A thorough search and review of the literature gave us a comprehensive
picture of international cooperation in medical education, from
which we worked out the framework and content for this chapter. We
wanted to provide the reader with comprehensive and useful information
on the existing types of collaborative global education programs and the
challenges and barriers that may hinder the successful implementation of
such programs, and, more importantly, some strategies for coping with
these challenges. The writing process is also a learning process. We learned
much from the experiences at other universities and institutions—both
overseas and domestic, and reflected on and summarized our own practice.
In this era of globalization, in order to achieve excellence in medical
education, collaboration is a must and has forward-looking significance.
Review and summarization of such collaboration is definitely necessary,
and will no doubt promote further collaboration in a virtuous cycle.
Global collaboration in medical education plays an essential role in
cultivating our students to become qualified health professionals with
overall competencies, critical thinking, and team spirit—who are able to
tackle health challenges both at home and abroad.
Advancing collaborative global programs in health professions education
is a daunting task. We need to make every effort to ensure effective and
sustainable development of such programs, including:
- Substantial and ample support from the institutional leadership should be in place. Leadership support is the key factor in advancing collaborative global education programs.
- We need to mobilize resources to enhance investment in collaborative global education programs. In the process of carrying out the programs, quality and equity are two major concerns.
- We need to continuously improve the management mechanism of such programs. For example, we should attach great importance to program quality monitoring and evaluation so as to achieve better outcomes in the future. In the meantime, research in advancing collaborative global education programs should also be encouraged since we need to reflect on the current approaches and problems, and then look for innovative solutions.
As leaders of academic health centers, we first need to have a global
perspective in transforming our institutions. We attach great importance
to international cooperation. Academic health center leaders need to
communicate and cooperate with their international peers and discuss
the trends of transformation in medical education, research, and
healthcare. We must learn from each other’s experiences, and then work
out appropriate strategies to tackle the new challenges as we go forward
in healthcare’s changing landscape.
Yang Ke, MD
Executive Vice President
Peking University,
Beijing, China