Coalition: the way forward for medical education

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a coalition as "A temporary alliance of distinct political parties, especially one which forms a government following an election where no single party has received the required number of votes" and also as "a single group or alliance formed by a number of separate groups, states, people etc, to further a common interest or achieve a shared purpose". The experience of coalition government in the UK has led us to reflect on the need for new partnerships and the strengthening of existing collaborations if we are to respond to the major challenges that currently face medical education.