Sixteen international health professions educators who represent academic institutions from 11 countries around the world arrived in Philadelphia on October 3, 2009, to begin their first session as Fellows of the 2009 FAIMER Institute.
The FAIMER Institute fellowship program is designed for international health professions educators who have the potential to play key leadership roles at their schools. The program serves two main purposes: (1) provide participants with the tools and skills to serve as resources for their individual institutions, and (2) create an environment for cross-cultural exchange of educational expertise and experiences. The ultimate goal is to improve the health of local communities through local and regional improvements to health professions education programs.
On October 18, the 2009 Fellows were joined by the 2008 Fellows, returning to Philadelphia to complete their final residential session. These opportunities for interaction between classes of Fellows support the development of a community of international health professions educators dedicated to the improvement of health professions education and the health of communities.
In addition to the new Fellows, the FAIMER Institute also welcomed new faculty member James BonTempo, Learning Technology Advisor for Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University that develops “effective, low-cost, hands-on solutions to strengthen the delivery of health care services for women and their families.” Mr. BonTempo’s teaching interests include tools and channels for distance learning. Returning to the Institute as faculty members were James A. Hallock, M.D., President Emeritus of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates and former Chair of the FAIMER Board of Directors, and Dale Dauphinee, M.D., former Executive Director of the Medical Council of Canada and professor at McGill University.
Following are the 2009 FAIMER Institute Fellows:
Dr. Anshu, M.D., M.B.B.S., Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha, India
Rukhsana Aslam, M.B.B.S., Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan
Dinesh Badyal, M.B.B.S., M.D., Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, India
Janet Bloomfield, M.D., Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
Andrea Dávila-Cervantes, M.D., Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Martha Delgado, M.Sc., M.D., Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia
Rosiane Diniz, M.D., Ph.D., Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
Yasser El-Wazir, M.B.Ch.B., Ph.D., Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
Tesfaye Gebremedhin, M.D., M.P.H., Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
Mahinda Kommalage, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka
Abdel-Karim Koumaré, M.D., M.P.H., Université de Bamako, Bamako, Mali
Francisco Lamus, M.D., M.P.H., Universidad de la Sabana, Bogotá, Colombia
Marykutty Mammen, B.Sc., Ph.D., Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa
Ramalingam Sankaran, M.D., PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore, India
Tegbar Yigzaw Sendekie, M.D., M.P.H., Gondar College of Medical Sciences, Gondar, Ethiopia
Muhammad Tariq, M.B.B.S., Aga Khan Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan
