The World Directory of Medical Schools (WDMS) is a public database of worldwide medical schools, intended as accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information on all medical schools in the world. The Directory is published as a collaboration of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER). It was created by merging their respective AVICENNA and IMED directories to produce a single comprehensive resource, including the schools in each of the prior directories.
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Definition
The World Directory defines “medical school” as an "educational institution that provides a complete or full program of instruction leading to basic medical qualification; that is, a qualification that permits the holder to obtain a license to practice as a medical doctor or physician".
Development
The decision to merge the AVICENNA and IMED was finalized in March 2012. The directory was officially launched in April 2014. During the transition to the new Directory, IMED and the Avicenna Directory remained open for a year, closing in 2015.
Sponsors
The World Directory is a joint venture of WFME and FAIMER in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Sponsors and potential sponsors at this meeting included representatives from Australia, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, Denmark, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Sponsors work with WFME and FAIMER in the development of the directory, and their contributions to this process are listed on the website.