Al Jalila hospital
Al Jalila Children's Hospital. For illustrative purposes only. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital (Al Jalila Children’s), in partnership with Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), has announced the launch of its new Paediatric Neurology Residency Programme. The programme is a first-of-its-kind in the country and is certified by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialities. Applications are now open for the five-year programme at Al Jalila Children’s.

Cutting-edge knowledge

Aspiring physicians will have a unique opportunity to learn in a training environment in line with the Saudi Board Paediatric Neurology Training Curriculum. Residents will spend the first two years learning general paediatrics, followed by three years in paediatric neurology training.

Each year is divided into 13 blocks, with each block lasting four weeks. Some early blocks in adult neurology will take place at Dubai’s Rashid Hospital. However, the final three years of training will take place at Al Jalila Children’s Neuroscience Centre of Excellence, where highly qualified consultants with a broad range of paediatric neurology sub-specialities will lead the sessions.

At Al Jalila Children’s, students can gain experience in other important disciplines, including mental health, genetics, neuropsychology, metabolic medicine, infectious diseases, neonatal medicine, cardiology, pulmonology and sleep medicine, among others.

Unique opportunity for physicians

Professor Sulaiman Al Emran, the Dean of Post-Graduate Medical Education at MBRU, lauded the new addition to the curriculum. He said: “The Paediatric Neurology Residency Programme at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital offers a unique opportunity for highly motivated junior physicians to participate in a comprehensive and advanced academic medical training programme based on the Saudi Board Curriculum,” said Professor Al Emran.

“We are proud to have launched another specialised residency programme with Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital to serve those aspiring physicians who are looking to undertake a residency program in a discipline that is not widely available. He further continued.

Dr Mohamed Babiker, the programme director at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, added: “In offering this programme, which is a regional-first and the only paediatric residency programme in the UAE certified by the Saudi authorities, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to nurturing the next generation of well-rounded paediatric physicians. Children always come first at Al Jalila Children’s, so it is important we play our part in creating a wider, deeper pool of quality paediatricians to serve them — and with the help of MBRU, we are now able to do exactly that.”

The deadline for physicians to submit their applications is April 14, 2022.