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On 5-7 October this year, the Association of Medical Schools in Europe (AMSE) held its annual conference in Iasi, Romania. During the conference, representatives from Vilnius University’s Faculty of Medicine (VU FM), Charité, the University of Medicine (Germany), the School of Medicine from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki (Greece), the School of Medicine of the University of Malta (Malta) and EURORDIS, the European Organisation for Rare Diseases, took the opportunity to organise a collaborative working group.
Representatives from these institutions discussed the problematic situation among European universities regarding the training currently available on rare diseases, or lack thereof. Recent surveys have revealed that the needs of people with rare diseases, their families and relatives, are left unmet, along with a lack of knowledge held by current and future doctors concerning rare diseases. Questions were raised on how to integrate education on rare diseases into intensive curricula, what knowledge and skills students should have to be able to cope effectively with the challenges of rare diseases, and whether interprofessional education, digital tools and international cooperation might assist with this process.
The participants at the conference unanimously agreed that there are no quick answers to these complex questions, but the Association of Medical Schools in Europe is determined to continue to improve the way the needs of people with rare diseases are met through the ongoing education of future doctors.