We have an ambitious goal at IUHS – to set the standard for global medical education focused on physician training and to be an integral part of the solution that reduces worldwide physician shortages. 

One of the hallmarks and strengths of IUHS is our student diversity. I am particularly excited about 2012 as the school will brWe have ambitious goals at IUHS – to set the standard for global medical education focused on physician training and to be an integral part of the solution that reduces worldwide physician shortages.

One of the hallmarks and strengths of IUHS is our student diversity. I am particularly excited about 2012, as the school will broaden its reach and academic offerings by launching programs in a number of international locations, and establishing Pre-Med and Nursing Programs.

Similar to our academic pedagogy being based on Problem Based Learning, which engages our students to consider issues contextually, IUHS embraces large undertakings that are transformative. During 2012, our medical school will develop and roll out the IUHS virtual library that will enable our global community – students, faculty, mentors, and global health partners – to communicate across topics, supplement all academic offerings, and leverage the collective knowledge of our network.

My colleagues and I wish to share with you two additional initiatives that communicate the school's mission and demonstrate how we leverage technology. One is the new IUHS logo. It has always struck me as odd that the majority of logos and seals of medical schools all look much the same. They feature a rod or staff and one or two snakes - and yet all of these medical schools attempt to promote the myth that their education experiences are unique. The new IUHS logo features a series of parallel chevrons, which symbolizes IUHS boldly moving forward. In addition, the middle blue chevron, balanced by the white chevrons on either side, reflects our belief in the power of community and collective effort. The Latin phrase "in servitium communitatis mundi" means "in service to the global community." 

Second is our new website. You will quickly notice that it is not laid out like a typical website with a top navigation, side nav, roll down menus, et cetera. On our site, you simply use the left hand chapter navigation to go to the section you wish to read and then you click (or swipe) forward as if you are reading a book. Our navigation suggests to the user, "move forward." Another interesting characteristic of the site is that it is device agnostic -- if you grab a corner and resize your browser window, all of the content resizes. This means that as we build out rich-media content, the IUHS community will be able to access it on computer screens, tablets, and mobile phones.

I will update this space with announcements throughout the year.

DeForrest Borders, III, President, IUHS