Global Exchange Students Help Shape the Future of Medical Education
7/28/2026 Ryann Monahan
Carle Illinois College of Medicine is bringing together future physician-innovators from around the world to develop the next generation of medical simulation, with the second cohort of students participating in the Global Consortium of Innovation and Engineering in Medicine (GCIEM) JUMP XR Internship Program.
Written by Ryann Monahan
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The Carle Illinois College of Medicine is bringing together future physician-innovators from around the world to develop the next generation of medical simulation. The medical school recently welcomed its second cohort of students participating in the Global Consortium of Innovation and Engineering in Medicine (GCIEM) JUMP XR Internship Program.
Students involved in the international exchange program work with virtual reality tools on projects that directly support CI MED's curriculum.
The experience is a part of the GCIEM’s international student exchange program, founded at Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED). The student exchange program builds on CI MED’s partnership with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taiwan and is now open to students from all GCIEM partner institutions.
The program brings together students with interests in medicine, engineering, extended reality (XR), game design, and educational technology to collaborate with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students on projects that directly support the medical school’s curriculum. The 2026 student exchange interdisciplinary team is developing a new XR simulation for the college's Renal course under the guidance of Drs. Jessica Saw and T.C. Chen.
“The students learn Agile development, user-centered design process, and how to write a medical scenario. They work together on Unity, Meta, and other XR technologies to assemble components to build the simulation, with the help of the XR team,” Interim Director of XR Research Cedric Dumas said.
The 2026 student exchange interdisciplinary team is developing a new XR simulation for the college's Renal course.
The program reflects CI MED's unique integration of medicine and engineering, allowing students to help build the future of medical education. Participants gain hands-on experience in collaborative research and technology development while strengthening the communication, adaptability, and cross-cultural skills needed to lead in an increasingly connected healthcare environment.
As the GCIEM network continues to expand, programs like the JUMP XR Internship demonstrate how global partnerships can accelerate innovation while preparing students to improve healthcare through collaboration, creativity, and technology.