Introduction

The next Congress of the International Association for Medical Education (AMEE), will be held in Italy, in Milan, between the 30th August and the 3rd September 2014. Both the choice of Italy and of the Congress’s main topic Excellence in Education – the 21st Century Teacher, undoubtedly make the event an important and unique opportunity to refresh one’s knowledge and knowhow while contributing to the internationalisation of medical and health-care education, something that has been going on in Italy for some time now, under the guidance of the Permanent Conference of Degree Courses in Medicine and Surgery (Lenzi, 2012; Familiari et al., 2013). This aspect of medical education has long become an ineluctable feature not only of the various core curriculum skills foreseen, but has also becomes a part of the formal documentation of academic achievement, as one of the foci around which new learning-teaching and assessment strategies, methodologies and approaches are built, and one of the chief means by which to address medical and health-care education and training issues and the define the leading role the Italian University must play in the field of medical education and health-care management.

This process of internationalisation needs to be grounded in the excellence of the medical teaching profession and referred to the highest standards determined by processes of global renewal; it must also remain associated with institutional leadership, availability of adequate resources, the possibility of recognising didactic excellence, but, above all, it needs to be rooted in an accurate definition and appraisal of procedures and results (Lenzi, 2012; Familiari, 2013; Familiari et al., 2013).

Next year’s AMEE Congress in Milan

As stated elsewhere, AMEE (www.amee.org) is undoubtedly one of Europe’s most important international associations, given the size of its membership and the scholarly excellence of its annual conferences  which represent one of its chief strong points (Familiari, 2013, Familiari and Consorti, 2013).

The AMEE conference in Milan will provide an opportunity for all interested in medical and health-care educational issues to meet and learn about what is new in the field, share ideas and network with colleagues from all over the world. Three thousand participants from one hundred countries are expected, bringing with them a wealth and broad range of cultural experiences, and making this the largest ever international medical and health-care education annual conference.

As a teacher or trainer, a dean or course organizer, educationalist or researcher, administrator or student, participation at Milan 2014 edition of AMEE Congress will provide an important opportunity to follow key developments in curriculum planning, approaches to teaching and learning, assessment methods, educational management, and evidence-informed teaching. Each participant will be given the opportunity to present his/her own work to enthusiastic and like-minded colleagues.

The Sessions of the Congress

The AMEE conference sessions will cover a continuum of education in medicine and the health-care professions from undergraduate to postgraduate levels, on to continuing professional development.

The sessions include:

– The Preconference Programme, Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st August

– Essential Skills in Medical Education (ESME) courses;

– Full-day and half-day preconference workshops;

The Main Conference Programme, Sunday 31st August to Wednesday 3rd September

– Plenary presentations by internationally renowned speakers;

– Symposia providing the opportunity to discuss subjects of topical interest, with short presentations of different perspectives;

– Short communications sessions with a series of themed papers from submitted abstracts;

– Presentations of a series of themed posters from submitted abstracts;

– Conference workshops on practical topics, offering maximum interactivity with the presenters;

– An exhibition with commercial and academic stands representing the latest developments in the medical and health-care educational field.

Important dates for your Diary

– 12th January 2014: cut-off date for submission of Research Papers and PhD Reports*;

– 6th February 2014**: cut-off date for submission of Short Communications, Posters, Conference Workshops and Fringe abstracts;

– 16 April 2014: Abstract decisions announced;

– 17 May 2014**: Close of early-bird registration.

*Preconference workshops and symposia should be submitted using the form downloadable from the website above. Research papers, PhD Reports, Short communications, Posters, Conference Workshops and Fringe Abstracts may be submitted online from 1st December 2013.

**Please note, closing dates for abstract submission and early-bird registration are two weeks earlier than in previous years to permit us to meet requests for early publication of the final programme.

The Italian contribution to AMEE 2014

The International Congress takes place under the auspices of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), a non- profit organisation with head offices at Tay Park House, 484 Perth Road, Dundee DD2 1LR, United Kingdom. AMEE is represented by Tracey Martin, President of the International Association, and by Ronald Harden, General Secretary. The photographs in Fig. 1 which portray them, were taken during the 20913 Congress in Prague; they have been included here in hopes that the Milan event will see a large representation from our own country.

During the organisational phase the collaboration of the following is foreseen:

– Società Italiana di Pedagogia Medica [Italian Society of Medical Pedagogy]

– Conferenza Permanente dei Presidi  di Facoltà e dei Direttori delle Scuole di Medicina e Chirurgia [The Permanent Conference of Faculty Deans and Directors of Schools of Medicine and Surgery]

– Conferenza Permanente delle Classi di Laurea  delle Professioni Sanitarie [The Permanent Conference of Health-Care Profession Degree Courses]

– Conferenza Permanente dei Presidenti dei CLM di Medicina e Chirurgia [Permanent Conference of the Deans of the Medical Degree Courses in Medicine and Surgery]

– Conferenza Permanente dei Presidenti CLM in Odontoiatria e P.D. [Permanent Conference of the Deans of the Degree Courses in Dentistry and Dental Care]

The University of Milan is also involved in the local committee, in the persons of the Dean and Rector of the Medical Faculty.

In particular a special symposium will be devoted to Progress Test and will be coordinated by  Alfred Tenore, with a view to comparing the Italian experience with that of other countries, both European and non.

SIPeM will conduct a pre-congress workshop concerning Medical Humanities and dwell in particular on the use of filmed material in medical training.

A valid reason for active participation

The essential rationale underscoring a kind of participation which strives to be active and proactive, dwells, come as stated in the premise, in the fact that the process of the internationalisation of medical training we are so tenaciously endeavouring to implement, must be seen now as an irreversible to be followed.

The international medical-education panorama is one of a complex, innovative, constantly developing reality, requiring constant pedagogical renewal having a strong international bias; the fact that such an important international Congress is to be held in our country provides us with a twofold opportunity: that  of engaging in an efficacious refresher experience and that of informing the international community of the numerous innovations under way within our medical education system.

The globalisation of healthcare delivery and the international dimensions of medical education are some of the most important aspects didactic innovation needs to address in the near future (Dent and Harden, 2013), and on this issue, over the past decade, our educational ambit has produced numerous novelties, thanks, particularly, to initiatives fostered by the Permanent Conference of Deans of the Medical Degree Courses  and the Deans of the Medical Faculties /Schools of Medicine and the Italian Medical Pedagogy Society (Snelgrove et al., 2009; Gallo, 2011; Lenzi, 2012).

There is no doubt, however, that the achievement of a truly international dimension capable of involving our teaching staff and students to the full is a goal requiring constant attention; active participation in this congress, therefore,  cannot but represent an important step in the right direction.

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2) Familiari G. The international dimensions of medical education. Med Chir 2013; 57: 2537-2538.

3) Familiari G, Consorti F. The best evidence medical education and the essential skills on medical teaching : important keys for medical education internationalization. Med Chir 2013; 59: 2662-2663.

4) Familiari G, Violani C, Relucenti M, Heyn R, Della Rocca C, De Biase L, Ziparo V, Gallo P, Consorti F, Lenzi A, Gaudio E, Frati L. International reality of medical education. MEDIC 2013; 21: 53-59.

5) Gallo P. Insegnare nei corsi di laurea in medicina e odontoiatria. Espress Edizioni, Torino 2011.

6) Lenzi A. Manifesto di intenti per il triennio 2011-2014. Med Chir 2012; 55: 2427-2428.

7) Snelgrove H, Familiari G, Gallo P, Gaudio E, Lenzi A, Ziparo V, Frati L. The challenge of reform: 10 years of curricula changes in Italian medical schools. Med Teach 2009; 31: 1047-1055.

Familiari G., Consorti F., AMEE 2014: Excellence in Education – The 21st Century Teacher. Meeting in Milan from the 30th August to the 3rd September 2014, Medicina e Chirurgia, 61: 2763-2765, 2014. DOI:  10.4487/medchir2014-61-9