Internationalization of medical education in Iran: A way towards implementation of the plans of development and innovation in medical education

Introduction: Academic institutions are the most importantorganizations for implementation of internationalization policiesand practices for integrating an international, intercultural andglobal dimension in higher education system. Also, a globallyincreasing demand for higher education has been seen in the pasttwo decades so that the number of students enrolled in highereducation institutions in the worldwide nation-states has increaseddramatically. The National Plan of International Developmentof Medical Education was designed with the aim of identifyingavailable potentials in all the universities of medical sciences,encouraging the development of international standards ofmedical education, and planning for the utilization of the existingcapacity in Islamic republic of Iran.Methods: Authors have tried to review the several aspectsof international activities in higher education in the world anddescribe national experiences and main policies in globalization ofmedical education in Iran within implementation of the NationalPlan for Development and Innovation in Medical Education.Results: The findings of some global experiences providethe policy makers with clear directions in order to developinternationalization of higher education.Conclusion: The Program for International Development ofMedical Education was designed by the Deputy of Educationin the Ministry of Health and the effective implementationof this Program was so important for promotion of Iranianmedical education. But there were some challenges in thisregard; addressing them through inter-sectoral collaborationis one of the most important strategies for the development ofinternationalization of education in the field of medical sciences.Keywords: Medical education, Higher education, Innovation