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As Professor Neena Modi completes her term as Vice-Dean (International Activities) for Imperial’s Faculty of Medicine, she reflects on the importance of global collaboration, the value of international partnerships, and why a global outlook is essential for modern medical research and education.

Professor Modi is Professor of Neonatal Medicine in the School of Public Health, and Honorary Consultant in Neonatal Medicine at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust. She has helped strengthen Imperial’s international relationships during her time in the role, particularly in Singapore, while championing the importance of global team science and international engagement across the Faculty.

What attracted you to the role of Vice-Dean (International Activities)? 

What attracted me was that I absolutely firmly believe that Imperial – and the Faculty of Medicine – should have a global outlook. Our ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ are international, and increasingly there is clear recognition that research impact is amplified through global team science. Collaborative international research is what a great university should be striving for.

Looking back, what has been the most satisfying part of the role? 

I think the most satisfying thing has been helping to consolidate our relationships with colleagues at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), in Singapore.

More broadly, it has reinforced for me that academics work best on a personal level. Across the Faculty of Medicine, investigators are already collaborating with colleagues all over the world through their own research programmes and partnerships. From a research point of view, things grow from the ground up. They grow through shared interests, shared scientific questions and strong relationships.

"Research is strengthened when expertise, perspectives and experiences are shared internationally."

Imperial is often described as one of the UK’s most international universities. Why is international collaboration so important? 

We live on one planet Earth and we’ve all got problems to solve, and we can solve them much more effectively if we work together. Many health challenges are universal challenges. So why not divvy up the workload, as it were, and do truly collaborative international research? The rationale for having a global focus is very clear indeed. Research is strengthened when expertise, perspectives and experiences are shared internationally.

What have you learned from working with partners across different countries and healthcare systems? 

The clearest thing is that we are all in this together. Health problems are universal health problems, and we should absolutely be doing our best to work with an international perspective. 
 
It’s also highlighted how different healthcare systems are around the world, and how differently universities and hospitals work together in different countries. That’s why communication and understanding are so important in international partnerships – making sure people understand how systems work, what universities do, and how collaboration can happen effectively.

What has the role taught you personally? 

It’s helped me make friends around the world, which has been wonderful! It’s also emphasised how important it is to maintain contact with our alumni. Imperial ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ are among the brightest and the best, and they go on to do remarkable things all over the world.

When I’ve travelled internationally, frequently, someone will come up to me and say they studied at Imperial – their faces light up when they talk about their time here. Those long-term relationships are incredibly meaningful, and we need to continue nurturing them because those links are really powerful.

You’ve held many senior leadership positions throughout your career. What made this role unique? 

This role was very different because it sat across multiple areas – research, education and international engagement.

There’s overlap between global research collaborations and global education partnerships. The Faculty of Medicine’s relationships with medical schools and institutions around the world are educational partnerships, but they also connect closely with research

"As we say at Imperial, it’s about “Science for Humanity”. Humanity is not confined to the UK or West London – it’s worldwide."

How can the Faculty continue building meaningful global partnerships in the future? 

I think the Imperial Global Hubs will help with this over time. They’re still very new, but they represent an important opportunity.

What matters most is maintaining that global lens. As we say at Imperial, it’s about “Science for Humanity”. Humanity is not confined to the UK or West London – it’s worldwide. That perspective is incredibly important

We can also continue embedding a global outlook into our ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½’ experience, because international thinking and collaboration should be part of everything we do.

What’s next for you? 

I’m continuing several international roles, including as Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Paediatric Association, which is truly global in scope.

I’m also currently President of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, which brings together neonatal and obstetric medicine across Europe.

And I’ve now taken on a shared part-time appointment between Imperial and Singapore, which is very exciting.

Finally, how would you like your time as Vice-Dean (International Activities) to be remembered? 

As someone who did their best to promote a global perspective on all that we do. I think that says it all!