Introducing a Summer School for international medical students
This summer, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s Internationalization Office and Undergraduate Medical Education will be welcoming 20 international senior medical students to attend the first annual Summer School — a pilot project hosted in partnership with the Western English Language Centre.
The medical students will be coming from some of the School’s international partner institutions, including nine from Nanjing Medical University, 5 from Second Military Medical University, 1 from Addis Ababa University and 5 from the West China School of Medicine.
Silke Klenk, Director, Internationalization, explained Schulich Medicine & Dentistry strives to actively reach out to engage with global partners to address challenges that transcend borders, and takes responsibility as a global institutional citizen to help improve the health of people in Southwestern Ontario, Canada and our global village.
“We want to enhance our global impact through meaningful and sustainable international partnerships, and the exchange of students and trainees factors into this,” Klenk said.
The Summer School will provide the incoming international students with the opportunity to attend medical lectures and expert panel discussions and tour hospitals, research labs and teaching facilities. They will work on group projects and presentations, and take part in professional development activities related to language and cross-cultural development. There will also be social activities scheduled in London and the surrounding areas.
The goal is to provide the incoming students with opportunities to gain a deeper appreciation of medicine and health care issues, enhance their English language skills, learn about the Canadian education system and culture, and meet other international students.
“We want to foster an exceptional student and trainee experience through international and intercultural learning opportunities,” Klenk said. “By providing academic, clinical and research opportunities abroad, we enhance the educational experience.”
