September 16, 2010
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore
An MoU was signed between Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Cornell University several months ago. Prof. Jay Mishra, who coordinated on behalf of Amrita, explains the impact the MoU will have.
Imagine that you are an NRI student at the Amrita School of Medicine. You can go to the Weill Cornell Medical College to study for three months. Known as one of the most selective medical colleges in the world, this is part of Cornell University.
Recently, a medical student from Cornell, Edward Cobb, came to the Amrita School of Medicine to spend a month and a half in our Department of Cardiology. In India, doctors may see eight times as many patients as in the US and Edward gained some very valuable experience.
The MoU will help us facilitate many such student exchanges between India and the US.
The MoU also focuses on faculty exchange programs. For example, a nursing college now affiliated to Cornell wants to work with Amrita. It is probable that some of our nursing faculty will visit Cornell and spend some time there, as well as faculty from Cornell will come here.
It all started back in March 2010 when Dr. Madelon L. Finkel, Professor of Public Health at Weill Cornell, visited our Health Sciences campus in Kochi. She was so impressed by what she saw that upon her return, she recommended that an MoU be signed with Amrita immediately.
Universities in the US are keen to gain experience and knowledge of the developing world. At the same time, Amrita provides them with some of the best faculty, students and infrastructure to work with.
The area of medical simulations, for instance, is seeing a lot of applications in the training of students. Fatal errors can be avoided and procedures that are hard to replicate can be taught in a relatively easier manner. Cornell will partner with Amrita to help make such simulations a part of the training curriculum both in the West and the East.
The next few months should see a lot of activity on many fronts. Our Medical Director, Dr. Prem, Prof. Molly and Bri. Bala from the School of Nursing, as well as several doctors from specialty areas in Amrita, are in touch with their peers at Cornell. We look forward to the learning that such sharing and exchanges will bring.
Chancellor Amma reminds us that knowledge is like a river, its nature is to flow. The dharma of knowledge is to flow to all corners of the world and nourish the cultures there.
May this collaboration between the best universities in the world become an expression of these words from our Chancellor.
