Medical Education Research Partnership: an innovative collaboration across traditional boundaries

Background: Although medical education incorporates both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, medical education research is usually conducted by either medical schools or Postgraduate Medical Deaneries in isolation. In a break with this tradition, the Mersey Deanery and the University of Liverpool have undertaken joint evaluations of various aspects of the Liverpool MBChB programme. Mersey Deanery medical education researchers based at the Centre for Health Research and Evaluation (CHRE) at Edge Hill College are funded to support and develop medical and multi-professional educational research. Summary of work: To strengthen the collaboration, a tripartite partnership - Mersey Deanery, the CHRE and the University of Liverpool Medical School - was established to formalise the existing research links. The partnership aims to: (1) Identify research and evaluation strategies for postgraduate medical education; (2) Develop the interface between undergraduate and postgraduate medical education; (3) Rationalise and coordinate the medical education research and evaluation activity of the three groups; (4) Initiate dissemination of research and evaluation findings and subsequent policy development; (5) Seek further opportunities for collaborative research. This partnership intends to provide a seamless transition in medical education research bridging the traditional gap between undergraduate and postgraduate studies. To our understanding, this type of research collaboration is unique.