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Advancing international partnerships: In conversation with Dr. Karim Qumosani
By Andrew Graham
Dr. Karim Qumosani appointed inaugural Associate Dean, International Training Partnerships.
By Andrew Graham
A new decanal role at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is focused on developing and strengthening strategic international partnerships that advance education, research and collaborations.
Dr. Karim Qumosani has been appointed the School’s inaugural Associate Dean, International Training Partnerships, a role that will see the transplant hepatologist and educator foster relationships within government ministries and agencies, academic institutions, health-care organizations and major corporate partners.
The new role will have a particular focus on building partnerships within the Gulf region, working alongside Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
No stranger to the value of international training experiences, Qumosani obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz University before completing an internal medicine residency, gastroenterology fellowship and advanced hepatology and liver transplantation fellowship at Western University.
Qumosani joined the School’s Department of Medicine in 2013 and currently serves as a professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, as well as director of the Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology Residency Training Program.
As he embarks on his newest role at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Qumosani shares what’s ahead for his portfolio.
What excites you most about the opportunity to shape this role and what is your vision for it?
I see this as an opportunity to build strategic, sustainable partnerships rather than individual training arrangements. Having experienced medical education in Saudi Arabia and postgraduate training at Western, I understand both perspectives.
My vision is to position Schulich Medicine & Dentistry as a trusted, long-term academic partner across the Gulf, with opportunities in postgraduate training, fellowships, research, graduate education, faculty development and academic exchange.
International medical education is increasingly strategic, particularly as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf invest in health care, research and workforce development.
Our School already has significant strengths, and this role allows us to coordinate those strengths, understand partner needs and build relationships that go beyond individual trainees or programs.
What can stronger international partnerships make possible across education, research and faculty collaboration?
Strong international partnerships can create joint educational programs, fellowship pathways, research collaborations, visiting faculty opportunities, mentorship and academic exchange.
The major opportunities are postgraduate and fellowship training, graduate and doctoral education, research collaboration and faculty development.
Most importantly, I would like to move from individual relationships toward institutional partnerships, where both sides contribute and benefit. These should be two-way partnerships — Western should contribute its expertise while also learning from our international partners.
You completed your medical degree in Saudi Arabia before coming to Western for residency and fellowship training. How does your own experience shape the way you approach this role?
I understand what it means to enter a different educational and health-care system, and I understand the expectations of trainees, sponsors and the host institution.
That experience taught me that successful international training requires clear pathways, mentorship and support, while maintaining academic and accreditation standards. I see my role as building that bridge.
What are your initial priorities for the role?
My first priority is to understand the landscape and identify the actual bottlenecks before building new pathways.
For Saudi training, this means understanding the mutual recognition of training certificates and qualifications between Canada and Saudi Arabia, scholarship eligibility criteria, funding authorities, sponsoring organizations and the regulatory requirements of both countries. We can then align these requirements with the School’s programs and engage the appropriate decision-makers.
The goal is to create a structured partnership pipeline rather than a large list of contacts.
How will you define success over the next three years?
Year one is about understanding the Saudi/Gulf landscape, mapping stakeholders and building key relationships.
In year two, we will translate those relationships into defined training, research and faculty-development pathways and expand selectively across the Gulf.
By year three, we will establish sustainable institutional partnerships and measurable pathways for trainees, research and faculty collaboration.
Success is not simply the number of trainees — it is the creation of partnerships that continue beyond the three-year term.