The World Directory of Medical Schools is a public database of institutions that provide medical education.[1] There are over 3,800 medical schools listed in the directory. The directory is published as a collaboration of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER).

Database

For the database, a "medical school" is defined as an "educational institution that provides a complete or full program of instruction leading to basic medical qualification; that is, a qualification that permits the holder to obtain a license to practice as a medical doctor or physician".[2] As of 2023, the database has records for more than 3,800 medical schools that are operational and more than 190 that have ceased to be operational.[3]

It was created by merging WMFE's AVICENNA Directory for Medicine with FAIMER's International Medical Education Directory (IMED) to produce a single comprehensive resource, including the schools in each of the prior directories.[4]

History

The World Health Organization (WHO) originally published the World Directory of Medical Schools from 1953 to 2007 before transferring responsibility to the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) which renamed it the AVICENNA Directory for Medicine. A separate International Medical Education Directory (IMED) had been published by the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) since 2002. In March 2012, the AVICENNA and IMED directories agreed to merge into a single comprehensive directory.[5] The new World Directory of Medical Schools officially launched in April 2014 managed by both WMFE and FAIMER.[6] The Avicenna and IMED directories were subsequently discontinued.[7]

Sponsors

The major sponsors are the Australian Medical Council, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, and the Medical Council of Canada.[8]

References

  1. ^ Duvivier, Robbert J; Boulet, John R; Opalek, Amy; van Zanten, Marta; Norcini, John (September 2014). "Overview of the world's medical schools: an update". Medical Education. 48 (9): 860–869. doi:10.1111/medu.12499. PMID 25113113. S2CID 206186735.
  2. ^ "About the World Directory". World Directory of Medical Schools. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  3. ^ "World Directory of Medical Schools – ECA". ecahe.eu. European Consortium for Accreditation. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  4. ^ "FAIMER and WFME to Collaborate on Combined Medical School Directory". Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  5. ^ "History of the World Directory of Medical Schools". World Federation for Medical Education and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research. Retrieved 2014-11-03.
  6. ^ "WFME and FAIMER Staff Publish Article about the World Directory of Medical Schools". FAIMER. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  7. ^ "FAIMER® and WFME Announce the Launch of the World Directory of Medical Schools" (PDF) (Press release). Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
  8. ^ "World Directory of Medical Schools | Sponsors". wdoms.org. World Directory of Medical Schools. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2017.

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