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| David A. Gremse, M.D., professor and chair of pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine, talks with Lucrecia Hernandez, M.D., Ph.D., from Universidad Francisco Marroquin (UFM) School of Medicine in Guatemala as they tour the Strada Patient Care Center. |
UFM School of Medicine administration and faculty are interested in learning more about the process of medical school accreditation and faculty development, said Benjamin Estrada, M.D., assistant dean for medical education and professor of pediatrics at USA. “They requested a visit to USA to interact with faculty and administrators that have successfully gone through these processes.”
Federico Alfaro, M.D., dean of the UFM School of Medicine, said the group engaged in excellent dialogue with USA leaders during the two-day visit, learning more about the international accreditation process, among other topics.“I’m full of ideas to bring back to our university,” Alfaro said.
Beginning in 2014, staff from USA’s College of Medicine began formally working with colleagues from the UFM School of Medicine to introduce them to team-based learning, which focuses on longitudinal content integration in a competency–based environment.
“The partnership has enhanced the redevelopment of the UFM School of Medicine curriculum from discipline based to a systems based curriculum,” said Estrada, who is a graduate of the Universidad Francisco Marroquin School of Medicine.
For six years, Estrada, along with Phillip Fields, Ph.D., professor of anatomy at USA, have provided training to UFM School of Medicine faculty during visits and through online collaboration.
In particular, Estrada said, a relationship between Julie Estis, USA’s director of academic enhancement, and faculty with the UFM Medical School and the Central American university has been essential to the partnership. Estis has traveled to Guatemala on many occasions, Estrada said, providing workshops and expert guidance.
Since the 1980s, more than 30 graduates from UFM’s School of Medicine have participated in USA’s graduate medical education program, Estrada said.
In March 2019, the relationship between the University of South Alabama and UFM became more formalized when USA President Tony Waldrop and UFM President Gabriel Calzada signed a memorandum of understanding for a collaboration between the two institutions.
Universidad Francisco Marroquín Medical School in Guatemala was the first school in Central America to change its curriculum to the integrated systems in a competency-based format. The USA College of Medicine has continued to collaborate with the UFM School of Medicine in different aspects of curriculum development and educational program accreditation.
The team-based learning program developed at USA is influencing medical education in other parts of the world, Estrada said: “Ultimately, we want make a positive contribution to improving medical education and patient care wherever possible.”
