Dr. Pennapha Sapcharoen

History

Born on May 27, 1952.
Died on April 2, 2008, at the age of 56.

Educational record

  • 1982, Bachelor of Medicine (Honors), Prince of Songkla University.
  • 1989, Master of Public Health Administration, ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University.

Work history

  • 1985: Director of Wang Nam Yen Hospital, Sa Kaeo Province
  • 1992: Acting Provincial Public Health Officer, Prachinburi Province
  • 1993: Provincial Public Health Officer, Prachinburi Province
  • 1994: Provincial Public Health Officer, Prachinburi Province and Acting Director of the Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine
  • 1994: Medical Doctor 9 in Preventive Medicine, Lerdsin Hospital, Department of Medical Services and Acting Director of the Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine
  • 1995: Assistant Director-General of the Department of Medical Services and Director of the Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine
  • 2000: Director of the Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine
  • 2002: Deputy Director-General of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Development
  • 2006: Public Health Inspector, Region 8 and Region 9

Outstanding achievements

  • Professor at the Free People’s League of Thailand, 1970.
  • The professor of Ayurveda at the college imparted knowledge of manual therapy to students from 1982 to 1992 and was able to pass on this knowledge, making it widespread to this day.
  • Thai Massage Project Committee
  • The lecturer gave special lectures to master’s degree students in the Physical Therapy program at Siriraj Hospital and collaborated with the Department of Anatomy at Siriraj Hospital on developing teaching materials for the Manual Therapy course.

Outstanding achievements

  1. The “Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine” was established in 1989. The “Coordination Center for Thai Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy” under the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health was later restructured into the “Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine” under the Department of Medical Services on March 26, 1993, to serve as a central hub for the development, coordination, support, and cooperation in Thai traditional medicine within the Ministry of Public Health.
  2. The integration of traditional Thai medicine into the public health service system, through the Decade of Traditional Thai Medicine Development Project (1994-2001), led to the use of traditional Thai medicine in public health facilities under the Ministry of Public Health.
  3. The construction of the “Museum and Training Center for Traditional Thai Medicine” began in 1996, following traditional Thai architectural principles. It serves as a venue for showcasing the history and evolution of traditional Thai medicine, a herbal garden, a cave, and a Ruesi Dat Ton (traditional Thai exercise) area, providing a resource for study, research, and training in traditional Thai medicine.
  4. He spearheaded the legal push to protect traditional Thai medical knowledge, specifically the “Protection and Promotion of Traditional Thai Medical Knowledge Act B.E. 2542 (1999),” aiming to develop, promote, and utilize traditional Thai medical knowledge, such as herbal remedies and medicinal formulas, sustainably.
  5. The development of knowledge and the creation of a recognized Thai massage profession, both domestically and internationally, was achieved through a Thai massage training project implemented in 1999 to mitigate the social and economic impacts of the crisis. This project focused on developing academic knowledge, training, and producing massage instructors and practitioners. These individuals later became crucial resources in laying the foundation and ensuring the continued dissemination and standardization of Thai massage knowledge.
  6. Research and development in Thai traditional medicine and herbal medicine aims to compile knowledge and further develop Thai wisdom and herbal remedies to gain national and international recognition. Examples include: compiling theories of Thai traditional medicine, developing the Samutthanavijaya scripture, creating a Thai traditional medicine health diagnosis program (PEN DIAG), and developing textbooks on Thai traditional medicine and herbal medicine, such as books on pressure points and diseases, trees according to directions, local vegetables, and general knowledge about massage.
  7. The “Thai Traditional Medicine Development Foundation” was established on December 19, 1996, to support, promote, and develop the quality of Thai traditional medicine in all aspects, both in the public and private sectors. Its purpose is to support the operations of foundations, organizations, associations, and clubs working in the field of Thai traditional medicine, and to support research into the knowledge of Thai traditional medicine in a comprehensive and systematic manner.
  8. The establishment of the “Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Development” was spearheaded by Dr. Pennapha Sapcharoen, a key figure in the push for its establishment within the Ministry of Public Health on October 3, 2002, under the Administrative Procedure Act of 2002 and the Act on the Reorganization of Ministries and Departments of 2002. She is a pioneer of Thai traditional knowledge and herbal medicine in Thai public health.

Academic works

  • 1990: Promotion of herbal medicine use in public health facilities.
  • 1991: Optimal cultivation period for ginger extraction.
  • 1997: Study of the application of Thai traditional medicine theory in the public health service system.
  • 2003: Study and development of a Thai traditional medicine diagnostic and health check program, or PEN DIAG program.

Academic Article

  1. The monthly magazine, Herb for Health, has one column:
    – One hundred stories
  2. The weekly newspaper Prachathat has one column:
    – Good health for everyone.
  3. The monthly Natural Agriculture Journal has one column:
    – Thai wisdom
  4. Thai Post Weekly has one column:
    – Health information from Thai traditional medicine.

Honors received

  • 1984: Outstanding Physician in a District Hospital Award from the Medical Association of Thailand under Royal Patronage.
  • 1986: Outstanding Female Physician with Excellent Contributions to Rural Society Award from the Thai Women Medical Association under Royal Patronage.
  • 1987: Outstanding Alumni Award from Prince of Songkla University.
  • 1996: Thai Businesswoman of the Year 1996 Award from the Thai Social Foundation and the Economic Route Newspaper.
  • 1997: Outstanding Alumni Award, Faculty of Medicine, from Prince of Songkla University.
  • 1998: Outstanding Alumni Award, Faculty of Medicine, from Prince of Songkla University.
  • 2001: Outstanding Individual in Traditional Thai Medicine Award from the Thai Traditional Medicine Association of Thailand.
  • 2003: Outstanding National Health Educator Award, Mass Communication Category, from the Thai Health Education Association.
  • 2005: Outstanding Alumni Award, General Integration Category. The Alumni Association of the Graduate School, Mahidol University.
  • 2005, She was appointed as a distinguished expert of Kalasin Rajabhat University.