UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru have signed a five-year affiliation agreement that establishes an exchange program for medical students and related educational opportunities.
Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, president of UT Southwestern, and Dr. Fabiola Leon-Velarde, rector of Cayetano Heredia, signed the agreement, which provides for the exchange of students between the universities' medical programs.
"The agreement between UT Southwestern and Cayetano Heredia furthers the shared educational missions at both our institutions and we are gratified to be able to establish this partnership, which will facilitate new educational opportunities for our students," Dr. Podolsky said. "This new relationship opens another exciting chapter in UT Southwestern's global health initiative."
Dr. Leon-Velarde added, "We have former students of Cayetano Heredia that work at UT Southwestern, and we hope that this agreement will open the door for new opportunities for both institutions."
The agreement, UT Southwestern's first with a South American institution, is the fourth international affiliation for the medical center. UT Southwestern leaders previously signed agreements with University of Cape Town in South Africa, Sun Yat-sen University and First Affiliated Hospital in China, and Rabin Medical Center in Israel. UT Southwestern also has an agreement with the University of Paris for an international medical student exchange program.