Learning from partnered work in the growth of family medicine training globally

Family medicine is a foundational primary care discipline with tremendous global variation in its composition and implementation. Family medicine academic programs are similarly unique in their structure and training approaches. Across the world, family medicine training programs experience a range of resources and barriers to implementing education. Partnerships offer a unique way to share relevant expertise and navigate challenges. In this paper, we utilize the examples of family medicine programs from three different settings, at three different stages of development, to illustrate how partnerships function to fuel primary health care transformation. By analyzing these distinct stages, we highlight how partnered work evolves from foundational workforce education to system-wide integration and offer a roadmap for potential future collaborations. This study demonstrates that education models do not exist in isolation; rather, linkages between academic units and other educational partners, non-profit and professional organizations, community and governmental partners strengthen the possibility of realizing a primary health care framework to achieve health for all.