Global Health Office’s International Interdisciplinary Summer Institute supports experiential learning
The Global Health Office's annual International Interdisciplinary Summer Institute welcomes delegations from Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and the University of South-Eastern Norway.
McMaster University’s Global Health Office is currently hosting delegations from Thailand and Norway for this year’s International Interdisciplinary Summer Institute (IISI). Now in its 13th year, the annual institute’s aim is to advance participants’ knowledge in health science education and facilitate the sharing of best practices in experiential learning and innovation in higher education.
For the next two weeks, fifteen health professionals are visiting campus from Thailand’s Praboromarajchanok Institute for Health Workforce Development (PIHWD) at the Ministry of Public Health (MPH), along with five PhD scholars from the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN).
Centred on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and 4 (Quality Education), the 2019 program is designed to provide health care educators and administrators with an overview of McMaster’s innovative health sciences curriculum.
“The work we do is driven by a commitment to the SDGs, and we recognize the role we can play in achieving these goals through our teaching and learning activities involving developing countries like Thailand,” says Andrea Baumann, Associate V-P Global Health.
The institute’s agenda includes interactive simulations, clinical observation, and an overview of small and large group experiential learning innovations, human resources for health research, and global health professional practice.
Last week, participants met with key members of the Faculty of Health Sciences and this week they will gain hands-on observational clinical experience in their specific areas of interest at the Hamilton Health Sciences Centre’s Juravinski Hospital, MUMC and Hamilton General Hospital.
The Global Health Office has welcomed delegations from Thailand since 2007, hosting more than 150 health professionals.
“The longevity of this program, which sees participants returning year after year, is a testament to the strength of our partnerships and the high-level of expertise and professional knowledge our faculty,” says Baumann.
This year the institute has expanded to include USN participants as a result of McMaster’s ongoing collaboration with USN.
