The Jammu & Kashmir Medical Council (J&KMC) on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Asia Pacific Division and the Department of Education International Chair in Bioethics (UNESCO Chair) during a workshop on Medical and Bioethics Statutory Faculty Training held at GMC Srinagar.
President of J&K Medical Council, Prof. S. Muhammad Salim Khan, said the MoU aims to establish a foundation for collaboration between the Asia Pacific Division and the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics, and J&K Medical Council.
“The MoU explores areas of cooperation for initiating joint projects related to teaching, training, and continuous updating of Bioethics and Medical Ethics for medical teachers, practitioners, postgraduate and undergraduate students, as well as alumni,” Prof. Khan said.
The collaboration also seeks to facilitate the exchange of ideas and resources among all parties involved. It will promote research, curriculum development, innovative teaching methodologies, and participation in seminars, conferences, and workshops focusing on Bioethics, Medical Ethics, and Health Law.
Prof. Khan further stated that one of the key objectives of the agreement is to promote the use of modules and case-based methodologies for continuous professional development in the field of Bioethics and Medical Ethics for both teachers and practitioners.
The MoU also encourages collaboration in developing and introducing Bioethics curricula at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, fostering academic innovation, and jointly organizing academic activities such as workshops, seminars, publications, conferences, and online courses.
The workshop held at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar was organized by J&KMC in collaboration with the Global Network for Medical, Health Professions and Bioethics Education, Melbourne, Australia.
Prof. Khan delivered the inaugural address, while Prof. Sandeep Dogra, Registrar of J&K Medical Council, presented the vote of thanks.
Key coordinators of the workshop included Prof. Russell Franco D’Souza, Dr. Vedprakash Mishra, Dr. Mary Mathew, Dr. Princy Louis Palatty, Dr. Vivek Mady, and Dr. Surapaneni Krishna Mohan, among others.
Four focused sessions were conducted during the workshop: The 3T Paradigm in Bioethics Education: Mastering the Approach to Teach, Train, and Transfer Bioethics in Health Professions; Augmenting Learning with Active Learning Strategies to Enhance Learner Engagement and Understanding; Assessing Bioethics from Every Angle: Multimodal Assessment Strategies for Bioethics in Health Professions Education; and Unraveling the Ethical Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Training and Research.
The training workshop was attended by J&K Medical Council members including Prof. Mehnaz Sultan and Prof. Asifa Nazir, chairpersons of the Ethics & Grievances Committee and CME & Anti-Quackery Committee, respectively, as well as faculty members from medical education units and institutional ethics committees from various medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir.
