The cooperation between the research centers of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) is going to be strengthened.

Dr. Khalil Ghasemi Flavarjani, the IUMS Vice President for Education, discussed the importance of internationalization and reflecting the performance of scientific groups, professors, and faculty members at the Conference on the Internationalization of Partner Centers of the World Health Organization.

Dr. Hamid Ravaqi, the regional consultant of the World Health Organization, explained in a video conference the joint activities of the Eastern Mediterranean Office of the World Health Organization. He mentioned that 50 centers from different countries cooperate with the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office.

Dr. Ravaqi also stated that several centers from the Iran University of Medical Sciences are already cooperating with the Eastern Mediterranean Office. He emphasized the importance of strengthening this cooperation, which is one of the university's important plans for the future.

Dr. Mehdi Moghtadaei, the IUMS Vice President for International Affairs, discussed the university's internationalization programs during the meeting. He mentioned that there are currently 88 organizations worldwide actively working in the field of health, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Assembly for the eradication of AIDS and Ebola, as well as G7 and G20 summits.

Dr. Moghtadaei also highlighted some of the measures taken by the Iran University of Medical Sciences for internationalization. He emphasized the importance of utilizing their representatives in international health organizations effectively and mentioned that recruiting foreign students and establishing communication with these institutions are among the actions taken by the university.

Dr. Moghtadaei mentioned that one of the actions taken by Iran University of Medical Sciences for internationalization is the establishment of international branches, such as the university branch in Ghana. The first branch of Iran University of Medical Sciences in West Africa will begin teaching nursing and midwifery in September 2023. He also mentioned that permission has been obtained to start the field of health diplomacy at the PhD level in joint cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Dr. Moghtadaei further discussed the measures taken for the internationalization of primary health care and education, research, and human resources empowerment with the cooperation of the IUMS Office of Vice President for Health. He also highlighted that one of the achievements of the university's internationalization efforts was obtaining the first place in the Times ranking in the field of service provision index. The university's efforts to obtain international rankings from other parts of the world in this field are ongoing.

During the internationalization conference of the World Health Organization partner centers, the managers of these centers at Iran University of Medical Sciences presented a report on their activities. The conference aimed to build capacity and promote the international activities of educational groups and research centers at the university. WHO partner centers learned about the necessary standards and procedures for cooperation with the World Health Organization and methods to better present their achievements at an international level.