IMEX - International Medical Educators eXchange programme

IMEX started in 2006 as is an initiative between medical schools in Europe and Canada, and was extended to the USA and Asia in 2018. Our aim is to provide an international orientation on medical education for senior faculty members in medical schools.

The schools currently involved all share a strong interest in research and development in medical education. They are ready to provide support for experienced faculty members who have a strong interest in education, and who wish to expand their teaching horizons and educational expertise with international experience.

How IMEX started uitklapper, klik om te openen

The first seed for the International Medical Educators Exchange program was planted at a tropical location: Magnetic Island, off Queensland, Australia, July 1999. A "Cambridge Conference" for medical educators was held with the unique formula of no agenda, but small groups that shaped their own agenda, preparing for scholarship and journal articles. One such small group included Karen Mann from Halifax, Linda Snell from Montreal and Olle ten Cate from Utrecht. Also present at the conference were Peter McCrorie from London and Yvonne Steinert from Montreal. Karen, Linda and Olle worked on a paper that later appeared in Academic Medicine. The collaborative atmosphere inspired our desire to offer suh an international collaborative atmosphere to more faculty, from our own institutions. Besides Yvonne and Peter, we also invited Sari Ponzer from Stockholm for a transatlantic balance. The idea of a rotational model of semi-annual meetings at our own institutions, with participant from all five partners consolidated in Barcelona, at the Ottawa Conference in 2004, where Linda coined the acronym IMEX. The incubation of the IMEX idea finally led to a first IMEX scholars meeting in Utrecht in October of 2006, after a sabbatical trip Olle made to all participating institutions.

With a few exceptions, since 2006, every six months an IMEX-week was organized covering all sites. Engaging programs highlighted both local features of education and more general themes and contributions of faculty members of all participating institutions.

More history and details can be found in a report that was published in Medical Teacher in 2014. After 2014, two of the founding institutions (UMC Utrecht, McGill University, Dalhousie University, St Georges University and Karolinska Institutet), remained (UMC Utrecht and Karolinska Institutet) and Leeds University, Georgetown University / Medstar / Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and Duke-NUS Singapore were added to the initiative.

IMEX exemplifies not only an interesting experience for faculty members, but also the mission that international understanding and exchange of information about health professions education serves a better world, for education and health care.

Participating medical schools uitklapper, klik om te openen

University Medical Center Utrecht - the Netherlands

Organizing unit: Center for Education, UMC Utrecht
IMEX board (chair): Professor Manon Kluijtmans, Center for Education at UMC Utrecht.

Karolinska Institutet - Sweden

Organizing unit: Division of Medical Education
IMEX board: Anders Sonden MD PhD, Karolinska Institutet.

MedStar Georgetown University & USUSH, USA

Organizing Unit: MedStar Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA, in collaboration with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUSH) Bethesda MD, USA
IMEX board: Professor Carrie Chen, Associate Dean of Assessment and Educational Scholarship at Georgetown University School of Medicine and Professor Steven Durning, Director, Center for Health Professions Education (CHPE), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

DUKE-NUS Medical School - Singapore

Organizing Unit: Office of Academic and Clinical Development, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
IMEX board: Dr. Scott Compton, PhD, Associate Dean Medical Education, Research and Evaluation.

Institute of Medical Education, University of Bern - Switzerland

Organizing Unit: Institute of Medical Education, Medical Faculty.
IMEX Board: Professor Sissel Guttormsen, director of the IML, and Professor Sören Huwendiek, head oft he Department of Assessment and Evaluation at the IML.

Good reasons to participate uitklapper, klik om te openen

• An international flavor of medical education, gives a broader perspective.
• Valuable contacts and possible ongoing collaboration with education colleagues from other countries.
• Exchange ideas with individuals with similar education interests from other institutions.
• Possibility to pursue a small personal project, where international collaboration would be helpful.

How to apply uitklapper, klik om te openen

Required

• senior faculty member from the participating institutions
• involvement in educational development
• minimum of five years of experience in teaching
• speak English fluently
• commitment to participate in minimally three, maximally five, consecutive site visits.

 Procedure

1. Complete the application form
2. Attach all required documentation:
   • Letter of motivation and personal goals during the program
   • Curriculum Vitae
   • Letter of support from the department head
   • Biosketch
3. The application will be processed by the IMEX Board. 
4. When application has been approved you will receive a mail of acceptance.
5. For current price level, check Costs.

Visits planned uitklapper, klik om te openen

Visits history uitklapper, klik om te openen

Programme per visit uitklapper, klik om te openen

• Participation/observation educational meetings .
• Visit and observe planned curricular activities.
• Excursions within and/or outside the medical school.
• Meetings with students.
• Discussions of educational issues on 1-to-1 basis with colleagues in similar disciplines from the host school.
• Presentation and discussions of the medical education programs.
• Meet-the-expert sessions; discuss issues with educational experts from the host institution. 
•  Reflective meeting of participants, for exchange of experiences of the day.

Costs uitklapper, klik om te openen

• Price  is per site visit and includes most meals, a social program and most local IMEX costs, but excludes travel and accomodation costs
• Local participants will pay for the home visit, this excludes accommodation.
• A initial registraton fee of € 500 which will be refunded after the third visit.
• Refund on cancellation before two months prior to a site visit is 90%, before one month prior to a site visit is 50%.
• Prices go up yearly with € 50 for extern and € 10 for local site visits.

Price level 2022

Site visit extern: € 950
Site visit local: € 290

Contact uitklapper, klik om te openen

Prof. Manon Kluijtmans, chair board

Sandrine Gutz, administration