A new teaching unit has been established at the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo (chuvi), coordinated by Dr Ana Concheiro Guisán, head of the paediatrics department. This initiative is seen as a crucial advancement in the decentralisation of the medicine degree programme from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC).
The creation of the unit follows a collaborative agreement signed in January 2026 between the universities of Vigo, A Coruña, and Santiago de Compostela, along with the regional ministries of health and education. During a meeting held at the Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital, the unit was officially formed to accommodate all faculty engaged in decentralised teaching.
The unit will include faculty members with linked and associate positions in health sciences from USC and the University of Vigo, as well as other faculty from the University of Vigo assigned to teach subjects at chuvi. Additionally, course representatives from each year group will also be included.
Esther Pillado González, the vice-rector for academic offerings at the University of Vigo, stated, “this is a significant step in the decentralisation process that complies with the agreement signed between the three universities and the two ministries involved. It not only enhances the training of our future doctors but also provides important opportunities for chuvi professionals to access university-linked positions.”
The unit will be responsible for organising theoretical and practical teaching according to the academic criteria established by USC’s course coordination, ensuring consistency in teaching and evaluation across all teaching units. It will also coordinate educational and healthcare resources, develop the Teaching Organisation Plan (POD) in collaboration with relevant departments from USC and the University of Vigo, propose new faculty positions in line with the agreement, and participate in institutional quality evaluation processes.
Pillado highlighted that “Dr Ana Concheiro is a highly qualified coordinator who understands the responsibilities at hand.” She noted that Concheiro has extensive experience in decentralised teaching and is well-suited to lead this initiative.
The coordinator will ensure that the unit functions effectively, maintaining uniform teaching and evaluation standards, advocating for equitable conditions among faculty, and participating in governance bodies of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and local university departments when relevant issues arise. Furthermore, she will oversee compliance with the decentralisation agreement.
Following the decentralisation of practical teaching for fifth-year students and all sixth-year courses in the 2026/2027 academic year, plans are in place to decentralise all fifth and sixth-year teaching in 2027/2028, with an expansion to fourth-year courses anticipated in the subsequent academic year. Additional decentralisation proposals are expected before the agreement expires.
