An International Education Partnership: Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School at 10 Years

In medical education, examples of global collaborations or partnerships are plentiful, as are the multifactorial motivations driving them. The outcome of transported educational models outside their original target environment can be difficult to predict, however, as contexts, cultures, norms, histories, traditions, processes, and practices coalesce among diverse groups. The resultant diversity can be considered a double-edged sword. Heterogeneous groups are shown to be better at creativity and innovation, while homogenous ones can more easily integrate within the group. In this article, some examples of the educational challenges and opportunities arising from the partnership between Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore (NUS), leading to the establishment of Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School are described. A decade since establishment of Duke-NUS, the ongoing balance of delicately overcoming integration challenges on the one hand, and optimizing innovation opportunities on the other, remains a formidable undertaking.