Johns Hopkins University Ends Partnership With Perdana University

August 18, 2014


World renowned Johns Hopkins University School Of Medicine has cut ties with Malaysian's Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine (PUGSOM) due to frequent late payments.The four years collaboration between Johns Hopkins University School and Perdana University has come to an end on 31st of July 2014. The top US medical school will no longer have any association with Perdana University Graduate School Of Medicine (PUGSOM). According to the American medical school, it was a painstaking decision as the payments made by Perdana University under contract were often late. to the extend that payments were 12 months overdue when the partnership between the two university was terminated on July.

Lindsay R Rothstein, director of marketing and communications stated in an e-mail to The Malaysian Insider, "It was our honour and priviledge to help create a new model for medical education in Malaysia by providing guidance and advice to Pugsom and by assisting in teaching and in the initiation of the school." 

She added,"However, we reached the difficult decision to end the existing relationship because payments required under the agreement for the services provided by John Hopkins and its faculty were frequently received late and at the time the agreement was terminated, Johns Hopkins had not been paid for more than 12 months of work."
 She further added, " As of July 31, 2014, Johns Hopkins, its faculty and its curriculum are no longer associated with Pugsom. While we are deeply disappointed by this outcome, we hold firm to our belief that international collaborations such as this are critival to advancing our mission."

Furthermore, in order to protect the interest of the existing PUGSOM students, Johns Hopkins allowed the school to use the it's 'Genes to Society' curriculum and the 'in Collaboration with Johns Hopkins University School Of Medicine' tag line' until 31st of July 2014 although the notice of its decision to end the collaboration was sent to AMC (Academic Medical Center Sdn Bhd), the owner of Perdana University, on 17th of March 2014.

Despite the sour ending of the first international partnership, Johns Hopkins remain positive and would not close its door on other possible international collaborations.


PUGSOM, which is opened for applications in September 2011, currently has three batches of medical students. The 141-acre campus located in Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS), which costs approximately RM2.3 billion (USD $730 million), is expected to be completed by 2014.

Serdang's MP,Dr Ong Kian Ming stated that measures must be taken in order to ensure the current batch of medical students who are under PUGSOM will be able to graduate in 2015 as planned. He also urged the government to stop sending new JPA students to Perdana University; be it PUGSOM programme or Perdana University-Royal College of Surgeon of Ireland (PU-RCSI) programme.

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