{"id":55339,"date":"2026-04-08T15:13:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T08:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/?p=55339"},"modified":"2026-04-08T15:13:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T08:13:46","slug":"from-modra-to-wellcome-sanger-fellowship-dr-le-thanh-hoang-nhat-reflects-on-growth-and-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/2026\/04\/08\/from-modra-to-wellcome-sanger-fellowship-dr-le-thanh-hoang-nhat-reflects-on-growth-and-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"From MODRA to\u00c2\u00a0Wellcome\u00c2\u00a0Sanger Fellowship: Dr Le Thanh Hoang Nhat reflects on Growth and Connection\u00c2\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dr Le Thanh Hoang Nhat<\/a>, a member of the MODRA<\/a> cohort 1, has been awarded the\u00c2\u00a0Wellcome\u00c2\u00a0Sanger <\/a>Fellowship as an International Fellow in the Human Genetics\u00c2\u00a0programme, under the sponsorship of Dr. Emma Davenport.\u00c2\u00a0The three-year fellowship (\u00c2\u00a3100,000) will support his research, developing a computational\u00c2\u00a0method\u00c2\u00a0to elucidate how human genetic variation shapes immune responses leading to severe pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), with potential applications in improving treatment pathways for tuberculosis (TB) patients.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on the application process, Nhat\u00c2\u00a0emphasized\u00c2\u00a0that success required not only technical strength but also clarity in\u00c2\u00a0demonstrating\u00c2\u00a0the relevance and potential impact of his\u00c2\u00a0work. Participation\u00c2\u00a0in MODRA played\u00c2\u00a0an important role\u00c2\u00a0in shaping this process. Through training, mentorship, and peer exchange, the\u00c2\u00a0programme\u00c2\u00a0helped him refine his research direction, strengthen his proposal narrative, and better position his work within a broader scientific landscape.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of MODRA:\u00c2\u00a0building confidence,\u00c2\u00a0perspective,\u00c2\u00a0and community<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Nhat, one of MODRA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s most valuable contributions was the opportunity to engage with a network of researchers from across Southeast Asia. Connecting with peers working in\u00c2\u00a0diverse areas of biomedical science broadened his perspective on the regional research landscape and highlighted shared challenges faced by researchers in low- and middle-income country\u00c2\u00a0contexts. Through\u00c2\u00a0these interactions, he developed a clearer understanding of how his work contributes to a wider body of research addressing regional and global health priorities.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Nhat discusses ideas with his MODRA \u00e2\u20ac\u0153buddies\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d his affectionate term for fellow MODRA members<\/em>
(Photo: OUCRU, 2024)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

MODRA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Training\u00c2\u00a0component\u00c2\u00a0was particularly meaningful at this stage of his career. With more than ten years of research experience, he valued the opportunity to\u00c2\u00a0consolidate\u00c2\u00a0existing\u00c2\u00a0leadership\u00c2\u00a0styles\u00c2\u00a0and strengthen how these could be applied strategically in proposal development.\u00c2\u00a0Rather than introducing entirely new techniques, the training created space to refine research questions, clarify methodological approaches, and strengthen how ideas are communicated to a\u00c2\u00a0multidisciplinary\u00c2\u00a0audience.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
He emphasises the importance of pitching, a skill he strengthened through the MODRA cohort.<\/em> (Photo: OUCRU, 2024)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mentorship also played\u00c2\u00a0an important role. Nhat highlights the long-term guidance of Dr Thuong<\/a>, Head of the TB research group and\u00c2\u00a0a member\u00c2\u00a0of MODRA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Academic Advisory\u00c2\u00a0Committee. Her understanding of both the scientific field and local research realities helped him connect global research questions with context-specific insight.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also acknowledged the encouragement and practical support provided by MODRA trainers and coordinators, whose contributions ensured participants could focus fully on their development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A transformative experience<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, Nhat describes MODRA as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153once-in-a-lifetime experience\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that strengthened both his research direction and confidence as an independent researcher. The relationships built through the programme continue to provide a valuable source of support, helping him feel part of a wider scientific community working towards shared goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he begins the Sanger\u00c2\u00a0International\u00c2\u00a0Fellowship, his experience highlights the importance of structured support mechanisms such as MODRA in enabling researchers to translate potential into opportunity and ideas into impact.\u00c2\u00a0
\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

About MODRA<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MODRA is an 18-month\u00c2\u00a0programme\u00c2\u00a0jointly delivered by OUCRU and MORU<\/a> to support early-career postdoctoral researchers in Asia in becoming independent investigators. Through training, mentorship,\u00c2\u00a0and seed funding, the\u00c2\u00a0programme\u00c2\u00a0strengthens researchers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 ability to develop competitive, impactful research.<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr Nhat, a MODRA alumnus, has been awarded the Wellcome Sanger Fellowship. Reflecting on his journey, he highlights how mentorship, regional collaboration and focused training through MODRA helped shape a competitive research proposal and strengthen his direction as an independent researcher. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":55340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,144],"tags":[698,29],"class_list":["post-55339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-ho-chi-minh","tag-modra","tag-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55339"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55381,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55339\/revisions\/55381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}