INMED

INMED Academic
INMED CME

About INMED

The Institute for International Medicine (INMED) exists to equip healthcare professionals & students with the unique skills necessary to effectively serve the world’s most forgotten people. INMED is a graduate school offering didactic instruction in the full range of global health topics via online, hybrid, and in-classroom courses, as well as through conferences. We also complement such instruction with supervised service-learning experiences at over 45 INMED Training Sites in 25 low-resource countries. INMED learners can earn a Graduate Certificate, a Graduate Diploma or a Master’s Degree in International Health.

Welcome!

Thank you for exploring INMED! We are passionate to improve health among people living in all nations and communities – especially those who are most vulnerable. INMED provides courses, field experiences, professional certification, and the Masters Degree in International Health (MIH) for healthcare professionals and students desiring to serve in international, low-resource, and cross-cultural settings.

Respectfully,

Nicholas Comninellis, MD, MPH, DIMPH
INMED President & Professor

Education Style

Institute for International Medicine (INMED) is an independent American-style institution legally, organizationally, academically, linguistically, traditionally, and in terms of community engagement and accreditation.

INMED is an educational non-profit organized under the Missouri Nonprofit Corporation Law established on July 2, 2003. INMED is a 501c3 tax-exempt organization with the Internal Revenue Service.

INMED’s organizational structure and leadership are based on accepted American standards for operation.  This includes a well-defined Board of Directors, leadership roles, and documentation required by federal law for US-based non-profit organizations.

INMED’s academic structure, process, format, and philosophy are mirrored from American Universities Schools of Health Sciences.  This includes Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health, Public Health and Health Administration.   For example, INMED structures the learning process similar to US medical education; by creating phases of sequential progress that begins with the student’s development of knowledge and skills, integration of skill development specific to student’s specialty/degree, assessing knowledge and skills throughout the process, scholarly work that reflects the standards and practices of research in medical and educational institutions, service-learning experiences mirroring traditional medical clinical rotations, preceptorships, and evaluation.

INMED course work, didactic presentations, textbooks, evaluations, and examinations are presented in English.

INMED’s history and tradition are influenced by American-style education and culture.  INMED leadership and a majority of faculty have received their education from American-style educational institutions and practice their health profession in American-style health centers.  The majority of INMED service-learning experiences are completed at medical centers founded on American medical standards, processes, and education.

INMED markets itself as an American-style academic institution.  This is accomplished by highlighting the similarities of our academic offering to other comparable American university degrees.  INMED also highlights the highest standard in international health education in the USA.

Accreditation

Please view INMED’s certificate for accreditation.

INMED is an accredited provider of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for Continuing Medical Education (CME) through the Missouri State Medical Association granted by the American Council for Continuing Medical Education.  CME accreditation is only granted to American organizations that demonstrate life-long learning for medical physicians in the USA.  CME accreditation process requires INMED to meet the rigorous organizational requirements, curriculum and teaching standards, and evaluation benchmarks that align with the educational models of American medical education and physician education.

The Institute for International Medicine has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.). Candidacy for Accreditation is a status of affiliation with the Commission which indicates that the institution has achieved initial recognition and is progressing toward accreditation.

Candidacy is not accreditation nor does it assure eventual accreditation.

Inquiries regarding the status of an institution affiliated with the Commission should be directed to the administrative staff of the college or university. Individuals may also contact:

New England Commission of Higher Education
3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100, Burlington, MA 01803-4514 (781) 425 7785
E-Mail: [email protected]

Physicians: Institute for International Medicine is accredited by the Missouri State Medical Association to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Download INMED CME Accreditation Certificate

The Institute for International Medicine is certified by the State of Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education.

Download MO Department of Education Certificate to Operate

Institute for International Medicine programs and courses are fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for International Health Education (ACIHE), functioning in accordance with the ACIHE Accreditation Standards for International Healthcare Education.

Financials

INMED upholds the value of full public disclosure and vigorously abides by all associated regulations and standards of conduct.

INMED is a non-profit corporation registered in the State of Missouri since 2003, and recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt, 501c3 organization since 2004. All donations are tax-deductible. Financial statements and budget projections are available upon request.

Non-Profit Certificate
501c(3) Certificate
Missouri Sales Tax Exemption

INMED is pleased to enjoy particularly strong, ongoing partnerships with the following institutions to promote education and service to benefit marginalized people.

For questions regarding INMED’s most recently audited financial statements, please contact the Vice President of Operations.

Diversity

The Institute for International Medicine embraces diversity and recognizes our responsibility to facilitate a welcoming learning environment where students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds can learn and serve. We commit to fostering a learning environment where diversity of opinion and perspective is welcomed, and where students, faculty, and staff can engage thoughtfully in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Although there is great diversity in our student body, the INMED community is unified by a shared mission of serving the forgotten of this world. We apply this policy to our recruitment, admissions, employment, evaluation, disciplinary, and advancement practices.

Publications

2018 Patient and Community Advocate Award of the Kansas City Medical Society 

“Doing good is its own reward,” said Dr. Comninellis in receiving on behalf of INMED the 2018 Patient and Community Advocate Award. “But affirmation helps us all to strive forward. I regularly remind my students to pause and listen when a patient offers them a complement, and to absorb the encouragement. Similarly, I am grateful for this affirmation from the Kansas City Medical Society!” In granting this award, the Society cited INMED’s 850 professional diploma graduates, annual Humanitarian Health Conferences, and development of forty training and service sites in twenty-five developing nations.

 

2015 University of Missouri-Kansas City Alumni of the Year Award 

In naming Nicholas Comninellis as the 2015 Alumnus of the Year the University Of Missouri-Kansas City stated, “Dr. Nicholas Comninellis is changing the face of global health in the world’s poorest places. He first served the people of Honduras, China, and the war-ravaged nation of Angola. After five years abroad, he founded INMED to equip health care professionals and students to serve those who are most impoverished or marginalized. Under his leadership, INMED has become widely recognized in international health training and mentorship, providing instruction in public health, diseases of poverty, and community development, as well as providing service-learning opportunities for healthcare personnel in twenty low-resource nations.”

 

2014 Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Gabriel Smilkstein Award

INMED-stfm-award-2014At its national meeting in May 2014, the Group on Global Health of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine  recognized INMED with the Gabriel Smilkstein Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Growth and Development of Family Medicine Education Throughout the World. The intent of the Award, named for an academic physician with service in Vietnam, is to recognize contributions to the development of family medicine education outside the United States and Canada. In making this award the Group on Global Health cited INMED’s innovative global health curriculum and eleven years service in twenty-five developing nations.

 

2011 Passion Awards

2011 Passion Award

The National Christian Foundation Heartland, formerly known as Servant Christian Foundation, once again recognized INMED with a 2011 Passion Award. On November 7, over 1,000 guests gathered to cheered as we celebrated God’s work in Kansas City and around the world. The theme for the event was “Live simply. Give Generously. Experience Life. “Nicholas Comninellis, INMED President, and Skylar Rolf, INMED COO, received the $5,000 award on behalf of INMED.

 

2010 Ingram’s Heroes in Healthcare

ingrams-heroesIn March, 2010, Ingram’s Magazine announced its annual regional Heroes in Healthcare – models who represent the best of what our healthcare system has to offer. INMED and Nicholas Comninellis were recognized in the category of ‘Administration.’ Ingram’s wrote, “Few physicians here will ever treat injuries from a land mine. Nicholas Comninellis has. He is also among the rarest of CEOs: One whose service to the organization comes in an entirely volunteer role, leading the Institute for International Medicine in caring for ‘the poorest of the poor.’ From Angola to Zimbabwe, INMED assists the most forgotten people of our generation, and inspires the healthcare professionals of the next.”

 

2009 Passion Awards

2009 Passion AwardThe National Christian Foundation Heartland, formerly known as Servant Christian Foundation, once again recognized INMED with a 2009 Passion Award. Over 1,000 individuals attended the 2009 Thurman Mitchell Servant Leadership Summit, whose theme was “Faith Unleashed.” This year’s celebration – one of the largest Christian ministry awards events in the country – was held on November 9 at the Overland Park Convention Center. Nicholas Comninellis, INMED President, received the $5,000 award on behalf of INMED and observed, “At this moment, thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide are silently working on behalf of people who are largely forgotten. This award is a timely reminder of the eternal significance of their labor.”

 

2009 Kansas City Citizen of the World 

UN AwardThe United Nations Association of Kansas City recognized INMED and Dr. Comninellis with the 2009 Kansas City Citizen of the World Award. The presentation was made by Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser at the Mayor’s U.N. Day Dinner held on October 29 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. United Nations Under-Secretary-General Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, gave the keynote address. Afterwards Dr Comninellis reflected on his own experience with child soldiers during the Angolan civil war. “The true character of a people is seen by how they treat their most vulnerable citizens – especially the young and the elderly. INMED’s mission is to serve these who are most close society’s precarious margins.”

 

2008 Passion Awards

2008 Passion AwardsThe 2008 Thurman Mitchell Servant Leadership Celebration, hosted by the National Christian Foundation Heartland, formerly known as Servant Christian Foundation, recognized INMED with a Passion Award in recognition of their work in equipping healthcare professionals for medical missions. INMED received a $10,000 grant as one of eight First Tier Recipients. INMED President Dr. Nicholas Comninellis reflects, “This award is a reminder of the potential of medical missions. It is a unique form of service that opens doors and fosters relationships, all the while showing compassion and modeling the love of Jesus, especially to those people who are isolated and hurting. I hope this Passion Award is an encouragement to everyone who is connected with medical missions.” Over 1,000 people were in attendance at the event November 3rd, and 2008 marks the seventh year for the Thurman Mitchell Servant Leadership Celebration. Inspired by Proverbs 29:18a, the theme for this year’s awards was “Picture This…”

 

1996 IMANA Award

IMANAIn a gesture of extraordinary kindness, the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) recognized INMED at the 1996 IMANA Continuing Medical Education Conference in Chicago. In recent years, IMANA’s medical relief arm is providing timely and effective aid in Bosnia, Kosovo, Turkey, Venezuela, the Carolinas and Chechnya. Abdul Rauf Mir, President-Elect of IMANA, introduced Dr. Comninellis saying, “We are together here because we want to help the suffering. Dr. Comninellis, he is a Christian, and we are Moslems. But we Jews, Christians & Moslems are all people of The Book. So he is really one of our own, and one heart with us in this work!”

Enjoy a few moments to browse the opportunities for prospective learners and the exemplary service of INMED graduates in action.

Prospective Learners

We offer special learning opportunities for healthcare professionals and healthcare profession students who wish to better serve in international, low-resource, and cross-cultural settings.

INMED Grads in Action

INMED Graduate Certificate, Diploma, and Master's Degree graduates passionately and skillfully care for the world's most vulnerable. Read how our Grads in Action are actively serving around the world!

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