Department of Family Medicine renews partnership with Syiah Kuala University in Indonesia

McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine and Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, Indonesia have recently renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for another five years (2023 – 2028). The MOU aims to foster collaboration and exchange of knowledge between the two universities, especially in the field of family medicine.

Syiah Kuala University launched its family medicine residency program this August, after more than 12 years of planning and development. McMaster University has been a key partner in supporting and mentoring the Indonesian university in establishing its family medicine curriculum and training.

The connection between the two universities began when Lynda Redwood-Campbell, a professor of family medicine at McMaster University, went to Aceh province, Indonesia after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. While working with the Canadian Red Cross as a medical officer in a field hospital, Redwood-Campbell met a medical student who told her how his training was disrupted by the disaster. They kept in touch and the dean of the medical school heard about their connection and asked for support from McMaster University to implement problem-based learning (PBL) in their medical school.

The two universities signed a Letter of Intent in 2013 followed by an MOU in 2018. The first MOU focused on capacity building while Syiah Kuala University was developing their family medicine training programs. During that time, they were able to develop, advocate, and promote family medicine in Indonesia.

Syiah Kuala University has also been able to train junior faculty abroad with master’s degrees and PhDs who have come back to Indonesia to do work at a high level. They have a lot of developing research areas, such as malnutrition in children, natural disaster risk reduction, and emergency response.

The renewed MOU is a continuation of that initial promise, but with the hope of opportunities that go both ways. “We see this partnership as rich with opportunities for bilateral training and development,” said Cathy Risdon, professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University.

Syiah Kuala University has a desire to host visiting faculty, family medicine residents, and medical students. McMaster University also hopes to host physicians and trainees from their institution.

This partnership is also supported by the Besrour Centre for Global Family Medicine, part of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The Besrour Centre is a hub of international collaboration dedicated to advancing family medicine globally. They have created a network of countries at different stages of building family medicine, providing mentorship and support. Syiah Kuala University is now supporting other countries in Southeast Asia develop their own family medicine programs.

The impact of these partnerships is significant, as they are building the capacity of family medicine worldwide. McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine is proud to continue its partnership with Syiah Kuala University and looks forward to learning from each other and advancing the field of family medicine in both countries.

“I truly believe that we as Canadians and at McMaster can learn from our colleagues around the world and advance the field of family medicine together,” said Redwood-Campbell.