ANNOUNCEMENT- The Office of International Medicine Programs (IMP) at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) has just initiated a six-year contract with Ibn Sina University for Medical Sciences (ISUMS), the first private medical school in Amman, Jordan. GW SMHS is pleased to collaborate with ISUMS to provide academic support for the new medical institution. Partnering with an

blished medical school is required by the Jordanian government to ensure high-quality education will be the result of this historic venture.

The academic support that GW SMHS will provide includes curriculum review, faculty education, faculty development, faculty support, faculty capacity building, and joint research.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for GW SMHS to get involved in this newly established medical education institution – expanding its reach and educating more students to provide high-quality, equitable care across the globe. The partnership also affords opportunities for GW SMHS faculty to participate in this endeavor through teaching and research partnerships,” said Huda Ayas, MHSA, MBA, EdD, Associate Dean for International Medicine and Executive Director of IMP

GW will assist ISUMS in building capacity by recruiting a cohort of highly qualified Jordanian graduate students seeking MS and PhD degrees in basic sciences to expand and bolster the existing faculty at ISUMS in these areas. Additionally, a select number of GW faculty will have the opportunity to travel to Jordan to teach selected courses on the ISUMS campus. GW SMHS will provide faculty leadership during the first years of the partnership, as the regular full-time faculty are recruited and trained. GW SMHS faculty will also mentor the ISMUS faculty on how to teach in the most modern, innovative style.

Stanley Knoll, MD, FACS, Clinical Professor of Surgery and Medical Director of IMP, waxed philosophically that “this exiting project is poetic in its symmetries: as GW celebrates its bicentennial as the 11th oldest medical school in the U.S., a new world country, it shares its experience and expertise gained in those two centuries with a brand-new medical school – in an ancient country!”

Abdalla Bashir, MD, FRCS, founder and Chairman of the Board of ISUMS, and Adjunct Professor of Surgery at GW, said “this collaboration, including GW’s academic support, will assist ISUMS in achieving its vision of providing medical education consistent with the highest international standards.”