The Ateneo de
Zamboanga University’s School of Medicine (AdZU-SOM) is this year’s recipient
of the Charles Boelen International Social Accountability Award from the
Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC). The award is given to
organizations in recognition of their professional accomplishments exemplary of
the principles of social accountability.
“This is the first time
that the AFMC, which represents Canada’s 17 faculties of medicine, is
conferring this international recognition to a
Medical School outside Canada,” reported AdZU President Fr Karel
San Juan SJ. Past recipients of this award
include the Training for Health Equity Network (TheNet, New York) in 2017, the
Francophone International Action-Research Project on the Social Accountability
of Faculties of Medicine (Canada) in 2016, and the International Federation of
Medical Students’ Associations (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) in 2015.
SOM Dean Fortunato
Cristobal stated that the award represents the commitment of the SOM in health reforms in medical education. He explained that social
accountability among medical schools, as defined by Boelen (after whom the
award was named) and Heck, means producing highly competent professionals
equipped to respond to the changing challenges of healthcare through
re-orientation of their education, research and service commitments, the effect
of which is felt by the communities served.
Fr San Juan and Dr
Cristobal will receive the award during the 2018 Canadian Conference on Medical
Education (CCME), to be held on April 28 to May 1, 2018 at Halifax, Nova
Scotia.
In a related development,
AdZU-SOM partner school McMaster University Department of Family Medicine (DFM)
of Canada, posted on its website, a congratulatory message to AdZU-SOM, on
receiving what it said was a well-deserved award.
AdZU-SOM and DFM have a
partnership on faculty development projects since 2002. One of the largest of
these engagements is the Community Health Assessment Program in the Philippines, a random control trial that adapts and tests a
community-based health intervention model.
photos from AdZU School of Medicine
