International Medical Education
Sustainable Regional Strategy
Sector: Health & Medical Education (International)
Governance: Membership-based Registered Charity
Purpose: Advocacy and Capability Building in Medical Education
Region: Australasia and the Pacific
Context / Challenge
Following leadership change and major governance pressures, the organisation was re-establishing its international education agenda while managing operational challenges, including multiple exam system failures.
Members and regional medical leaders wanted to contribute to global education goals but needed a practical, expense-neutral strategy that aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Health & Education).
The Board sought an inclusive process that would unite internal and external stakeholders and identify long-term, sustainable pathways for regional medical education.
Intervention / Approach
A co-design process engaged over 35,000 members and international health partners through structured interviews, workshops, and system mapping.
Key steps included:
Regional education objectives co-designed with Pacific health leaders (population health and regional universities).
Inclusion of nurses, community health workers, and palliative-care volunteers in strategy design.
Development of five fully costed strategic options, all expense-neutral and reliant on existing grants.
Stakeholder mapping using Kumu software to visualise influence, alignment, and reporting lines across governance jurisdictions.
Stress-testing of strategy options to surface potential execution barriers before Board approval.
Outcomes / Metrics
Seven international nations and three government agencies engaged through structured consultation.
Pacific Palliative-Care Framework created to strengthen community health capability.
Inclusive strategy formulation process recognised as the organisation’s largest ever international stakeholder engagement exercise.
Initial scope for improved SDG reporting and data insight across Health & Education indicators.
Sustainable regional strategy supported by Foreign Affairs and Health Department leaders across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific — connecting medical education directly to community health priorities and existing funding streams.
Leadership Lift / What Changed
The project shifted the organisation from compliance-driven planning to capability-led strategy.
Leaders gained the confidence and data needed to make evidence-based decisions and model genuine partnership with Pacific health systems.
When COVID-19 halted regional travel, the work pivoted rapidly — creating virtual access between Pacific health leaders and experts across Australia and New Zealand.
This adaptive response became a living example of capability in action: systems leadership grounded in trust, connection, and learning under pressure.
Impact Pulse
From obligation to ownership this project was about turning compliance requirements into a sustainable, capability-based medical education strategy for the Pacific region.
Interested in building capability through inclusive strategy and stakeholder intelligence? [Book a Conversation here]