Skip to main content

Internationalization of Medical Education

Guest Editors:
Marjo Wijnen-Meijer: Technical University of Munich, Germany
Anette Wu (Fortgang): Columbia University, USA

Submission Status: Closed   |   Submission Deadline: 21 February 2024


BMC Medical Education called for submissions to our Collection on the 'Internationalization of medical education'. This collection welcomed articles that address diverse current internationalization of medical education theories, research and practices in different parts of the world. Formats of internationalization of medical education from diverse viewpoints of educators, administrators, and students—both with a focus on theory and experiences on internationalization in medical education—will form part of the collection.

Meet the Guest Editors

Back to top

Prof. Marjo Wijnen-Meijer: Technical University of Munich, TUM Medical Education Center, Germany

Marjo Wijnen-Meijer studied educational sciences in Utrecht, NL. She has been working in medical education since 2005, both in medical school and in postgraduate education. Until 2018, she worked in the Netherlands (Utrecht and Leiden). She has experience in management, education research, faculty development and development of curricular concepts. Since 2018, she has been working at the Medical Education Center of the Technical University in Munich, Germany. She is head of the curriculum development team, supervises international research projects, and leads several curriculum development projects, especially in the field of clinical teaching and faculty development.

Prof. Anette Wu (Fortgang): Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, USA
Anette Wu (Fortgang), MD MPH PhD, is an associate professor at Columbia University, New York, USA. She is a physician-scientist, public health professional, and a medical educator. Her area of expertise is in internationalization of medical education, a relatively novel area in educational research that she is leading. Dr. Wu’s research focuses on aligning motivations with formats and competencies, and global comparison of outcomes of internationalization of medical education. She is the founding director of the “International Collaboration and Exchange Program (ICEP)” – a multi-school partnership providing international leadership skills to diverse health professions students worldwide.

About the collection

BMC Medical Education called for submissions to our Collection on the 'Internationalization of medical education.'

Globalization impacts many aspects of society including medicine. Medical schools have an important role in preparing and educating students to work in an international environment. Therefore, medical education must keep pace and incorporate international elements and formats into medical education. The above improves professional skills such as cultural competency, communication styles, and integrated skills such as empathy, and expands awareness of diversity. This leads to diversification in the future physicians’ workforce and patient care, and eventuates in global awareness of healthcare as a common global good.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that medical professionals must develop an understanding about the health of all people; a public good that can only be achieved when providers regard themselves as part of a global medical community. Therefore, internationalization must increasingly become an important tool for global collaboration in medicine.

In this collection, we offer a selection of articles that address diverse current internationalization of medical education theories, research and practices in different parts of the world. Formats of internationalization of medical education from diverse viewpoints of educators, administrators, and students—both with a focus on theory and experiences on internationalization in medical education—will be included.


Image credit: © japolia / stock.adobe.com


  1. Medical students in Singapore engage in short term medical missions, locally known as Overseas Community Involvement Projects (OCIPs). Little is known about the learning outcomes of an OCIP and how this comple...

    Authors: Gayathri Devi Nadarajan, Kumaran Rasappan, Jonathan Shen You Ng, Melvin Lim Junchen and Sungwon Yoon
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:854
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. The “Virtual Semester for Medical Research Aachen” (vSEMERA) is an international, interdisciplinary, virtual education program developed for health profession students. The first edition (2021) was hosted by t...

    Authors: Laura Bell, Eliana Lemos, Jan Krimphove, Stephanie Kaiser, Cristina Guerra-Giraldez and Martin Lemos
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:606
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. In recent years, the subspecialty of neuropalliative care has emerged with the goal of improving the quality of life of patients suffering from neurological disease, though gaps remain in neuropalliative care ...

    Authors: Julia Bu, Susan DeSanto-Madeya, Mara Lugassy, Jessica Besbris, Sarah Bublitz, Neha M. Kramer, Roop Gursahani, Winnie Lau, Estella Kim, John Y. Rhee and Piret Paal
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:524
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. English is generally recognized as the international language of science and most research on evidence-based medicine is produced in English. While Bangla is the dominant language in Bangladesh, public midwife...

    Authors: Anna Williams, Jennifer R. Stevens, Rondi Anderson and Malin Bogren
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:523
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. To address a gap in radiation oncology education in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), we sought to evaluate the effectiveness and generalizability of a refined curriculum on intensity modulated radioth...

    Authors: Meridith L. Balbach, Grantly Neely, Afua Yorke, Evangelina Figueroa-Medina, Jonathan Paly, Rebecca M. Shulman, Claire Dempsey, Adam Shulman, Cesar Della Biancia, William B. Cutrer and Benjamin C. Li
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2024 24:406
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. Given the growing cultural diversity among healthcare clients, it is crucial for nursing education to have a clear mission: to effectively train future nurses by incorporating cultural care curricula. The goal...

    Authors: Sara Noori Farsangi, Sedigheh Khodabandeh Shahraki, Jonas Preposi Cruz and Jamileh Farokhzadian
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2023 23:979
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Internationalisation of medical education encompasses the integration of global dimensions and intercultural experiences into medical practices. This process is planned to prepare globally conscious, culturall...

    Authors: Marjo Wijnen-Meijer
    Citation: BMC Medical Education 2023 23:640
    Content type: Editorial Published on:

Submission Guidelines

Back to top

This Collection welcomes submission of Research Articles. Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have read our submission guidelines. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Internationalization of Medical Education" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Guest Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.