Academic Medicine and Science Diplomacy: Medical Education in Iraq

Abstract

Physicians are infrequently selected to serve in the yearlong role of Jefferson Science Fellow (JSF) as senior science advisor for the U.S. Department of State or the United States Agency for International Development. The authors discuss the role of a JSF in promoting “science diplomacy” from the perspective of one alumnus, who sites examples of ongoing, long-term collaborative projects including one focusing on medical education reform in Iraq that would not have been possible without the JSF program. More than 3 decades of political and social unrest, terrorism, the internal displacement of millions of Iraqi citizens, the arrival of Syrian refugees, international sanctions, and the effect of fluctuating oil prices that fund education in Iraq have all led to a standstill in modernizing educational systems and the need for reform. In 2016, new opportunities for international collaboration and travel allowed faculty from the Al Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Iraq, to visit the United States, explore U.S. medical school teaching methods, interact with U.S. faculty and students, and then implement their vision of a revised medical curriculum. These faculty members shared their observations with the Iraqi Council of Deans, which represents all 30 Iraqi medical schools. Structural changes in curriculum content and teaching methods have been implemented with the goal of restoring quantifiable excellence in education and health care in Iraq. The authors close with lessons learned to encourage other physicians to participate in the JSF program, which offers a unique opportunity to influence foreign policy through science diplomacy.

negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the different undergraduate student during 2020-2021

“…The existence of huge obstacles contributed in the low level of education and studies and affected on its integrity (Mohammed, 2017). All that real difficulties led to decreased in the level of education spatially in medical group universities (Kron et al, 2019). During COVID-19 pandemic, Iraqi educators have been forced to shift to online teaching through e-learning systems, In spite of lagged of the Internet and Modern electronic education tools (Al-Abdali et al, 2020;Mousa et al, 2020).…”

The Impact of COVID-19-Pandemic on Psychological Health and Educational Status of the Dental Students from the Instructor and Student’s Viewpoints

“…This has led to the lack of scientific contribution to the advancement of the community and fulfillments of its academic objectives, and decreased the quality of academic education (Diwakar, 2015). Government's decision to spend less on academic education and infrastructures, lack of institutional support for faculty members of universities,and existence of major obstacles to education and its integrity (Mohammed, 2017) have all reduced the quality of education,especially the quality of higher education at universities offering medical sciences (Kron et al, 2019). During COVID-19 pandemic, Iraqi educators had to resort to online education by adopting e-learning platformsin spite of a lagged internet and the lack of modern electronic education tools (Mousa et al, 2020;Al-Abdali and Alzayadi, 2020).…”

Student evaluation of medical school curriculum transformation in Iraq

“…Decades of social unrest, magnified by the impact of large internally displaced populations within and surrounding Iraq, the unintended consequences of international sanctions and fluctuating oil prices, has severely and negatively impacted medical education in Iraq ( Simpson, 2017 ; Kron et al ., 2019 ). After the fall of the previous regime in 2003, there were tremendous disruptions to Iraqi society, including the destruction of over 20% of the nation’s hospitals and widespread kidnapping or death of more than 2,000 physicians and medical students (Al-Kalisi, 2010; Al-Kalisi, 2013; Amin and Khoshnaw, 2003 ; Barnett-Vanas et al ., 2016; Burnham, Lafta and Doocy, 2009 ; Jalili, 2007 ; Tarzi, 2015 ; Webster, 2009 ).…”