Dr. Dorkeo’s Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Residency Update

In October 2024, Dr. Dorkeo Buapao began a three-year fellowship in pediatric hemato-oncology at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. It’s a big leap for the Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) pediatrician, who is training to become one of only a handful of specialists in this field in Laos. 

The start was far from easy. “The first three months were the hardest,” she recalls. Adjusting to a new culture, learning medical in Thai language, and understanding a different hospital system was stressful. “At first, I felt like I was only observing,” she says when she was used to having a leadership role. However, after three months, she gained the confidence to ask her professors for more hands-on responsibilities. With this determination, she has taken on regular patient history-taking, makes clinical decisions under supervision, and now plays an active role in the department’s daily work. 

The fellowship is highly practical, immersing doctors directly in patient care from day one. For Dr. Dorkeo, this has meant long days, often working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the hematology outpatient clinic, plus time in other departments and educational sessions. In July, she joined a multi-day gathering for hemato-oncology and pediatric fellows, where she learned the latest evidence-based practices and shared experiences with colleagues from across the region. 

“Hemato-oncology is much broader than I imagined,” says Dr Dorkeo. One memorable case involved diagnosing prolonged neonatal jaundice with an uncommon cause, a challenge she had never encountered before. “It taught me how important it is to look beyond the obvious and to think critically about every symptom,” she explains. “I realized that medicine isn’t just about memorizing conditions; it’s about connecting the dots and understanding each patient’s unique story.”

She also passed her mid-year exam in June, receiving encouraging feedback from her professors for her growing confidence and clinical reasoning. 

During December 2025, Dr. Dorkeo began a month-long placement at a blood bank centre, where she learned to prescribe appropriate blood and blood products for specific conditions, match blood types and components, interpret compatibility testing results, and manage transfusion reactions. She also gained insight into the storage, handling, and quality control that make transfusions safe for children with cancers and other blood disorders. She hopes to apply what she’s learned to compare the blood bank systems in Laos and identify areas for quality improvement, and to share new knowledge with her colleagues.   

Building Expertise for Laos 

One of the most valuable aspects of the program, Dr. Dorkeo says, is working alongside some of the most skilled hemato-oncologists in the region. She also learns from fellow residents, including those from Thailand’s Isaan region, which shares many of Laos’ medical challenges and genetic blood disorders. 

While she misses her LFHC colleagues and being able to work in her native language, she knows this training is an investment in the future.

“This opportunity is not only for me,” she says. “It’s for the many children in Laos who will benefit from better care.” 

When her three years are complete, Dr. Dorkeo plans to return to LFHC to establish specialized hemato-oncology services, so children with blood cancers can receive advanced treatment in Laos, without the need to travel abroad.