the educational development center: working for change,

introduction educational development centers (edcs) in the health sector act as a resource and a catalyst for educational change and therefore have a significant role to play in the professional development of health personnel. the world health organisation has actively supported the establishments of edcs by its member states because of the valuable contribution they can make to improving medical education. this improvement is usually realised through developing more appropriate curricula that reflect the needs of the community, upgrading the quality of education of health personnel and providing support for those involved in these changes. in the islamic republic of iran, since the radical reform of the health services and medical education in 1985, several edcs have been established in the country in order to facilitate and assist changes envisaged in the reform in the way health personnel, including the country's future doctors and nurses, were educated. their remit is to assist universities in the development of a community oriented curriculum, promote good educational practices and encourage research in medical education. the center the edc of shaheed beheshti medical university, a leading medical university in the city of tehran, was one of the first edcs set up in the country. it was established in 1989 and is under the direct supervision of the vice-chancellor for education. the key aims of the center are: