UAB Heersink School of Medicine and UWI-Mona Faculty of Medical Sciences announce collaboration to advance medical education and research

This partnership, an initiative of the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health, represents a significant step toward enhancing the quality of medical education, research and health care delivery on an international scale.The University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine and the University of the West Indies-Mona (UWI-Mona), Jamaica, Faculty of Medical Sciences have entered a program agreement to collaborate in key areas of medical education, research and clinical practice.

"This agreement will establish a link between our respective schools of medicine, creating potential immediate synergies in medical education," said UAB Heersink School of Medicine Dean Anupam Agarwal, M.D. "UAB has a long tradition of global collaboration, and the Heersink School of Medicine continues this tradition with faculty and staff engaged in nearly 50 countries worldwide."

The agreement will focus on the following initiatives to improve health:

• Collaborative Research and Grants: Faculty, staff and trainees from both institutions will engage in joint research efforts and seek grant opportunities.
• Clinical Quality Improvement: Projects will include simulation-based training and the use of telehealth to improve health care delivery.
• Trainee Development and Continuing Medical Education: Pre- and postdoctoral trainees will benefit from advanced training, and both institutions will host seminars, symposia and other educational events.
• Exchange Programs: Faculty and trainee exchanges will take place, along with efforts to engage the global medical diaspora to support these initiatives.

"This partnership with UAB will help us to transform teaching and learning and innovative research in the medical field that will redound to the benefit of our various populations," said Professor Densil A. Williams, pro vice chancellor and principal, UWI-Mona. "It is quite timely, and we celebrate the commitment of our teams to pursue to journey over the coming years."

This partnership, an initiative of UAB's Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health, represents a significant step toward enhancing the quality of medical education and health care on an international scale.

Williams, along with Minerva Thame, M.D., dean of the Faculty of Medical Scienes at UWI-Mona and other administrators met with Shadi Martin, Ph.D., chief international officer and vice provost for graduate and internation education, Agarwal, Alan Tita, M.D., Mary Heersink Endowed Chair of Global Health and director of the Mary Heersink Institute of Global Health and other Heersink School of Medicine leaders over the course of two days to discuss curriculum mapping and residency advising, and toured the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

UWI-Mona is among the earliest international partners of UAB in 1983. That partnership was championed by the Sparkman Center for Global Health in the UAB School of Public Health and focused on public health education and training activities in the Caribbean. Since then, UAB has collaborated with several UWI-Mona units, including UWI Community Health and Psychiatry, UWI CHARES, and UWI School of Nursing, as well as the Jamaican Ministry of Health, Western Regional Health Authority, UNICEF-Jamaica and a number of local non-governmental organizations in Jamaica.

"As consul general for the Southern United States, I am happy that we played a major role in facilitating this partnership between University of the West Indies and the University of Alabama at Birmingham," said Oliver Mair, consul general of Jamaica. "We are very excited about the many benefits that will be realized by this important collaboration between the parties."

Earlier this year, UAB and UWI-Mona renewed their partnership through the signing of a memorandum of understanding that was followed by an agreement that linked the respective Schools of Nursing. The visit and signing expands the scope of multidisciplinary collaborations between UAB and UWI.