International Education Collaborating Partnerships

Drawing from decades of medical education experience and content, IFM collaborates with organizations around the world to to build awareness and train healthcare practitioners. IFM draws on the expertise of our thought leaders, core educators, curriculum, and our IFM educational programs to meet the soaring demand for functional medicine globally. In these partnerships, IFM supports organizations striving to educate and train physicians and other healthcare providers in functional medicine.

IFM International Education Collaborating Partners influence the visibility, practice, and adoption of functional medicine globally, and it is reasonable to expect that their presence in the IFM community will be interpreted as an implied endorsement by IFM. It is therefore important that International Education Collaborating Partners are aligned with the values, educational standards, and mission of IFM.

IFM is proud to have partnered with leaders and organizations in countries around the globe to offer functional medicine education and training programs, including, but not limited to:

• Australia
• Brazil
• China
• Colombia
• Ireland
• Mexico
• Peru
• South Africa
• Taiwan
• United Kingdom
• And more…

All over the world, clinicians struggle with the burden of chronic disease and are seeking innovative solutions to address the health problems of the 21st century. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the world, accounting for 68% of deaths in 2012; three quarters of those deaths were in low- and middle-income countries.^1,2 In response to this epidemic, there is tremendous interest in transforming health care around the world, and clinicians in many countries are seeking out functional medicine training. IFM seeks to partner with groups worldwide to help expand the practice of functional medicine and make optimum health accessible throughout the globe.

As of 2016, more than 10,000 healthcare professionals from 70 countries have participated in IFM’s educational programs. AFMCP programs have been offered in the United Kingdom, China, and South Africa. In 2016, the fourth international AFMCP was held in China with simultaneous translation. In 2017, AFMCP in the UK doubled its historic attendance rates.

Mexico, Peru, Ireland, and Taiwan are working to bring functional medicine to their healthcare systems. Colombia and Brazil are teaching functional medicine at their academic conferences in collaboration with IFM Educators. Collaborating partners in Brazil and South Africa offer functional nutrition Workshops, while “Exploring the Functional Medicine Model: A Case-Based Approach” was offered in Peru in 2017 and received several hundred attendees. As a result of these partnerships, thousands of international clinicians have been exposed to the functional medicine clinical model.

IFM encourages collaborating partners to adapt IFM educational content to serve the cultural needs of their own country. Previous adaptations have included offering simultaneous translation services for attendees of the program and transitioning units of measurement from imperial to metric.

View Upcoming International Education Programs

References

1. Chronic diseases and health promotion. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/chp/en/. Accessed April 14, 2017.
2. Chestnov O, Mendis S, Armstrong T, et al. Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases 2014. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization Press; 2014. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/148114/1/9789241564854_eng.pdf?ua=1. Accessed September 8, 2017.