Harvard Medical International (HMI) is pleased to announce that Harvard University has recently signed an agreement with Partners Healthcare System (PHS) to enable HMI to become Partners Harvard Medical International (PHMI). This transition, which will occur in the spring of 2008, will enable us to expand our mission to increase access to quality health care in countries around the world, while maintaining a vital academic partnership with Harvard Medical School and its affiliated institutions.

Under this agreement, our organization will become part of the Partners HealthCare family, joining a major academic health care network that includes many of the leading Harvard-affiliated institutions, such as Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women's Hospital. Our programs and partnerships will continue to draw upon the experience and expertise of faculty and staff across Harvard University, on the Quad at the Medical School, and at all of the HMS-affiliated teaching hospitals and institutes, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Children's Hospital, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

This transition comes as the result of discussions between Partners and Harvard about the best positioning of HMI for the future. Over the course of our 14-year history, the HMI portfolio has expanded to include a wide array of service capabilities. Today, in addition to working with clients to develop greenfield schools to train health care professionals, and helping existing academic institutions to innovate and improve, we are also deeply committed to pursuing collaborations focused on building sustainable models for clinical and operational excellence and designing strategies for workforce development in the health care settings.

As PHMI, we will be positioned to better serve our clients around the world, and join them in addressing the major challenges facing rapidly evolving health care communities today:

  • The global shortage of well-trained health care professionals, educators, and scientists
  • The need to design and implement clinical and administrative systems of a world standard to support high-quality patient care
  • The need to develop and manage physical and intellectual infrastructure aligned with the health care and education needs of specific regions and populations

Read the Official Announcement from Harvard University, including reactions from HMI, Partners Healthcare System, and Harvard University.




Frequently Asked Questions about PHMI
  • Q: Why is HMI undergoing this transition?
  • A: The leadership at Harvard University, the Medical School, and HMI agreed that the scope of HMI's activities and the demand for our services had expanded beyond our organization's original charter to extend the Medical School's tradition of academic excellence. The range of our service capabilities and experience covers the progress and evolution of academic medical institutions as well as the development of critical infrastructure, knowledge, and systems to support high-quality health care delivery. As part of the Partners Healthcare family, we will be able to more closely align the full spectrum of our services and activities with our parent organization, and we will have the flexibility required to build a broader workscope to serve our clients' needs.
  • Q: Will Partners Harvard Medical International be part of Harvard University?
  • A: PHMI will not be owned or operated by the University. However, PHMI will maintain close linkages with the Harvard medical community and continue to work with faculty across the University and with all of the affiliated hospitals, including those institutions outside the Partners Healthcare network. Harvard will provide oversight of HMI's current obligations to ensure that activities involving members of the Harvard faculty are consistent with the mission of the School, and that PHMI provides opportunities for education and research abroad for the Harvard community.
  • Q: What does this transition mean for HMI's existing clients?
  • A: PHMI will honor all of the commitments set forth in our existing contracts, including all services and deliverables. Going forward, PHMI will be able to provide to clients a more comprehensive range of academic and clinical services, including facilities development and management, consulting services, and training of allied health care professionals.