Developing an Introductory Radiology Clerkship at Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Purpose: In recent years, several well-known medical schools in the United States have partnered with foreign institutions to promote the post-graduate model of medical education and the concept of the academic medical center. One such example is Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine (PUGSOM) in Malaysia, founded in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2010 with the hope of setting a new standard for biomedical research and patient-centered care in Southeast Asia. One issue for educators at PUGSOM was how best to integrate radiology into the clinical curriculum. Given radiology׳s global importance, a core clerkship was proposed; however, a major challenge lay in creating content that was rigorous and relevant to the Malaysian setting. Methods: After interviewing practicing Malaysian radiologists, attending medicine ward rounds, and performing a literature review of successful radiology curricula, two senior American medical students from Johns Hopkins developed a two-week introductory clerkship combining experiential learning with online, case-based lectures featuring diseases and technology pertinent to the Malaysian environment. Results/discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first example of a course developed by medical students in the United States for medical students in the developing world. The project serves as an example of the type of mutually beneficial international exchange intended by global partnerships in medical education.