Pivotal to Asia's future will be the robustness of its medical universities. Lessons learned in the past and the challenges facing these schools in the future are outlined in this collection, which offers valuable insights for other medical education systems as well. The populations in these rapidly growing countries rely on healthcare systems that can vigorously respond to the concerns of shifting demographics, disease, and epidemics. The collected works focus on the education of physicians and health professionals, policy debates, cooperative efforts, and medical education reform movements.

Lincoln C. Chen is President of the China Medical Board and Chair of the Board of BRAC USA.Michael R. Reich is Taro Takemi Professor of International Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Jennifer Ryan is a Program Manager at the China Medical Board.

Preface: Mary Brown BullockForeword: Bong-Min Yang, Keizo Takemi, and Ke YangPart I. Overview and US-Asia EngagementHistory and Development of Medical Education in East Asia: An Overview / Lincoln C. Chen, Michael R. Reich, and Jennifer Ryan1. The China Medical Board in East Asia, 1950-2000 / JenniferRyan and Mary Brown Bullock2. American Medical Education and US Engagement in East Asia, 1950-1970 / Jesse B. Bump and Paul J. CruickshankPart II. Country Cases: China, Japan, and South Korea3. Medical Education in Contemporary Mainland China / Daqing Zhang4. Mission and Modernity: The History and Development of Medical Education in Taiwan / Ming-Jung Ho, Kevin Shaw, Julie Shih, and Yu-Ting Chiu5. A Brief History of Medical Education in Hong Kong / Gabriel M. Leung and N. G. (Niv) Patil6. The Roots of Modern Japanese Medical Education in Japan / Kenichi Ohmi7. Western Influences on Health Science Education in Korea: Medical, Nursing, and Public Health Education / OkRyun MoonPart III. Future Challenges8. Burden of Disease: Implications for Medical Education in East Asia / Stuart Gilmour, Yusuke Tsugawa, and Kenji Shibuya