jacqui is responsible for BCMF’s international volunteer screening, as well as fundraising, raising awareness and donor relations. She plans to rejoin the in-country BCMF staff later in 2012 as an AVI volunteer on a two-year contract.
	AndrewPosition: Web Designer Andrew volunteers his web design knowledge to BCMF in a remote capacity to assist with the updating of the organization’s website.
	Daniel GaluppoPosition: Videographer Daniel volunteers with BCMF occasionally to help document patients’ transitions over the course of their treatment plans and to create media depicting patient stories and organizational updates.

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