Practice and future development of the medical research summer school

Abstract

Objective Peking University Health Science Center, together with Keio University, King’s College London and Karolinska Institutet developed a cooperative medical research summer school. It integrates the education methods of lectures, lab rotations and visits etc., which forms a special model. This study aims to analyze and evaluate the effect, prospect and space for further improvement of the summer school. Methods Program documents review and evaluation, interview and questionnaire survey to teachers as well as students who engaged in such program. Results The summer school enhances the research cooperation and communication among faculties and students from participating universities; it is highly appraised by participating teachers and students; students are particularly satisfied in the following aspects: gain knowledge and skills in cross-cultural communication, develop global health knowledge, gain knowledge and skills in research, and also enhance the sense of commitment in research. Conclusions The research summer school can improve the postgraduate education standard, promote scientific cooperation, and improve students’ research capacity. However, there are still some space for further improvement, such as improve the recruitment process; enhance the platform support; strengthen the evaluation, feedback and follow up system; further develop the program in depth and breadth. Key words: Research summer school; International cooperation; Research collaboration; Postgraduates education