The Internationalization Conference on Higher Education of Medical Sciences in the 7th Region

According to the public relations of the international college of TUMS, a two-day conference on the Internationalization of Higher Education in Medical Sciences was held on September 20-21, 2022. The conference was hosted by Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in cooperation with the International College. Vice President of Education and Secretary of the Medical and Specialized Education Council of the Ministry of Health, the Secretary of Supreme Medical Council, a group of officials and university professors as well as more than 50 professors and officers concerning the international field from four universities (e.g. Yazd, Shahrekord, Isfahan and Kashan) were attending the event.

The conference got started with the Recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by welcoming the participants.

Dr. Shirani, Chancellor of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, as the first speaker of this event expressed his concerns regarding the culture promotion in a way that is effective in choosing Iran as a Center and suggested that Iranian universities should not compete with each other in this case. He further admitted: “planning for short-term professional courses and increasing students' practical skills will be a positive result in preparing ambassadors on behalf of the country.”

In the following, Dr. Shabani, the dean of International College of TUMS, stating the objectives of the workshop, pointed out the importance of strengthening the "discourse making" in the internationalization of Iranian universities, and he mentioned some notes about the history of internationalization in Iran.

Then he suggested the expressions of internationalization at home, internationalization abroad and internationalization of higher education.  He spoke about study abroad and the features and benefits of the present workshop, the expansion of networking and getting to know the activities of colleagues and other universities.

Dr. Bagherifard, Deputy Minister for Education in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, while stating notes about the efficiency and optimizing the quality of education in the Ministry of Health, acknowledged: “A university without education cannot be considered as a university, and education is the basic pillar of universities. In addition, there is a direct relationship between "quantity" and "quality" in the field of internationalization.”

Dr. Hassanzadeh, Secretary of the Supreme Planning Council of Medical Sciences, explained about international educational exchanges. Moreover, Dr. Shirani and Dr. Mehrparvar made suggestions in this regard.

The conference continued with the speech of Dr. Ayati, Vice-Chancellor of Global Strategies and International Affairs of TUMS, and Mr. Sayadi, Senior International Relations Officer of the International Vice President of TUMS. Then the vice presidents, deans, and officers involved in internationalization of the 7th region, including Yazd, Shahrekord, Kashan and Isfahan were introduced.

In the following, Dr. Peikari (the secretary of the International Council and member of the Council of Advisors of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education) requested that one of the main universities of region 7, express his experiences regarding communication with international organizations and its challenges.

And in the end, Dr. Takiyan, Chief Research Assistant at the Health Equity Research Centre (HERC) and TUMS’ representative at M8 Alliance member of World Health Summit (WHS), after expressing his experiences in relation to how to communicate with these organizations, and he talked about the principles of presenting in international negotiations.

Finally, the first day of the conference ended with the teamwork of the participants regarding the principles of negotiations and administrative correspondence.

On the second day of the conference on the internationalization of higher education in medical sciences, the Recitation from the Holy Quran, Dr. Hosseini Moghadam presented the topic of international marketing, and during that the participants also shared their experiences and challenges in the field of marketing. This topic ended with the completion of the international marketing canvas in the field of higher education for each university.

In the following, Dr. Shabani (Secretary of EducationIRAN Central Secretariat), while introducing EducationIRAN, announced the readiness of this secretariat to cooperate with all universities of the country.

In the following, Dr. Nekoufar (Director of International Relations of Tehran University of Medical Sciences) also presented the topic of science diplomacy. Dr. Najimi (Director of Virtual Education Center of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences) and Dr. Yamani (Director of Studies and Development of Medical Education of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences) also presented the topic of virtual education.

In the end, Dr. Kabiri (former head of publications and scientology of Tehran University of Medical Sciences) presented the topic of quality assurance and promotion in international higher education.

The conclusion of the Internationalization of Higher Education in Medical Sciences conference began with a speech by Dr. Masoumi, Vice-Chancellor of Education of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, with the theme of appreciation and thanks for the presence of the participants and the efforts of the executive team to organize this event. Dr. Peikari (representative of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education) also appreciated the good hosting of the University of Isfahan, the managers and staff of the universities of medical sciences in the 7th region, as well as the executive and scientific team.

Finally, Dr. Shabani appreciated the efforts of all colleagues and participants and the conference program was completed by awarding certificates of appreciation and gifts from the executive and scientific team.