The Multinational Academic Health Center By Steven A. Wartman, MD, PhDThe nation's academic health centers are essentially idealistic institutions that seek to "do good" Their primary goal is not to seek a profit where it can be had (although profits often follow what they do), but rather to improve health and well-being. This goal now needs to extend beyond the nation's borders, where academic health centers have a unique opportunity to work in partnerships with other academic health centers worldwide. In doing so, these institutions can come together as agents of change by serving the global community and be among the critical forces shaping the 21st century.