editorial

The XVII^th Meeting of the Spanish Society of Medical Education

From 26 to 28 October 2005 the Seventeenth Congress of the Spanish Society for Medical Education (SEDEM) will be held at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete.

For the occasion, the Society has chosen as its main theme the topic of European Convergence in Education in Health Sciences. The process of European Convergence, or the Bologna process, aims among other things to implement a compatible, comparable system of degrees based on two cycles and with a common system of credits, and to promote European mobility and cooperation in order to guarantee standards quality, and is bound to have an impact on the education of health professionals and doctors in particular. This Congress aims to be a forum for debate for agents involved at all levels of training stages of these professionals in order to discuss the consequences of this process and decide on the best ways to face its challenges. The Congress is divided into two parts: an undergraduate session, with the participation of the Faculties of Medicine represented by the National Conference of Deans of Medicine, education and health government bodies, the National Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation, professional associations, scientific societies, postgraduate tutors and students, where the aim of the discussion will be to define and assess the skills that our graduates should possess, the models and structures of the curricula, the management of the educational process, and the resources needed. In the second part, we will deal with the effects of postgraduate education, and the participation of the Asociación de Redes de Docencia y Asesoras (AREDA) and will discuss topics such as teaching management, teaching functions, teaching programmes, evaluation and accreditation.

SEDEM also hopes the Congress will be a meeting point for colleagues from neighbouring countries, such as Portugal, France, and Italy, who share many of our problems. We are sure that much can be learnt by sharing and comparing our experiences.

The Congress hopes above all to be a forum where all of us who work and research in the field of Medical Education and Health Sciences can share impressions with other colleagues that would otherwise be limited to our closest collaborators. We encourage you to contribute either an oral communication or a poster. The Congress proper will be preceded by a day-long pre-congress session of workshops on current themes and two specific topics.

In 2005, SEDEM celebrates its 35th anniversary, and it wants to mark the event in a special way. The Society has created the Antonio Gallego Prize for Professional Excellence in Medical Education to pay tribute to health sciences professionals whose work in Medical Education and Health Sciences deserves special recognition due to its scientific and academic value, its social impact and its international dissemination. The first prize will be presented in the inaugural session. During this session, SEDEM will also pay tribute to Prof. Miriam Friedman Ben-David, who died in Barcelona in July 2004 during the celebration of the Tenth Ottawa Conference. As Prof. Margarita Baron wrote in these pages some months ago, Miriam Friedman Ben-David always identified fully with Medical Education in Spain, and was a frequent guest at our congresses. To her we pay the tribute of respect.

I would like to thank Educación Médica Internacional once more for the opportunity it provides to present our Seventeenth Congress, and to cover its contents in the next issue. The journal has certainly has played a key role in the success of recent SEDEM congresses.

We hope the congress topics, the possibility of visiting one of the most innovative faculties in our country, and the warm welcome of the town of Albacete and the region of Castilla-La Mancha will persuade you to decide to share your time and experience together with us.

Jorge Palés
President of SEDEM