Keywords: advocacy, ethnic minorities, social accountability, policy-makers, medical education

Justification:

Medical education (undergraduate and post graduate) is evolving to address inequities in healthcare access, particularly among ethnic minorities, rural and isolated communities.
Social accountability bridges undergraduate and postgraduate medical training with health needs and diversity. Students and young physicians, through peer-to-peer education and advocacy propose reforms that address community integration in curricula. Their role is crucial in influencing university and decision-makers to design more inclusive health and education policies.
This workshop highlights the impact of learner-led initiatives on education and policy to tackle inequities in primary healthcare access and rural general practice.

Objective:

Participants will acquire skills to support vulnerable communities based on individual characteristics;
Shape leaders that promote culturally responsive, community- centred and socially accountable medical education tools;
Deliver policy making & advocacy strategies.

Organisation:

Through interactive group activities, case presentations, and reflective exercises, the workshop will explore strategies for embedding community engagement, especially with underrepresented, vulnerable and rural populations, into the curriculum. Peer-to-peer education will be used to build sustainable leadership, while sessions will focus on practical advocacy approaches within academic institutions, communities, and health policy models.

Participation:

Designed for educators, students, (young) health professionals and physicians involved in medical education, this session encourages dialogue. Participants will create strategies to integrate community needs in medical education and advocate for healthcare access by analyzing cultural diversity, geographic contexts and vulnerable populations.

Expected outcomes:

Understand how social accountability enables equity and community integration in medical education;
Explore peer-to-peer education as a leadership mechanism;
Learn advocacy techniques to influence curriculum design, institutional leadership, and national policy;
Identify culturally sensitive strategies to address ethnic minorities and rural populations;
Gain tools to build and evaluate partnerships between universities, communities, and policymakers.