Academic medicine

In 2003 The BMJ, the Lancet, and 40 other partners launched ICRAM, a global initiative that is committed to developing a new vision for academic medicine. This will focus on increasing the relevance to communities of institutions that educate doctors and other health professionals, conduct biomedical and health systems research, and care for patients.

Led by a core working party of medical academics representing 14 countries, ICRAM aims to redefine the core values of and establish an evidence base for academic medicine; develop strategy around reformed academic training; and stimulate a public debate on the future

The campaign arose because of a persistent concern that academic medicine is in crisis around the world. At a time of increasing health burden, poverty, globalisation, and innovation, many have argued that academic medicine is nevertheless failing to realize its potential and global social responsibility.

Through a series of stakeholder and regional consultations, systematic review of the available evidence, and future scenario building, ICRAM intends to produce a series of recommendations for reform in global academic medicine, including:

1. Developing a vision of how academic medicine should look in 2020;
2. Recommending strategies for building capacity in academic medicine, including better career paths; and
3. Proposing how academic medicine improve its relationships with “customers,” including patients, policy makers, practitioners, and others.

At the centre of the campaign are:

1. International working party of 20 medical academics from all over the world;
2. Regional advisory groups that are conducting consultations in the Americas, Africa, Europe, Middle East, South Asia, and the Western Pacific;
3. Stakeholder advisory groups representing the interests of academics, business groups, government representatives and policy makers, patients, professional associations, journal editors, and students and trainees;
4. Leader of the campaign, Peter Tugwell, from the Centre for Global Health at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

We want your participation!

Read more about the campaign’s work:

• Future scenario building – Feb 2005In February 2005, ICRAM and the Nuffield Trust (UK) will host a workshop, facilitated by Philip Hadridge, aimed at describing a number of alternative future scenarios for academic medicine. Previous scenario work can be found below:

Imagining futures for the NHS

The Simpsons scenarios

In preparation for this February workshop, advisors from all stakeholder and regional areas have submitted 1000 word articles on their “vision for academic medicine.”

• Activities of the ICRAM working party
• Theme issue on academic medicine
• Papers by the ICRAM working party:
  • Agenda setting
  • Analysing the evidence
• Inaugural meeting and retreat 14 June 2004
• Past content:
  • Past articles about the campaign
  • Croatian Medical Journal’s forum on academic medicine