International Programs

Since its inception in 1959, DME has played a major role internationally. DME has been a World Health Organization Collaborating Center since 1979, with a long history of engagement in international projects affecting global health policy.
DME has collaborated with and accepted international fellows from 25 countries. In addition, our graduate degree program prepares education leaders for the world stage. Finally, through education, consultation, and collaboration, DME develops future leaders and new programs in health professions education (HPE).

Mission

To provide better health care worldwide through effective and responsive international partnerships in the health professions.

Goals

• To facilitate the use of methodologies and approaches based on sound educational theories and best practices
• To collaboratively construct and disseminate new HPE approaches, methodologies, and scholarship
• To establish and enhance international networks of HPE leaders and practitioners
• To facilitate connections among basic science, clinical, and health care delivery programs at UI Health to fulfill our partners’ educational goals

Who is it for?

DME works in collaboration with a broad cross-section of individuals involved in HPE internationally, including faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, fellows, students, and graduates as well as academic leaders, health care institution leaders, professional societies, government officials, nongovernmental organizations, and donors.
Programmatic means to achieve our mission and goals include educational programs, such as fellowships, certificate programs and workshops, and an onsite graduate degree program—as well as consultation and institutional resources. Our programs draw on the strengths of multidisciplinary faculty and include expertise in curriculum, instruction, assessment, evaluation, health humanities and ethics, clinical decision making, research methodology, and leadership and organization.

What are the programs and their requirements?

DME’s International Programs has three components: short-term medical education fellowships, MHPE Abroad, and international partnerships.

Short-term Medical Education Fellowships

This 1- to 6-month bespoke medical education program is designed for health professionals who have specific HPE challenges or issues to explore.
A concentrated program of individualized research and consultation is arranged for each participant. Past fellows have explored topics including: clinical decision making, competency assessment, curriculum planning, educational research, instructional methods, leadership and organization, medical humanities, medical informatics, program evaluation, quality management and improvement, statistical data analysis, and test construction.
In addition, short-term fellows may attend or audit most courses and electives routinely offered by faculty for the Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) degree. Short-term fellows are encouraged to conduct studies using data from their home institutions.
On occasion, by special request only, fellowship positions have been extended to 1 year.

MHPE Abroad

International Programs also offers the DME graduate degree program, the MHPE degree, onsite at institutions worldwide.
Successful programs built around a modular format were completed at Suez Canal University (Ismailia, Egypt) for the faculty of medicine (1988-89), Beijing Medical University for physician leaders from throughout the People’s Republic of China (1991-92), and at multiple sites for HPE leaders throughout Brazil (1998-2000).
In Saudi Arabia, DME offered its graduate degree program in partnership with King Saud University (Jeddah) twice (2014, 2019) and with Taif University (2015-18).
Planning continues with other international institutions interested in offering the DME graduate degree program at their locations. (Please contact Ara Tekian for additional information.)

International Partnerships

As a result of these programmatic initiatives, DME has been honored to receive invitations to establish long-term, formal collaborations and partnerships with students’, fellows’, and graduates’ home institutions. Collegial exchange can assist in forming long-term relationships characterized by mutual multidimensional planning, exchange, and benefit with a forward-looking purpose.
Examples of educational initiatives that may benefit from international partnership include:

• Curriculum development or revision
• Instructional delivery consultation
• Development of assessment tools and programs
• Program evaluation
• Skills development for program directors
• Development of accreditation and licensure standards
• Research collaboration
• Faculty development
• Development of international or multicultural case studies for educational use
• Starting a new medical education unit

DME warmly invites interested parties to let us help you explore programmatic change, from conceptual definition and framing through change implementation and evaluation. Our multidisciplinary faculty look forward to an exchange of expertise with international HPE leaders to: identify challenges and their contributing factors; explore potential solutions by reviewing and critiquing published evidence; develop multiple site-specific solutions; and explore factors involved in the change process as associated with chosen solutions, including implementation barriers and champions as well as outcomes evaluation. (Please contact Ara Tekian for additional information.)

How do I apply?

For MHPE Abroad (international onsite) or to consider establishing a new international partnership, please contact Ara Tekian.

Contact

Prof Ara Tekian, PhD, MHPE
Director, International Programs
Phone: (312) 996-8438
tekian@uic.edu