Global Health Academy

Launch of new Masters in Family Medicine

The World Health Assembly 2009 endorsed Family Medicine as an essential way forward to improve health services.

This unique on-line distance learning programme developed between the University of Edinburgh, Global Health Academy and CMC Vellore, one of India's best medical colleges, and ICMDA ( the global network for faith based care services and practitioners) aims to produce doctors who resolve more and refer less, whose presence will improve the quality of patient care by providing continuity and an understanding of the family and community context.

The programme will provide teaching on the knowledge and skills needed for a family medicine doctor to practice, and demonstrate theory into practice through special on-site contact sessions at hospitals. Alongside building strong clinical expertise the many teaching modules will also provide an in-depth exploration of the ethos, values and principles of family medicine, governance issues, including audit, and skills in applied research.

Through this unique programme the Family Medicine practitioner will become the “specialist generalist” who refers less and resolves more, thereby not only providing the first point of contact but also the continuum of care to their patients.

Dr Liz GrantDeputy Director, Global Health Academy

This programme is ideal for medical graduates who have a vision for improving the way that healthcare is delivered in rural and poorer communities, and an interest in the emerging burden of NCDs who recognise that Family Medicine development is a key strategy in building a care system that can manage the chronic nature of such diseases. It will be a valuable degree for doctors concerned in shaping global health policy through the WHO agenda for more equitable and primary health led care.

The majority of the teaching is through distance learning, but with opportunities to augment what has been learnt online via three contact teaching periods in a hospital setting. Completion of the Masters takes place with a dissertation project carried out together with an extended internship period - in India this internship period will be at CMC Vellore. Additional sites are in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt with other being added.

For more information on the programme, please visit our website or email us on: family.medicine@ed.ac.uk

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