The Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research has planned to upgrade its Department of Medical Education to a Centre of Excellence in Medical and Health Professions Education.

In a release to announce the 50th year of the establishment of the Department of Medical Education (formerly the National Teacher Training Centre), Jipmer has stated its intent to upgrade the department to a Centre of Excellence focusing on curriculum and leadership development.

Jipmer also has plans to launch advanced academic programmes and to collaborate globally for faculty development and training purpose. The institute was working towards strengthening its leadership in medical education through its Vision 2030 roadmap, the release said. 

Established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with the support of the World Health Organisation, the department at Jipmer was the first of its kind centre in the country, envisioned to advance educational science, modern teaching methodologies, and research in medical education. During the time of inception, it was known as the National Teacher Training Centre (NTTC).

“Over the decades, the department has grown into a pioneering institution and is widely regarded as the ‘Mother Centre’ of medical education in India having laid the foundation for similar centres across the country. A defining hallmark of this legacy is its unmatched continuity in conducting the prestigious National Course on Educational Science for Teachers of Health Professionals, which has been held regularly since 1976 without interruption making Jipmer the only Centre in the country to sustain this national-level faculty development programme,” the release said.

The department has so far trained over 2, 500 faculty members from across States and Union Territories as well as foreign faculty. The department was recognised as a Regional Centre by the National Medical Commission in 2015 and subsequently elevated as a nodal centre in 2023.

Commenting on the 50-year celebrations of the department, Director of Jipmer Vir Singh Negi said the Centre has played a transformative role in shaping generations of medical educators who in turn have strengthened healthcare systems across the country.