TY - JOUR T1 - Global Access to Technology-Enhanced Medical Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Students in Narrowing the Gap JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT SP - 10 LP - 14 DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00455 VL - 9 IS - 1 AU - Aleksander Dawidziuk AU - Michal Kawka AU - Bartosz Szyszka AU - Ignatius Wadunde AU - Aastha Ghimire Y1 - 2021/03/31 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/9/1/10.abstract N2 - Key MessagesThe COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected medical education worldwide. With clinical placements suspended and social distancing rules in place, medical education institutions transitioned to online education to compensate for canceled in-person teaching.Although some institutions in high-income countries had the residual capacity to shift their education model to eLearning, educational institutions in low- and middle-income countries may have struggled to fully implement novel solutions due to obstacles such as slow and unstable bandwidth, limited access to computer facilities, and insufficient funding to develop online platforms.Some solutions have been postulated, but this issue has yet to be addressed. We argue that medical students have the responsibility to advocate for national and international collaboration to accelerate the adoption of technology-enhanced learning and hybrid teaching models globally.The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused global disruption across all industries, resulting in nearly 72 million cases worldwide and more than 1.6 million deaths as of this writing.1 Due to the rapid spread of the illness in teaching hospitals and shortages in personal protective equipment, medical education was severely impacted. Clinical rotations were suspended, electives were canceled, and pre-clinical teaching had to be delivered remotely. In a survey distributed among final year medical students in the United Kingdom, more than 70% of respondents reported having their clinical placements canceled, and almost 50% had their final exams conducted in an altered format.2 Moreover, both international and national electives were called off, and pre-clinical teaching moved online.3 The General Medical Council, British Medical Association, and Medical Schools Council have expressed their concerns over the disruptions that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused for medical students in progressing through their studies and qualifying as doctors.The disruptive effect of COVID-19 has been particularly severe for senior medical students whose teaching takes place mostly in clinical settings. … ER -