Abstract
How do branch-campus globalism and regionally mandated localism operate—sometimes ingeniously, sometimes belligerently—inside a single island nation? This paper examines medical education in the Kingdom of Bahrain through its two sole medical universities: the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland–Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) and the Arabian Gulf University (AGU). RCSI Bahrain, an Irish branch campus founded in 2004, delivers an English-medium, Irish-accredited program that attracts a 45-nationality cohort and channels large numbers of graduates into overseas residencies. AGU, chartered by the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1982, employs a bilingual, problem-based curriculum expressly linked to regional health priorities. This study combines unique auto-ethnography with documentary evidence, drawing on more than a decade of professional experience at both universities and triangulating institutional reports with global-education scholarship. It further analyses how global standards are translated, resisted, or hybridized and highlights the transfer of pedagogical models, quality frameworks, and research agendas into Bahrain, while noting the need to negotiate local values, healthcare needs, and government regulations. An interdisciplinary lens captures the economic, social, and political currents that drive these adaptations and the competitive positioning of each university in the global education market. Findings reveal a distinctive educational ecosystem where global best practices fuse with local expectations, creating both opportunities and challenges, including language barriers and ethical tensions around community relevance. Understanding these dynamics offers actionable insight into balancing global recognition with local responsibility, contributing to wider debates on the dynamics of globalization and the transformation of the local in higher education.
Presenters
Sakinah A. IsmaelStudent, Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership EdD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Globalization, Localization, Medical Education, Educational Ecosystems, Bahrain, Branch Campus
