The University of Global Health Equity has broke a record by becoming the first African learning institution to win the ASPIRE-to-Excellence Award, a global achievement recognition designed to encourage medical schools in achieving world-class excellence in education.
ASPIRE-to-Excellence is sponsored by the Association of Medical Education in Europe.
ASPIRE-to-Excellence Award was granted to UGHE’s mainly for its inspirational approach to education which was encapsulated around a pedagogical approach called “placed-based health professions education”.
Professor Abebe Bekele, UGHE's Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Research Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine pinned that UGHE’s presence in Rwanda in the remotest area like Butaro is not by chance but was carefully chosen based on the institutions' mission of serving the communities.
Bekele added that the award was a validation of the founders’ inspirational vision for UGHE and a testimony to the hard work carried out by the entire UGHE family and friends in implementing this vision.
The ASPIRE committee noted that UGHE’s success has been due to leadership, partnership and engagement, and also highlighted UNESCO’s recent recognition of UGHE as a model for global health education.