World Directory of Medical Schools

World Directory of Medical Schools
Name	World Directory of Medical Schools
Formation	2014
Type	Database
Headquarters	Geneva
Language	English

Contents

World Directory of Medical Schools is an international directory that lists medical schools and medical education programs worldwide. The directory serves as a reference for regulatory bodies, accreditation agencies, licensing authorities, health workforce planners, and prospective students across regions such as World Health Organization, United Nations, European Union, African Union, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It aggregates institutional data used by organizations including Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, General Medical Council, Medical Council of India, Federation of State Medical Boards, and World Medical Association.

History

The directory emerged from a merger between the International Medical Education Directory maintained by the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research and the Avicenna Directory maintained by the World Federation for Medical Education and the World Health Organization; the consolidation involved stakeholders such as World Bank, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Council of Europe, and national bodies like United States Department of Education. Early initiatives were influenced by historic efforts from institutions including Harvard Medical School, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Mayo Clinic to standardize medical information; key participants included representatives from Royal College of Physicians, General Medical Council, and Canadian Medical Association. Governance evolved with advice from entities such as International Federation of Medical Students' Associations, Association of American Medical Colleges, European Board of Medical Assessors, and regulatory agencies like Australian Medical Council and Medical Council of China.

The directory aims to identify active medical schools and programs across continents represented by Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania, informing decision-makers at bodies such as Pan American Health Organization, African Union Commission, Asian Development Bank, European Commission, and United Nations Development Programme. It documents institutional attributes relevant to organizations like World Health Organization, International Council of Nurses, Association of Schools of Public Health, Association of Medical Education in Europe, and Royal Society of Medicine. The scope includes basic medical degrees awarded by schools such as Peking University Health Science Center, University of São Paulo School of Medicine, University of Tokyo Faculty of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, and Imperial College London and covers program status used by licensing authorities including Medical Council of Canada, General Medical Council, National Medical Commission (India), and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.

Data are compiled from national registries, accreditation agencies, ministry records, and institutional submissions involving actors like Ministry of Health (United Kingdom), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India), United States Department of Health and Human Services, Chinese Ministry of Education, and Brazilian Ministry of Education. Validation processes consult organizations such as World Federation for Medical Education, Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, General Medical Council, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. Historical records and archival inputs reference institutions such as Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, University of Paris (Sorbonne), Heidelberg University Faculty of Medicine, University of Padua Medical School, and Ibn Sina Academy, while international standards are aligned with guidelines from World Health Organization, International Labour Organization, Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, and United Nations instruments.

Governance structures involve partnerships between non-governmental organizations and international agencies including World Health Organization, World Federation for Medical Education, Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, International Medical Education Directory, and national accreditation bodies like Liaison Committee on Medical Education, Australian Medical Council, and Medical Council of New Zealand. Advisory and oversight roles have included representatives from Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, Association of American Medical Colleges, British Medical Association, American Medical Association, and regional organizations such as West African Health Organization and Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office. Operational management incorporates staff and contractors working with information systems standards promoted by International Organization for Standardization, World Wide Web Consortium, and Open Data Initiative participants.

The directory is accessible online and is used by credentialing authorities, educational institutions, and employers including Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, General Medical Council, Medical Council of India, European Board of Medical Specialists, and national health ministries. Licensing and permissible use policies intersect with frameworks from Creative Commons, World Intellectual Property Organization, European Union Open Data Directive, Freedom of Information Act (United States), and data protection laws such as General Data Protection Regulation and national privacy statutes. Users include prospective students applying to schools like University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, University of Cape Town Faculty of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and credential evaluators at institutions like Educational Credential Evaluators.

The directory is cited by policy bodies, accreditation agencies, and scholarly publications including The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, British Medical Journal, Nature Medicine, and Academic Medicine; it informs workforce planning at World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, African Union, and national ministries. Reception among stakeholders such as Association of Medical Schools in Europe, Asian Medical Education Association, Latin American Federation of Medical Schools, and student organizations like International Federation of Medical Students' Associations emphasizes its role in transparency, comparability, and regulatory decision-making. Critiques and analyses have appeared from commentators at Royal College of Surgeons, Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and independent researchers focusing on quality assurance, accreditation, and cross-border recognition.

Category:Medical education