AAMC Reporter: June 2009

Viewpoint: "Collaboration and Partnerships in International Medical Education"

M. Brownell Anderson, AAMC senior director of educational affairs

John J. Norcini, Ph.D., president and CEO, Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research

Globalization has given us more ability than ever for medical educators to learn from and share knowledge with colleagues around the world. This is done best through collaboration and partnerships. One organization helping to facilitate these partnerships—and, in turn, advance medical education and ultimately health care—is the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER). It is increasingly important that American medical students have exposure to health care systems outside of the United States, and FAIMER and the AAMC have collaborated on several activities to promote international medical education and provide information for U.S. medical students and faculty.

The purpose of FAIMER is to improve international medical education through faculty development, education and workforce research, and the creation of data resources. FAIMER focuses its efforts on developing countries in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Collaboration with other organizations, including U.S. medical schools, has been essential to this work.

Faculty development is crucial to advancing international medical education. One example of FAIMER's faculty development work is the FAIMER Philadelphia Institute, a two-year fellowship program designed for international health professions educators who have the potential to play a key role in improving education at their schools.

Each year, 16 educators are selected as FAIMER institute fellows. Fellows then participate in two residential sessions and two 11-month distance learning sessions that include mentoring and Web learning with institute faculty and health professions educators around the world. Fellows develop education innovation projects and deepen their knowledge base in health professions education and research.

The FAIMER regional institutes, modeled after the Philadelphia Institute, are run by fellows who have completed the Philadelphia program. There are currently five regional institutes: three in India, one in Brazil, and one in southern Africa. Two others, one in East Africa and one in West Africa, are under development. Each participant is required to propose and implement an education innovation project supported by his or her home institution. The length and number of the residential sessions as well as the number of fellows accepted each year varies.

In addition, Latin American FAIMER fellows have joined together to create the FAIMER Regional Initiative in Latin America, an informal group with the aim of exploring opportunities to build and strengthen their regional network and possibilities for a future Spanish language FAIMER regional institute.

Upon graduation from one of the FAIMER institutes, fellows become eligible to apply for a financial award to pursue a master's degree in medical education at an approved academic institution. As a professional advancement opportunity for FAIMER institute or FAIMER regional institute graduates, this International Fellowship in Medical Education program offers fellows the opportunity to further develop their skills in medical education, continue to establish professional communities with other educators from around the world, and increase visibility at their home institutions.

For instance, fellows in the Philadelphia Institute have the opportunity to spend a day with faculty and students at Thomas Jefferson Medical College and tour the simulation center and other facilities. FAIMER has also profited from its association with the Master of Health Professions Education (MPHE) program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ara Tekian and Ilene Harris teach in several of the institutes, and some of the FAIMER IFME fellows are enrolled in the MHPE program.

Within a few short years, FAIMER has developed a network of more than 300 international fellows. This community is growing by roughly 100 per year. We are interested in finding new mutually beneficial connections between fellows and U.S. institutions.

However, the FAIMER focus covers more than faculty development. FAIMER and the AAMC have teamed up to create International Opportunities in Medical Education (IOME), a public directory of the international activities of U.S. medical schools. As medical student and faculty interest in cross-cultural education and global health increases, it is important to have a better understanding of the variety and scope of available international education opportunities. The IOME helps to accomplish just that. It contains information about international programs for medical students, residents, and faculty as reported by the medical schools who responded to a survey on the topic.

IOME gives details on which schools offer such programs, how they are funded, and where they take place. Users can search IOME by the type of opportunity offered and by geographic region. IOME will be updated as new information becomes available. In addition to information from U.S. medical schools, FAIMER and the AAMC anticipate collecting information about international opportunities from medical schools worldwide for addition to the IOME directory.

The goal of every medical education program is to produce compassionate, patient-centered, caring physicians, regardless of the country involved or resources available. The programs described offer many opportunities to collaborate and to learn from our colleagues in the United States as well as internationally.

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the AAMC or its members.