Over the last two decades, German universities have been under increasing pressure to reform medical education. These pressures arose from the public at large, the government, students, and faculty members at the medical schools. In anticipation of new medical education legislation in Germany, the medical faculty at Ludwig-Maximilians- Universität München (LMU) addressed the need for curriculum reform proactively. In 1996 an influential group of department chairs at LMU began working with Harvard Medical International with the goal of leading a curriculum reform effort that would prepare LMU for the impending changes and provide a model for other universities in Germany. This effort included several key objectives:

  • Design a new curriculum and evaluation process
  • Train faculty in innovative teaching practices
  • Provide selected LMU students with the opportunity to participate in core clinical clerkships and electives at Harvard Medical School, and in parallel use them as off-site development teams for portions of the new curriculum.
  • Create a new "culture of learning" at LMU, and foster the development of a core group of LMU educators


The collaboration has included the following activities:
  • Design of four integrated courses based on problem-based learning to be inserted into the curriculum, each lasting four weeks.
  • Complete restructuring (initiated in 2003) of the medical training termed MeCuM (Medical Curriculum Munich). MeCuM, which is structured entirely around problem-based learning, increased the hours of bedside teaching threefold old. LMU also created an innovative longitudinal course dedicated to the Patient-Doctor relationship.
  • Design of an annual clerkship program to provide selected LMU students with the opportunity to spend portions of their sixth and final year of medical school in Harvard-affiliated academic medical centers. In addition to completing clerkships, the students participate in a specially designed course in medical education that requires them to work as a team on a curriculum design project. When their work in the U.S. is complete, these students return to LMU to continue the reform efforts.
  • Development of a tutor training program to educate faculty from LMU and other regional medical schools. The 4-5 day programs are offered twice each year and to date more than 500 faculty members have participated.

In November 1997, the new LMU curriculum was officially inaugurated and has since been awarded several prizes for innovation. LMU's students, faculty, and administration have continued to drive a series of educational reforms in the school's curriculum that have spurred similar programs at other schools in Germany. Other highlights include:

  • LMU now offers its own professional faculty development program to physician-educators throughout the region.
  • The Harvard Medical School clerkship opportunity is one of the most sought after study-abroad activities offered to medical students in Germany.
  • LMU has created its own organizational structure to provide programs in health care education and management.
  • PHMI faculty member Tom Aretz was named an “Ehrenbürger” (honorary citizen) of LMU.