The Way Forward: AMulti-Directional Global Conversation on Culture and Learning

This chapter especially invites the readers to think critically and deeper on how to prepare future health professionals in the context of cross-cultural perspectives in health care and health professions education. This chapter discusses four themes, including recognizing the influence and context of cultural characteristics in learning medicine, applying the local cultural elements into better medical education for the practitioner and the community being served, bringing in the local wisdom to enrich and enhance the delivery of medical education, and moving towards embracing multidirectional and global perspectives on culture and practice of medical education. While the first three points will touch on the critical curricular approaches, outcomes, delivery, and assessment, they will offer broader examples of application across the globe and bring to attention the reluctance to discuss, recognize and confront issues related to culture. The final learning point focuses on moving forward as a global community of medical educators by accepting and embracing multidirectional perspectives in the practice and scholarship in medical education.