World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) is a

non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

concerned with education and training of medical doctors worldwide. WFME’s main objective is to "enhance the quality of medical education worldwide, with promotion of the highest scientific and ethical standards in medical education". The organisation develops standards for medical education and promotes accreditation of medical schools. It also co-manages the

World Directory of Medical Schools The World Directory of Medical Schools is a public database of institutions that provide medical education. There are over 3,600 medical schools listed in the directory. The directory is published as a collaboration of the World Federation for Medic ...

. WFME works in partnership with its six Regional Associations for Medical Education and other international organisations including the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

and the

World Medical Association The World Medical Association (WMA) is an international and independent confederation of free professional medical associations representing physicians worldwide. WMA was formally established on September 18, 1947 and has grown to 115 national m ...

, with WFME’s associate members, and with medical schools worldwide.

History

WFME was founded on the 30 September 1972 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. The founding organisations included the

(WHO) and

(WMA). In 1988 the Edinburgh declaration was approved at the World Conference on Medical Education, calling for greater co-operation between the health system and the education system, reflecting national needs in medical education and continuing lifelong education of medical staff to achieve quality in practice. The Declaration was adopted by the

World Health Assembly The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of health ministers from member states. T ...

in 1989. The aspect of medical education responding to the national needs was also stressed at the World Summit on Medical Education 1993. WFME participated in the Global Consensus Project for Social Accountability of Medical Schools initiated in 2010, which further focused on the co-operation and link between medical education and the society, highlighting the necessity to meet the health care needs of patients and societies. In the years 2008-2014 WFME maintained the

Avicenna Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic G ...

directory, a public database of worldwide

medical schools A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

, schools of pharmacy, schools of

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

and educational institutions of other academic health professions, which was later merged with

IMED The International Medical Education Directory (IMED) was a public database of worldwide medical schools. The IMED was published as a joint collaboration of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the Foundation for Advan ...

to create the

. WFME previously had offices in Bethesda,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

(USA) and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

(UK), and most recently in

(Denmark) and Ferney-Voltaire (France). The organisation is currently registered in the UK and France.

Mission

The three major projects WFME currently prioritises are the creation of global standards for quality improvement of medical education, managing the

and the Recognition of Accreditation. In developing Global Standards, the WFME appointed three International Task Forces, one for each of the three phases of medical education: * basic (undergraduate) Medical Education (BME) * postgraduate medical education (PME) * continuing medical education (CME)/professional development of medical doctors (CPD) Building on the standards, WFME provides guidance on establishing medical schools in the context of global standards but also with respect to the national need. Together with FAIMER, WFME co-manages the World Directory of Medical School, a public database of medical schools worldwide. WFME Recognition Programme aims to ensure that

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

of medical schools in the world, is at an internationally accepted standard. WFME awards Recognition Status to the

accrediting agencies Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

that apply and are assessed to be up to the agreed standard.

ECFMG According to the US Department of Education, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates is "the authorized credential evaluation and guidance agency for non-U.S. physicians and graduates of non-U.S. medical schools who seek to practice ...

published a press release stating that students applying for

Certification after 2023 will be required to have graduated from a medical school that has been "appropriately accredited by an agency that uses criteria comparable to those established for U.S. medical schools by the

Liaison Committee on Medical Education The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is an accrediting body for educational programs at schools of medicine in the United States and Canada.''Glossary.'' ACGME website. The LCME is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Co ...

(LCME) or that uses other globally accepted criteria, such as WFME’s". WFME also develops a project on the Role of the Doctor in the modern society, reflecting the changing position of the medical professions in the world.

Governance

WFME strategy is developed and agreed at the yearly Executive Council meeting. The Executive Council includes the directors of the six regional organisations, representatives of the founding organisations (

WHO Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...

, WMA) and collaborating organisations (

IFMSA The International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA) is a non-governmental organization representing associations of medical students. It was founded in May 1951 and currently maintains 139 member organizations from 130 countr ...

) The

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of WMA also attends by invitation.

Regional offices

AMEE: The Association for Medical Education in Europe AMEEMR: Association for Medical Education in the Eastern Mediterranean AMEWPR: Association for Medical Education in Western Pacific Region AMSA: Association of Medical Schools in Africa PAFAMS: The Panamerican Federation of Associations of Medical Schools SEARAME: South-East Asian Regional Association for Medical Education

Affiliated organisations

WFME has been in official relationship with

since 1974 aiming to improve medical education worldwide. In 2004 the two organisations formed a strategic partnership and established the international Task Force on Accreditation in Medical Education. The role of WFME in this partnership is to "update global standards, review regional and national standards, collect and disseminate information, encourage institutional self-evaluation and establish an adviser function". WFME has a formal relationship with the

(WMA), and since 1997 with the International Federation of Medical Students´ Associations (

). The

Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates According to the US Department of Education, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates is "the authorized credential evaluation and guidance agency for non-U.S. physicians and graduates of non-U.S. medical schools who seek to practice ...

(

) became a coopted member in 2007.

References