Downloaded from http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine by BhDMf5ePHKav1zEoum1tQfN4a+kJLhEZgbsIHo4XMi0hCywCX1AWnYQp/IlQrHD3i3D0OdRyi7TvSFl4Cf3VC1y0abggQZXdgGj2MwlZLeI= on 03/03/2021 Copyright © by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Academic Medicine, Vol. 94, No. 12 / December 2019 1884 Perspective Being selected to serve as a Jefferson Science Fellow (JSF), as a senior science advisor for the U.S. Department of State (DOS) or the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), can be a life- or career-changing event for anyone, including a physician. To date, only 4 physicians have been selected for this honor in the 15-year history of the JSF program. The physicians selected for the role of JSF receive unique opportunities to provide perspectives and leadership on important issues facing the United States, particularly in its interactions with communities throughout the world. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences administers the JSF program to promote “science diplomacy”: The contribution of state-of-the-art science, technology, engineering, and medicine to the formulation and implementation of U.S. government policy and international development has been recognized throughout the second half of the 20th-century as a critical element in reaching sound, comprehensive conclusions that reflect “good governance.” Without an accurate, timely understanding of rapidly advancing issues in these fields, it is increasingly difficult to identify and establish sound governmental policy and international development strategies that effectively meet the needs of modern societies. 1 Here, the authors provide a firsthand account of one physician’s experiences in the yearlong JSF program. That author (M.K.) provides his own background and his involvement in the JSF program. Next, that author describes how he leveraged JSF opportunities, networking, and experiences to work on medical education reform in Iraq. The authors describe the historical context affecting medical education in Iraq, the JSF- enabled collaboration between Iraqi and U.S. medical school stakeholders, and priorities for reform in Iraqi medical education and health care. Finally, the author who served as a JSF (M.K.) summarizes lessons he learned to encourage others to participate in the JSF program and influence foreign policy through science diplomacy. I (M.K.) was selected to serve as a JSF in 2013–2014. I believe my career in medicine and infectious diseases; my 30 plus years in global health, collaborating with medical educators in East Asia; and my experience at 5 different academic institutions contributed to my selection. Given that the JSF program allows fellows to remain involved for up to 10 years after their fellowship year, depending on the needs of their sponsoring office and the level of their security clearance, one of my first challenges as a JSF was to identify a project with potential for sustainability beyond the single year I would be in Washington, D.C. I noticed 2 routes to project identification. Most projects are suggested by the primary office to which a fellow is assigned (e.g., the DOS, the USAID); however, fellows have flexibility to seek out other projects because the JSF program pays the JSF stipend, not the DOS or USAID. I leveraged the network of past and present JSFs to learn about priority topics and opportunities across the DOS and USAID that were outside my primary office assignment. My primary assignment at the DOS was in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Office of Economic Policy (EP), during the year that China hosted the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Abstract Physicians are infrequently selected to serve in the yearlong role of Jefferson Science Fellow (JSF) as senior science advisor for the U.S. Department of State or the United States Agency for International Development. The authors discuss the role of a JSF in promoting “science diplomacy” from the perspective of one alumnus, who sites examples of ongoing, long-term collaborative projects including one focusing on medical education reform in Iraq that would not have been possible without the JSF program. More than 3 decades of political and social unrest, terrorism, the internal displacement of millions of Iraqi citizens, the arrival of Syrian refugees, international sanctions, and the effect of fluctuating oil prices that fund education in Iraq have all led to a standstill in modernizing educational systems and the need for reform. In 2016, new opportunities for international collaboration and travel allowed faculty from the Al Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Iraq, to visit the United States, explore U.S. medical school teaching methods, interact with U.S. faculty and students, and then implement their vision of a revised medical curriculum. These faculty members shared their observations with the Iraqi Council of Deans, which represents all 30 Iraqi medical schools. Structural changes in curriculum content and teaching methods have been implemented with the goal of restoring quantifiable excellence in education and health care in Iraq. The authors close with lessons learned to encourage other physicians to participate in the JSF program, which offers a unique opportunity to influence foreign policy through science diplomacy. Academic Medicine and Science Diplomacy: Medical Education in Iraq Michael Kron, MD, MSc, Matthew Roenius, MD, Mohammed Abdul Mahdi Alqortasi, PhD, Taghreed Alhaidari, MD, Mohammed Hussein, MD, Ekhlas Khalid Hameed, PhD, and Ibtesam Khalid Salih, MD Acad Med. 2019;94:1884–1890. First published online July 30, 2019 doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002918 Please see the end of this article for information about the authors. Correspondence should be addressed to Michael Kron, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., 8th Floor Hub Bldg., Milwaukee, WI 53226; telephone: (414) 955-5613; email: mkron@mcw.edu. Copyright © 2019 by the Association of American Medical Colleges