With this issue of our semi-annual publication, the Basic Science Education Forum is pleased to acknowledge the expansion of its membership to a global community of faculty by the creation of a new column. Medical educational systems may often be directed by political forces, and certainly not every reader in the eleven countries of our membership is driven by the desire of major curricular reform. But what is consistent is the desire of individual faculty to present basic science disciplines, within available resources, in such a manner as to prepare the best physicians possible. This desire knows no political boundaries. It is the purpose of this International Perspective column to better acquaint all of us with how the sciences fundamental to medicine are taught around the world.
I am grateful to Dr. Key-Yong Kim, Dean of the University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, for accepting my invitation to provide this first contribution. Dr. Kim and his co-authors describe a six year program of medical training in Korean medical schools which is undergoing evaluation to increase both the quality and quantity of basic science education. They note that “…the Korean education system in basic medical sciences is at its turning point for a dramatic transformation.” We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kim and his colleagues to membership in the BSEF and pledge the support of our organization in whatever capacity they deem useful for aiding in this transformation process.