DUBAI Dubai’s first co-educational college of medicine will begin classes in September this year, admissions for which will open on January 31, XPRESS has learnt.
The much-awaited College of Medicine at the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences at Dubai Health Care City will be led by Dr Alawi Alsheikh Ali, who is the first Emirati to graduate from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.
Speaking to XPRESS at the Arab Health Expo this week, Dr Ali said: “Admissions will be open to students from both genders and all nationalities. Our first intake of students will be for the term starting September 2016 for a six-year programme leading to a bachelor’s degree (MBBS).”
He said the College of Medicine will offer a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery undergraduate programme accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Minimum criteria
Dr Ali, who also has the distinction of achieving the highest national ranking in a high school graduating class in the UAE, said the minimum criteria for applicants include a 90 per cent or equivalent cut-off in final high school results, a minimum Toefl score of 550 or 6.0 IELTS and credible school references. The student application form is available on mbruniversity.ac.ae/admissions and the deadline for applications is March 31.
Students will also be subjected to multiple mini interviews to assess their skills in communication, empathy, reasoning and other aspects. Triple-Boarded by the American Board of Medical Specialties in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Diseases and Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, Dr Ali, who earlier served as the chairman of the Institute of Cardiac Sciences at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), said the college would ensure meaningful clinical exposure to students right from the first year.
He said he expects the first batch to have an intake of around 50 students.
The UAE currently has five medical colleges: UAE University’s Faculty of Medicine in Al Ain (for Emiratis only); Dubai Medical College (for girls only); Sharjah University’s School of Medicine; Gulf Medical College in Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University.
Dr Ali said the new College of Medicine in Dubai hopes to serve the community need for more colleges in the field of medicine while raising the standards of education. It is the second college under the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences and will eventually add programmes in nursing, pharmacy and allied health services.
