In February, Bradley Britigan, MD, dean of the UNMC College of Medicine, and Chandra Are, MBBS, senior associate dean of graduate medical education at UNMC, traveled to India to meet with leaders of multiple prominent hospitals and explore new partnerships.
The visit to explore new opportunities followed the success of a 2009 memorandum of understanding signing between UNMC and the Directorate of Medical Education in the undivided State of Andhra Pradesh, now bifurcated into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The partnerships established under this memorandum are among the university’s most successful collaborations with international universities, Dr. Are said, providing the opportunity to collaborate with nearly 45 medical schools and their affiliated hospitals in education, research and clinical care. In turn, UNMC has hosted learners and faculty from Andhra Pradesh.
Since then, multiple medical students, residents, fellows and faculty have undertaken educational observerships and related activities. Medical students and residents from UNMC have completed rotations in India since 2009, with the most recent group in February 2025. Similarly, UNMC has hosted more than 1,000 observership opportunities for learners from India.
On the February trip, Drs. Britigan and Are met with Shri Nandamuri Balakrishna garu, chairman, TS. Rao, MBBS, director, and K. Krishnaiah, CEO, of the Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, as well as Bheerappa Nagari, MD, DM, and other leaders of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science.
The Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute is one of the leading quaternary care cancer centers and one of the top-ranked cancer hospitals in India. Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science is one of the top quaternary care multi-specialty hospitals in India.
The visit coincided with international rotations of medical students and a surgery resident from UNMC and an advanced robotic surgery workshop in uro-oncology at the BIACHRI.
Drs. Britigan and Are met with the leaders of both institutes to explore collaborations and establish a path toward new MOUs to expand the pool of opportunities in education, research and clinical activities for both entities. Dr. Are said.
Leaders from the institutes will visit UNMC later this year to hold discussions with Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jane Meza, PhD, who visited the institutes in 2024 with Dr. Are, and Drs. Britigan and Are.
“Successful partnerships with like-minded global partners and universities in countries such as India will boost opportunities for UNMC on the global stage,” Dr. Are said.