Khalifa University Appoints Advisory And Search Committee For Its New College Of Medicine And Health Sciences

Highly Renowned Medical Experts will provide guidance to KUSTAR

Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR) announced today the formation of an Advisory and Search Committee for its new College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The Committee will provide guidance to KUSTAR during the development process of the University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences. Made up of experts with wide-ranging international relevant experience, the Committee’s objective is to ensure the goals for the new College that have been set by the University’s Board of Trustees are fully met.

This Advisory and Search Committee will include representatives from primary healthcare stakeholders, including Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and the Medical Services Corps of the UAE Armed Forces. Once formed, the Advisory and Search Committee will initiate a search exercise for the purpose of short-listing prioritized candidates for the roles of Academic Partner and Dean, College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

KUSTAR’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences will design, develop and implement its own programs based on local and regional requirements, in close collaboration with selected distinguished academic partners renowned for excellence with the field of medical education.

Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Interim President at KUSTAR explained that KUSTAR’s executive team has already met with a number of potential Committee candidates in the last few weeks, resulting in the selection of three highly accomplished and professionally-recognized advisors. He said: “We are privileged to have the support of world-renowned experts who are keen to share their decades of experience with us with the purpose of helping us to accomplish our goals. By tapping into their extensive experience and knowledge, we will form an effective partnership and solid processes which will ultimately improve the standard of healthcare education across the UAE."

The three Advisors already confirmed include:
o Dr. Michael M. E. Johns, Emory University and former Dean, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine;
o Dr. Michael Whitcomb, Professional Lecturer in Health Policy, School of Public Health and Health Services, George Washington University and former Dean, Washington University School of Medicine, and;
o Professor Lord Ara Darzi, Chair of Surgery and Head of Department, Imperial College, UK and UK Ambassador for Health and Health Sciences – Middle East.

Dr Arif Al Hammadi continues: “Khalifa University is well positioned to plan and implement a world-class medical programme that will produce outstanding future physicians and clinical experts in the UAE. We will achieve this thanks to the collaboration of partners who have invaluable experience in managing upper tier medical schools and the health science programs of the best academic institutions in the USA, as well as the full support of our key stakeholders and in-house expertise of newly recruited international faculty."

The KUSTAR School of Medicine programme and curricula are being designed to incorporate the best elements of the American ‘Four Plus Four‘ model in which the initial four years will result in students being granted a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree, and then going on to study the four year Doctorate of Medicine programme.

The USA ‘Four Plus Four’ model is considered internationally to be a framework that produces proficient and well rounded physicians. The model which will be implemented at KUSTAR will be specially designed for KUSTAR’s purposes and be tailored to the emerging healthcare requirements of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. A world-class school of medicine will be appointed in a collaborative partnership which will ensure that KUSTAR’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences model will be based on international standards yet closely allied to the region’s culture and medical landscape.

The first dedicated Biomedical Engineering (BME) baccalaureate degree programme will commence at KUSTAR in 2010. The BME program will accept students who desire the BME degree by itself and also those who aspire to go on to the Doctorate of Medicine programme. Students who plan to go on to the Doctorate will receive a suite of pre-medical courses throughout the four year BME programme which have been embedded into the curricula to ensure that they obtain the appropriate anatomy and science requirements necessary to achieve entry level requirements for the Doctorate.

“The Biomedical Engineering baccalaureate degree will ensure that we have the core number of students properly prepared and ready to compose the initial intake class of KUSTAR nominees into the School of Medicine from September 2014 onwards,” explained Dr. Arif Al Hammadi.

“Our aspiration is to educate and train the UAE’s physicians of tomorrow in patient care, education and research by way of a progressive, forward looking, research driven curricula matched to or even exceeding the high standards associated with the world’s top educational institutions. It is our goal to graduate not only top tier physicians with intellectual achievement and compassion but also healthcare leaders and research enthusiasts who are committed to lifelong learning and clinical improvement.”
 

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