Makerere University Will Host, Mbarara University Will Be Regional Partner
The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®), a member of Intealth ™, today announced the launch of the Eastern Africa FAIMER Regional Institute (EAFRI) in partnership with Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Mbarara, Uganda. Fellowships with the new Institute will begin in August 2023. Applications for fellowships are now available at https://apply.faimer.org/prog/eafri/.
EAFRI will serve health professions educators in East Africa including Uganda, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, the Comoros, the Seychelles, and Mauritius. In addition, EAFRI will serve East African Community member states including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. It will also consider applicants from other regions of Africa.
“We are honored to partner with two outstanding universities in the region to advance the education of physicians and other health care professionals throughout East Africa,” said William Pinsky, MD, FAAP, FACC, Chief Executive Officer of Intealth. “EAFRI Fellows will join a growing network of more than 2,000 FAIMER Fellows around the world, each a powerful example of how Intealth is advancing the global health workforce.”
The core curriculum of EAFRI is a two-year, part-time fellowship program based on the International FAIMER Institute, which teaches education methods, leadership and management, education scholarship and research, and project management and evaluation. The Institute uses an interactive, high-engagement approach that focuses on participants’ projects as the laboratory to apply their learning. EAFRI joins nine other Regional Institutes, including one in Chile, two in China, one in Egypt, four in India, and one in Indonesia.
“With the establishment of EAFRI, we are delighted to provide these faculty development opportunities to educators in the East Africa region,” said Ronald Blanck, DO, MACP, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of FAIMER. “The shared strength of both Makerere University College of Health Sciences and Mbarara University of Science and Technology will allow EAFRI to advance the health workforce in East Africa, benefiting faculty, students, and the communities in which these health professions educators serve.”
Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS), the oldest medical school in the region, offers doctoral and master’s programs in health professions education (HPE) and is creating an HPE Center of Excellence. MakCHS supports other medical schools in East Africa through several collaborative training programs, including the Medical Education Partnership Initiative, the Medical Education for Equitable Services for All Ugandans program, and the Health Professional Education Partnership Initiative.
“Partnering with FAIMER will enable us to develop leaders in health professions education, research, and community services who will transform the health care system and address the needs of the community in East Africa,” said Dr. Annettee Nakimuli, Dean at the MakCHS School of Medicine.
Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) is the second oldest public university in Uganda and has trained undergraduate and graduate health professionals since 1989. MUST features a medical education resource center and vibrant regional, national, and international collaborations.
“Mbarara University’s collaboration with FAIMER provides a monumental opportunity to benefit from globally pooled expertise and resources in order to enhance excellent health professions education and ensure equitable access to health care for everyone,” said Dr. Joseph Ngonzi, Dean for the MUST Faculty of Medicine.
About FAIMER
Established in 2000 as a nonprofit foundation of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®), a member of Intealth, FAIMER conducts data analyses and research to inform policies and program development in support of ECFMG missions, supports the education of physicians and other health care professionals worldwide, and develops resources on the health care workforce used by global communities. Learn more at www.faimer.org.
About Intealth
Intealth brings together the expertise and resources that advance quality in health care education worldwide in order to improve health care for all. Through strategic integration of its nonprofit members, Intealth offers a flexible and multi‐layered portfolio of services. These services enhance and support the education and training of health care professionals, verify their qualifications required to practice, and inform the development of health workforce policies around the world. By leveraging these combined competencies of its members, Intealth powers innovation in areas critical to the health professions. Intealth is an integrated organization that includes ECFMG and FAIMER. Learn more at www.intealth.org .
