Data from: Transforming medical education in Liberia through an international community of inquiry (2016 dataset)

A critical component of building capacity in Liberia’s physician workforce
involves strengthening the country’s only medical school, A.M. Dogliotti
College of Medicine. Beginning in 2015, senior health sector stakeholders
in Liberia invited faculty and staff from U.S. academic institutions and
non-governmental organizations to join a partnership focused on improving
undergraduate medical education in Liberia. Over the subsequent six years,
the members of this partnership came together through an iterative,
mutual-learning process and created what William Torbert et al describe as
a “community of inquiry,” in which practitioners and researchers pair
action and inquiry toward evidence-informed practice and organizational
transformation. This community of inquiry developed around a few key
institutional and interpersonal relationships but expanded over time.
Incorporating faculty, practitioners, and students from Liberia and the
U.S., the community of inquiry consistently focused on following the
vision, goals, and priorities of leadership in Liberia, irrespective of
funding source or institutional affiliation. The work of the community of
inquiry has incorporated multiple mixed methods assessments, stakeholder
discussions, strategic planning, and collaborative self-reflection,
resulting in transformation of M.D. education in Liberia. We suggest that
the community of inquiry approach reported here can serve as a model for
others seeking to form sustainable, international global health
partnerships focused on organizational transformation.