Systemic Leadership Gaps in Nepal’s Medical Education: The Need for a PhD Program in Medical Educational Leadership

Abstract

Globally, PhD-level qualifications are recognized as a marker of advanced scholarly expertise, critical thinking, and research competence, particularly in academic governance and policy formulation. The importance of a PhD program in Medical Education Leadership is increasingly acknowledged in both global and Nepalese contexts as medical education becomes more complex, evidence-driven, and system-oriented.

Internationally, doctoral-level training is widely considered essential for leadership roles in universities, accreditation bodies, and regulatory agencies to ensure research-informed governance and quality improvement in health professions education. In Nepal, the rapid expansion of medical education has revealed ongoing challenges in governance, policy coherence, and academic quality, with the Medical Education Commission facing concerns of administrative dominance, limited research integration, and weak academic leadership. Thus, there is need to develop a national cadre of evidence-based, reflective, and transformative leaders to strengthen governance and align medical education with national health priorities.  An initiative has been taken at the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS) to launch a PhD program which could strengthen advanced research and academic capacity within the institution and is expected to promote a research-oriented academic environment and develop future medical education leaders through the PhD program.  This paper advocates for establishing PhD programs in Medical Education Leadership across all medical and health science institutions in Nepal, not limited to Karnali Academy of Health Sciences.