Co-director of the university's Centre for International Health Prof John Crump said an agreement to work together in training, research and capacity building had been signed with the oldest medical school in Burma.
Prof Crump said he had been searching for a collaboration in Southeast Asia since joining Otago University in 2011 and chose Burma. ''It's one of the poorer countries in Southeast Asia and been somewhat isolated for a number of years.''
The collaboration would focus on infectious diseases, especially the syndrome of fever which was a health issue with children but could affect any of the more than 60 million residents, he said.
Initially, there would be an exchange involving two postgraduate students from each university, who would work on research projects,
Prof Crump said. The number of students exchanged would increase over time, he said.
The collaboration would give the Burmese academic staff access to training in new technical areas, Prof Crump said.
''The academic community in Myanmar [Burma] have not been able to freely interact with the global community until recently.''
The isolation had led to a drop in the ranking of the ''proud'' Burmese health system in Southeast Asia, Prof Crump said.
''University of Medicine (1) was considered one of the top, if not the top, medical schools in Southeast Asia but that is no longer the case today. They are very anxious to get back to becoming competitive again.''
By partnering with the University of Otago, the University of Medicine (1) could get ''back on track'' in its efforts to help Burma achieve better health statistics, he said.
Prof Crump visited Burma last year and believed the collaboration held significant potential.
''There will be many saving graces. We will be part of the picture and they also have considerable natural resources, potential in agriculture and a very motivated population of people. I suspect Myanmar will rapidly transform itself into an Asian powerhouse.''
