Globalization and glocalization in graduate medical education: the ACGME international experience in Qatar

A fundamental challenge associated with the implementation of global benchmarks arises from reconciling standardized international expectations with diverse local contexts, as differences in healthcare systems, cultural norms, and resource availability often limit the direct applicability of externally developed standards and require context-sensitive adaptation. As the globalization of graduate medical education continues to advance, initiatives such as the international adoption of milestone-based frameworks demonstrate that global convergence is feasible when accompanied by deliberate localization. In Qatar, following the establishment of GME in the form of residency and fellowship programs, there was a clear need to introduce an international accreditation body to support the development, standardization, and formalization of GME within the national context. With the adoption of Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I) accreditation, it is important to pay attention to the processes by which accreditation standards are contextualized and aligned with local educational, clinical, and health-system realities. This piece of work aims to explore how ACGME-International accreditation standards are contextualized within local GME systems, using the Qatar experience as a case example to examine institutional motivations, adaptation strategies, and perceived alignment with local educational and clinical realities. We aim to underscore how effective accreditation depends not only on compliance with global standards but also on their thoughtful integration within the realities of the local educational and health-care context.