Academic medicine and global health responsibilities

The launch of the campaign by the BMJ and a range of partners to revitalize academic medicine1 is extremely welcome at this time when the effects of globalisation on health (and vice versa) are being felt more than ever. In my seven years as dean of the progressive Makerere University Medical School I have seen the faculty become increasingly disillusioned about the prospects of a career in medicine. National and global pressures have reduced available resources considerably, making it much harder for the medical school to support the different pillars of academic medicine. We must champion excellent scholarship in academic medicine—the discovery of knowledge, the practice of teaching, and the integration and application of knowledge2—while ensuring that the needs and interests of Uganda's communities are adequately served.

Academic medicine must show that, in its pursuit of the different aspects of scholarship, its relevance to society's needs is still of paramount importance. This is vital if …