Dr. Halah Ibrahim Named KIPRIME Fellow for Advancing Medical Education Research
For ACGME Vice President, International Outreach Halah Ibrahim, MD, MEHP, research has always been about understanding how medical education can be strengthened across cultures; how context shapes learning, professionalism, and patient care; and how research can bridge those differences to improve education worldwide.
That commitment to building culturally grounded medical education has now earned her international recognition as one of 14 KIPRIME Fellows for 2025. Hosted at Karolinska Institutet, the same institution that awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the biennial fellowship brings together mid-career researchers from around the world for an intensive, three-day program focused on reflection, mentorship, and leadership development. The fellowship also fosters future candidates for the Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education (KIPRIME), one of the highest honors in medical education research.
“It is an extraordinarily competitive endeavor to be appointed a KIPRIME Fellow,” remarked Dr. Jonas Nordquist, director of the KIPRIME Fellows Programme at Karolinska Institutet. “Already today, we can see that many of our former Fellows have assumed globally leading roles in medical education research and leadership.” He added that the fellowship has evolved into an exclusive international network representing emerging global leaders in the field of medical education research.
“It was an incredible honor to be selected, [and] it was both humbling and energizing to exchange ideas with such an extraordinary group of scholars, many of whom I’ve admired through their work for years.,” said Dr. Ibrahim, adding, “the one-to-one conversations with faculty members like Brian Hodges, Lorelei Lingard, and Kevin Eva were truly transformative. Their feedback helped me see my own research in a completely new light.”
Over the course of the program, the KIPRIME Fellows were asked to reflect on their body of work, and to consider how to amplify their research voice and impact within the broader field of medical education.
“Dr. Ibrahim possesses a truly distinguished international background and a profound appreciation of the cultural dimensions within academic medicine, particularly how these differ across global contexts,” said Dr. Nordquist. “She exemplifies the world’s leading mid-career researchers in medical education, and her deep insights into cultural variation make her contribution uniquely valuable. “We are immensely proud to welcome her as one of our KIPRIME Fellows.”
Dr. Ibrahim’s research explores the globalization of medical education, including developing culturally relevant professionalism curricula and advancing palliative care education in the United Arab Emirates. With more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, she is a champion for strengthening international scholarship and mentoring the next generation of medical education researchers. Through her editorial work and multinational collaborations, she supports early-career scholars and authors from regions traditionally underrepresented in academic publishing.
“I’ve often approached my research as a series of individual projects, each with its own message. At KIPRIME, I learned to step back and see the bigger picture – the throughline that connects everything I’ve done,” she said. “That shift has given me a long-term vision for my work, one that feels both clearer and more purposeful. Even more meaningful, I now have a community of colleagues from every corner of the world who share that same commitment to advancing our field. In just three days, we formed lasting collaborations that I know will shape my future scholarship.”
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