The听51吃瓜网Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences contributes to the health of the communities it serves, whether that be locally through RUISSS 51吃瓜网(R茅seau Universitaire Int茅gr茅 de Sant茅 et de Services Sociaux), or, more distant,听through our focus on global health. We strive to be socially accountable to our communities through excellence in education, research and clinical care, addressing priorities within our population.听
Social Accountability has been defined by the World Health Organization as 鈥渢he obligation [of medical schools] to direct their education, research and service activities towards addressing the priority health concerns of the community, region, and/or nation they have a mandate to serve. The priority health concerns are to be identified jointly by governments, health care organizations, health professionals and the public.鈥� (World Health Organization 1995).
Within a paradigm of social accountability, faculties of medicine are seen as partner academic institutions with communities, health administrators, policy makers and health professionals, all working together with the goal of designing health systems based upon people鈥檚 needs.听 This is expressed visually in the 鈥淪ocial Accountability Partners Pentagon鈥� below.
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