UPMC signed an advisory agreement to help a university in Kazakhstan fully integrate patient care, education and research at the university's hospitals and clinics, the Pittsburgh-based health system announced Feb. 27.
Three things to know:
1. Under the multimillion-dollar agreement, UPMC will help Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan, integrate its health system into the nation's first fully integrated academic medical center. UPMC officials will help the university develop and pilot six academic departments in women's health, pediatrics, pathology, general surgery, family medicine and internal medicine.
2. UPMC officials will also help health system officials in Astana with strategic planning, education and training and develop a graduate medical education model.
3. UPMC initially signed an agreement to work with officials in Kazakhstan in 2012. While their collaboration has expanded since then, the partners have remained committed to delivering care to area residents.
"Our partnership with Nazarbayev University and its University Medical Center hospitals continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of these institutions. We are pleased that NU continues to see value in our wide-ranging expertise and proven ability to deliver high-quality, cost-effective care in a rigorous academic medical center environment," Chuck Bogosta, president of UPMC International, said in a news release.