JK News Today
Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital (ASCOMS) has achieved yet another distinction of becoming the first Medical College in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir to partner with one of the important Medical Universities of United States of America i.e. University of Florida. Consequent to this Affiliation Agreement, the students studying in Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital (ASCOMS) will have an exposure to the Medical Teaching as a part of the Education Exchange Program for the development of physicians and for training of medical students under the Clinical Education Program of the University of Florida.
This Affiliation Agreement will create a positive learning environment and development of professionalism among the medical students of our region. Under the program, Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital (ASCOMS) will be primarily responsible for providing the basic medical teaching and clinical rotation, while as, the University of Florida will be responsible for providing clinical observer-ship to all qualified students.
During the MOU signing program, it was decided that the sanctioning authority for Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital (ASCOMS) will be the Director Principal while as, the University of Florida will be represented by Associate Dean for Medical Education (ADME).
The international collaborations are not just important for the institutes but more importantly they are beneficial for the students as such collaborations help them understand the cross-culture difference and inculcate a sense of professionalism in the students at a very young age.
They are also able to understand the difference in education system which would enrich the students by being exposed to the quality education for the better understanding of the subject.
Speaking on the occasion, the Director Principal of Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital (ASCOMS), Dr. Pavan Malhotra said that these opportunities open a window of growth for the students by allowing them to explore beyond the boundaries in the areas of research and academics. He further reiterated that international collaborations are also accompanied by professional awareness that comes with each project, the students participate in. These projects will help the students develop important life skills like team building, leadership, tolerance and dedication towards patient care.
Mr. D.K. Batra, Secretary, Shri Chander Chinar Bada Akhara Udasin Society, the promoters of Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital (ASCOMS), described this moment as a historic moment and further reiterated that these Graduate Exchange Programs will enable both under-graduate and post-graduate students on long term and short term basis. It will also enable communication between academic stakeholders i.e. both staff and students for organizing seminars, conferences and teachings. Signing the agreement on behalf of University of Florida, Dr. David R Nelson, senior Vice President, Health Affairs, and Dr. Joseph C Fantone, on behalf of College of Medicine, University of Florida, described this event of international collaboration as a fundamental criteria to
implement progressive correspondence between the medical education system abroad and rapidly changing medical education scenario in India. Dr. Nelson said that bridging the gap in international education takes innovative and trail blazing steps to provide maximum range of teaching-learning methods to advance the perspective of prospective students.
Such kind of international collaboration programs provide the academic insight into the research being carried out in the western world and can entail establishing the laboratories, the chairs and also some possibility of placements as it necessitates all these facilitators to work together in unison for successful implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding. While thanking the education partners, Mr. Manik Batra, Director of Batra Group, and member of Shri Chander Chinar Bada Akhara Udasin Society, expressed satisfaction and happiness for Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences and Hospital (ASCOMS) becoming the first hospital in UT of J&K to have an international academic partnership in medical education.
