On September 24, 2017, MBRU held its very first Summer Studentship Presentations and Award Ceremony honoring the first cohort of students who participated in the Summer Studentship Placement Program.

The award ceremony kicked off with an opening speech from Professor Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, dean of the college of medicine, who reiterated the importance of such programs for continuous student development; furthermore, he spoke largely on the value of connectivity, and its importance at MBRU.

The students who participated in the summer program gave a small presentation of their summer experience, and opened the floor to questions for other students and faculty.

Students Ali Sajwani, and Ameera Al Ghafri, who conducted an 8-week long Summer Studentship at Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa University in the Biotechnology Center, said: “This exposure has made us consider both the clinical and research aspects of medicine.”

Another student, Abdulrahman Ali, who conducted his Summer Studentship with one of his classmates, Abdul Rahman Khan, at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) in the Department of Biology, looked at Epigenomics and Genetics, commented, “NYUAD is an excellent environment for research and development (R&D). They were impressed by our molecular biology knowledge.”

Ghadah Al-Sharif and Noor Adam conducted their Summer Studentship at Latifa Hospital where they researched the relationship of gestational diabetes and type two diabetes for the duration of four weeks. Ghada commented on her experience saying, “our communication skills were enhanced during this experience since we were in direct contact with patients. It was our first time having direct contact with patients as future doctors, which was an unmatchable experience.”

The students were congratulated on their exceptional participation, findings, and overall work over the course of the program. They were handed certificates honoring their completion of the program by Professor Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, Dr. Amer Sharif- vice chancellor, Provost Professor Mutairu Ezimokhai, and Professor Riad Bayoumi, chair of the Basic Medical Sciences.

MBRU’s Summer Studentship Program received tremendous support from regional and international academic institutes, clinics, and hospitals such as Dubai Health Authority’s Primary Healthcare Sector, Mediclinic City Hospital, Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, Queens University Belfast, Latifa Hospital, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Harvard Medical School Center for Global Health Delivery- Dubai, Schulich University of Medicine- Western University in Canada, and University of Sharjah to name a few.

The Summer Studentship Placement Programs gave the medical students an opportunity to invest their time in a valuable program that will further develop and improve their existing knowledge. The programs vary in length, they ran for approximately 4-weeks. The programs allowed students to observe and shadow doctors at clinics and hospitals; and gave them firsthand insight into patient-doctor relationships.

The program supports MBRU’s goals by enriching the student’s experiences, by engaging with the community, and also building a pipeline of high-caliber UAE nationals entering the healthcare workforce.