It was an intensive two weeks stay that Michael Mellace and Kristina Dolan spent at LMU Klinikum in February 2023. Both 4th year medical students from Upstate Medical University – which is comparable to PJ students here in Germany – wanted to get insights of the healthcare system, clinical processes, and the combination of patient care, research and teaching in Germany. "They are the first exchange students of the cooperation already agreed upon in 2021," says initiator Prof. Dr. Thomas G. Schulze, director of the Institute for Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics in Psychiatry (IPPG). Prof. Schulze also has a research appointment at Upstate Medical University.
In a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the Medical Faculty of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and U.S. SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, have agreed on a cooperation that will initially run until 2026. The goals are to promote global education and health and to further develop academic and cultural exchange for students, researchers and staff of the two institutions. The focus is on clinical, basic and translational research, as well as the internationalization of higher education and professional development which are also part of the agreement.
At the end of their stay, the two U.S. students shared their impressions with some LMU students interested in the exchange. The Dean of Studies and Institute Director of the DAM, Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer, Director of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Prof. Dr. Sven Mahner, and Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zwissler, Director of the Department of Anesthesiology, also participated in the exchange of experiences. Lisa Lechner, Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Medicine, coordinates the program.
LMU students will now have the opportunity to participate in an exchange program with the Upstate Medical University. "The so-called Rural Health Program should be particularly interesting for Munich students," explains Prof. Schulze. This allows students to work in local family medical practices. "The doctors there, like the patients, are very open and enthusiastic about international exchange. Here, our students can get to know the healthcare system in the U.S. firsthand from day one." Students interested in an exchange can contact Lisa Lechner directly.
