Global Med Ed Café: A safe space for conversations

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Global Health Education

Background:

• Communities of practice are vital for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and professional identity.
• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual platforms for global peer engagement.
• Technology facilitates broader access to virtual communities for professional development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement a series of virtual global medical education cafés.
• To foster knowledge sharing and scholarly collaboration among international healthcare educators.
• To create an inclusive, non-hierarchical, and cross-cultural learning environment.

Main Methods:

• Six bimonthly, 1-hour virtual sessions were conducted via Zoom from September 2020 to June 2021.
• Sessions featured expert-led discussions on core educational topics followed by small group interactions.
• Participants were international healthcare educators from diverse disciplines and geographical regions.

Main Results:

• Each session had 26–41 participants from 12 countries across five continents.
• Content analysis revealed themes of an engaging interactive format, a strong sense of global community, and effective moderation.
• Participants reported a safe space for dialogue and peer-to-peer learning.

Conclusions:

• The virtual café model successfully created an inclusive, cross-cultural community for medical educators.
• Key elements for success include a safe conversational space and openness to diverse learning cultures.
• Similar virtual events can be organized globally with minimal resources, promoting international collaboration.