Acıbadem University School of Medicine Receives International Recognition from AMEE ASPIRE for Student Engagement

Haber tarihi: 03/09/2026

Last update date: 03.09.2026

Acıbadem University School of Medicine Receives International Recognition from AMEE ASPIRE for Student Engagement

Acıbadem University School of Medicine has received a Certificate of Merit in Student Engagement as part of the 2026 AMEE ASPIRE to Excellence Awards, an international programme recognising excellence in health professions education.

Run by The International Association for Health Professions Education (AMEE), the ASPIRE to Excellence programme goes beyond traditional accreditation to recognise best practice, innovation and a culture of educational excellence across medical, dental and veterinary education. Acıbadem University School of Medicine was one of two institutions to receive a Certificate of Merit in the Student Engagement category in 2026.

This international recognition reflects Acıbadem University School of Medicine’s longstanding approach to seeing students not only as participants in education, but as valued stakeholders and partners who contribute to shaping and continuously improving their educational environment.

Over the years, this culture of student engagement has been strengthened through structures that enable students to contribute to representation, educational decision-making, programme evaluation, educational innovation and continuous improvement. These processes have supported the development of an educational culture grounded in dialogue, trust, shared responsibility and collaboration among students, faculty members and institutional leaders.

The Certificate of Merit was celebrated alongside the international health professions education community during the ASPIRE Awards ceremony at the AMEE 2026 Conference in Vienna, Austria.

Prof. Dr. Nadi Bakırcı, Dean of Acıbadem University School of Medicine:

“Receiving the ASPIRE-to-Excellence Certificate of Merit in Student Engagement is a meaningful recognition of our ongoing commitment to making student engagement an essential part of our educational philosophy and institutional culture.

At Acıbadem University School of Medicine, we see our students as learners and valued partners who co-create the educational programme and drive continuous improvement. We are committed to a learning environment where students take responsibility, contribute to decision-making, and actively help improve our educational programme.

This recognition from ASPIRE strengthens our commitment to building even stronger partnerships with our students. It also inspires us to continue fostering a culture of trust, shared responsibility, and continuous improvement as we work together towards excellence in medical education.”

Prof. Dr. Nadi Bakırcı
Dean
Acıbadem University School of Medicine

Kaan Mert Güven, MD, Alumnus of Acıbadem University School of Medicine and Author of the ASPIRE Student Engagement Application Report:

“Receiving the ASPIRE-to-Excellence Certificate of Merit in Student Engagement is deeply meaningful to me, both as an alumnus of Acıbadem University School of Medicine and as someone who spent seven years working to strengthen student representation and engagement within our School.

Throughout those years, I had the opportunity to see student engagement grow from individual voices and initiatives into increasingly established structures where students could contribute to educational decision-making, programme evaluation, innovation, and the continuous development of our School. What made this journey particularly valuable was seeing that students were not only being asked for their views, but were increasingly able to work alongside faculty members and institutional leaders to shape their own educational environment.

Years later, having the opportunity to bring this journey together and prepare our ASPIRE application was especially meaningful. It allowed me to look back at what generations of students, faculty members, and institutional leaders had built together. This Certificate of Merit therefore represents much more than recognition of an application; for me, it recognises a shared culture that has developed through years of dialogue, trust, persistence, and partnership.

I am proud to have contributed to this journey as a student, an alumnus, and now a medical educator, and I hope this recognition encourages us to keep asking an important question: how can we create even more meaningful opportunities for students to shape the education they are part of?”

Kaan Mert Güven, MD
Alumnus, Acıbadem University School of Medicine
Istanbul, Türkiye

This international recognition marks an important milestone in a culture of student engagement built collaboratively over many years by generations of students, faculty members and institutional leaders at Acıbadem University School of Medicine. The School remains committed to further strengthening a learning environment in which students can play active and meaningful roles in shaping their education through trust, partnership and shared responsibility.