Eighteen Years of Joint Master of Health Professions Education Between Geographically Distanced Partners Lessons from a Matured Partnership

Abstract

Many educational partnerships between institutes never reach the stage of maturity, with students often bearing the costs of such discontinued partnerships. Reasons can be multifold, including a loss of ambitions, finances, or changing personal aspirations of stakeholders. In 2022 a joint curriculum in health professions education between two geographically and culturally distanced institutes reached its 18th anniversary. What can be learned from this particular partnership in terms of deliberate strategic choices, if any, to overcome the challenges identified in the literature? This article applies an instrumental, in-depth case analysis using a theoretical framework of factors that impact the sustainability of educational curriculum partnerships. By doing so, this paper intends to reveal successful strategies and managerial decisions that might be beneficial to those aiming for a sustainable partnership in higher education.