Medical education needs a new model for global leadership

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Global Health Leadership
• Health Inequities

Background:

• Medical education requires international collaboration, yet lacks a unified global governing body.
• Current global medical education leadership is concentrated in Global North countries, despite most practice occurring in the Global South.
• Existing power structures in global medical education perpetuate significant injustices and inequities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine prominent global leadership positions in medical education.
• To analyze the historical context and impact of these leadership roles on current power dynamics.
• To propose an alternative model for global medical education leadership.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of three prominent global leadership positions in medical education: World Federation for Medical Education President, Association for Medical Education in Europe President, and Karolinska Institutet Prize winners.
• Examination of the historical context and influence of these positions.
• Argument for an alternative, democratically determined leadership model.

Main Results:

• Identified problematic histories associated with current prominent leadership positions.
• Demonstrated how these positions perpetuate existing power disparities in global medical education.
• Highlighted the need for a new leadership paradigm prioritizing diversity and inclusivity.

Conclusions:

• Existing leadership structures in global medical education are insufficient and perpetuate inequalities.
• A new institution is required to foster a more equitable and inclusive global medical education landscape.
• Principles for this new institution should be democratically decided, amplifying underrepresented voices.