Regional Initiatives
FAIMER concentrates its activities in developing regions in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. These regional concentrations guide the selection of Fellows and the allocation of FAIMER resources. They also focus the development of FAIMER’s Regional Institutes, centers of activity where ongoing exchange among health professions educators is intended to expand improvement in local health professions education systems. Applications are encouraged from educators across all health professions disciplines and across national boundaries in the regions.
FAIMER Regional Institutes are modeled on the FAIMER Institute curriculum. They include residential sessions, as well as distance learning sessions. Each participant is also required to propose and implement an education innovation project that is supported by the home institution. The length and number of the residential sessions as well as the number of Fellows accepted each year varies among the Regional Institutes. Please see details below.
To date there are six Regional Institutes, three in India, one in Brazil, one in Southern Africa, and one in China. In addition, Latin American FAIMER Fellows have joined together to create FRILA (FAIMER Regional Initiative in Latin America), whose aim is to build a network to create and support improvements in health professions education throughout Latin America. To learn more about FRILA, please visit the FRILA website (note: this is a Spanish language website).
Regional Institutes
- GSMC-FAIMER Regional Institute: Mumbai, India
- CMCL-FAIMER Regional Institute: Ludhiana, India
- Brazil-FAIMER Regional Institute: Beberibe, Ceará, Brazil
- PSG-FAIMER Regional Institute: Coimbatore, India
- Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute
- CMB-CMU-FAIMER Regional Institute: Shenyang, China
Mumbai, India
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Avinash Supe, M.B.B.S., M.S. Professor and Head, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology King Edward Memorial Hospital Mumbai, India Director, GSMC-FAIMER Regional Institute FAIMER Institute 2002 Fellow |
GSMC-FAIMER Regional Institute website
The GSMC-FAIMER Regional Institute, the first Regional Institute to be developed, started in June 2005 and is based at the Seth G.S. Medical College in Mumbai, India. The College’s Medical Education and Technology Unit mounts the program each year under the direction of Avinash Supe. The program is open to interested health professions educators from South Asia. Sixteen Fellows are accepted each year.
2013 residential session dates:
Session 1: June 3-9 (incoming 2013 Fellows)
Session 3: June 8-12 (returning 2012 Fellows)
Ludhiana, India
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Tejinder Singh, M.B.B.S., M.D., Masters Distance Education, M.Sc. (Health Professions Education), P.G. Dip. (Higher Education) Convener, MCI Center for Faculty Development Professor of Pediatrics and Vice Principal Christian Medical College Ludhiana, India Program In-Charge, P.G. Diploma Maternal and Child Health Indira Gandhi National Open University Director, CMCL-FAIMER Regional Institute FAIMER Institute 2003 Fellow |
CMCL-FAIMER Regional Institute website
The CMCL-FAIMER Regional Institute, under the direction of Tejinder Singh, welcomed its first group of Fellows in January 2006. It is based at the Christian Medical College at Ludhiana in Punjab. The program is open to interested health professions educators from South Asia. Sixteen Fellows are accepted each year.
2013 residential session dates:
Session 1: February 5-11 (incoming 2013 Fellows)
Session 3: February 10-14 (returning 2012 Fellows)
Beberibe, Ceará, Brazil
Brazil-FAIMER Regional Institute website (Portuguese-language website)
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Eliana Amaral, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Universidade Estadual de Campinas São Paulo, Brazil Co-Director, Brazil-FAIMER Regional Institute FAIMER Institute 2003 Fellow |
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Henry Campos, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D. Professor of Internal Medicine Vice Rector Universidade Federal do Ceará Fortaleza, Brazil Co-Director, Brazil-FAIMER Regional Institute FAIMER Institute 2002 Fellow |
The first residential session of the Brazil-FAIMER Regional Institute, under the direction of Henry Campos and Eliana Amaral, took place in February 2007 in Tabuba, Ceará, Brazil. The program, conducted in Portuguese, is currently held in Beberibe, Ceará, and is open to interested health professions educators from Brazil. Thirty Brazilian fellows are accepted each year.
2013 residential session dates:
Session 1: February 16-27 (incoming 2013 Fellows)
Session 3: February 25 - March 6 (returning 2012 Fellows)
Coimbatore, India
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Thomas Chacko, M.B.B.S., M.D. Professor and Head, Community Medicine and Medical Education PSG Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Coimbatore, India Director, PSG-FAIMER Regional Institute FAIMER Institute 2004 Fellow |
PSG-FAIMER Regional Institute website
The PSG-FAIMER Regional Institute, under the direction of Thomas Chacko, welcomed its first class of Fellows in April 2007. It is based at PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Coimbatore in southern India. The program is open to interested health professions educators from South Asia. Sixteen Fellows are accepted each year.
2013 residential session dates:
Session 1: April 6-12 (incoming 2013 Fellows)
Session 3: April 11-15 (returning 2012 Fellows)
Southern Africa
Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute website
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Juanita Bezuidenhout, M.B.Ch.B., M.Med., Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Anatomical Pathology Stellenbosch University and National Health Laboratory Services Tygerberg, South Africa Co-Director, Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute FAIMER Institute 2005 Fellow |
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Vanessa Burch, M.B.Ch.B., M.Med., Ph.D. Professor and Chair of Clinical Medicine University of Cape Town Cape Town, South Africa Co-Director, Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute FAIMER Institute 2001 Fellow |
The first session of the Southern Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) took place in February 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa, marking the launch of FAIMER’s first regional initiative on the continent of Africa. SAFRI is being shepherded by a new “voluntary association” made up of a collaboration of FAIMER Institute Fellows working at a number of different health professions education institutions in the region. They have devised an innovative program model that includes three residential sessions during the two-year program. Fellows participate in two residential sessions, approximately four months apart, during the first year of the program. Their third residential session takes place the following year, and overlaps with the first residential session of the incoming class of Fellows. The program is open to interested health professions educators from Africa. Sixteen Fellows are accepted each year.
2013 residential session dates:
Session 1: February 27 - March 6 (incoming 2013 Fellows)
Session 3: March 3-8 (returning 2012 Fellows)
Session 5: June 26-29 (2012 Fellows)
Shenyang, China
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Bo Qu, Ph.D. Professor and Head, Research Center for Medical Education China Medical University Shengyang, China Director, CMB-CMU-FAIMER Regional Institute FAIMER Institute 2010 Fellow |
CMB-CMU-FAIMER Regional Institute website
The CMB-CMU-FAIMER Regional Institute, the first Regional Institute to be developed in China, will begin in August 2013. Based at the China Medical University (CMU) in Shenyang, China, the CMB-CMU-FAIMER program is organized and administered under the direction of Bo Qu, with the support of a core team from CMU. The program is open to interested health professions educators from China. Twenty Fellows are accepted each year.
2013 residential session dates:
Session 1: August 1-7 (incoming 2013 Fellows)