ADVANCING KNOWLEDGErcsi-mub.com/files/2016/20170410082007_Annual Report 2016... · 2017-04-10 ·...

RCSI DEVELOPING HEALTHCARE LEADERS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WORLDWIDE

ADVANCING KNOWLEDGERCSI BAHRAIN ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016

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RCSI Bahrain Alumni Since 2010

Student Nationalities

Postgraduate Students

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KEY STATISTICS

RCSI BAHRAIN ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016

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CONTENTS

Executive Committee Overview 4

Board of Governors 6

Our Strategic Bonds 8

2015-2016 Achievements 10

Knowledge and Experience 12Developments of the university’s faculty, partners and research that have enriched RCSI Bahrain’s academia

Employability and Global Leadership 20Achievements in the areas of alumni, career development and the boosting of global competitiveness for our graduates

Transnational Education 26Highlights from our programmes and initiatives to improve international mobility of students and RCSI Bahrain’s global interconnectivity

The standards of our Teaching and Learning define our graduates’ ability to thrive in their careers, secure internships and win praise from global employers.

RCSI Bahrain is deeply committed to contributing towards an understanding of disease processes, healthcare interventions and health services within Bahrain and the GCC, through constant and innovative research.

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STRATEGIC PILLARS

Healthcare Environment Development 30The contribution RCSI Bahrain is making to improving health provision regionally and beyond, through policy change, research and partnerships

Student Life and Experience 34A summary of investments and improvements made to campus facilities, events, sports and leisure offerings at RCSI Bahrain to enhance student life

Developing the Community 40How our dedicated team has given back to local communities and broadened our reach to those most in need

Building on the Noble Purpose of RCSI Bahrain, the university is committed to establishing collaborative partnerships with the local and wider communities. We actively engage in designing, implementing and maintaining community engagement and service projects and have a team dedicated to this pillar.

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OVERVIEW


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Professor Seamus Cowman

Head of School of Nursing & Midwifery

Mr Mohammed Abdulla

Nominee of the Chief Operating Officer

Dr Kathryn Strachan

Head of Quality Enhancement

Professor Davinder Sandhu

Head of School of Post-graduate Studies & Research

Dr Jean Hughes

Associate Director for Academic Affairs

Institutional AchievementRCSI Bahrain was this year placed in the top category of private universities in the Kingdom, by Bahrain’s Higher Education Council (HEC), reflecting our mission to provide healthcare education excellence. We have representation on key national committees that can affect real change in health, with the ultimate goal of enhancing patient care. Alongside our links with governmental and public partners, we have also expanded our reach into the private sector, by creating ties with companies and hospitals to help Bahrain achieve the strategic goals of the new HEC national strategy and Bahrain’s Vision 2030. A report conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers showed RCSI Bahrain to have made a USD $35 million contribution to the economy outside of our direct business in 2014, through the recruitment of international staff and students and third-party investment.

Regional CommitmentJust over 40% of our 853 students in the School of Medicine are Bahraini, with the majority of the remainder being from the GCC and other countries including North America, illustrating both the international mix of our student cohort and the quality of students from around the region. 2016 saw our largest ever class of School of Medicine graduates as well as increased competition around admissions. Our nursing students are almost all Bahraini, in keeping with our goal of developing a skilled indigenous workforce for the sustainability and advancement

of the profession. The performance of local students has been particularly impressive over the last 12 months, most notably with 2015 RCSI Bahrain medicine graduate, Dr Ali Al Almoamen, being awarded the prestigious Henry Hutchinson Stewart Silver Medal for Medicine. Our latest medicine Valedictorian, Bahraini Dr Maryam Fareed Ashoor meanwhile, became the first student to win all three of RCSI Bahrain’s specialist graduate awards.

Community InvolvementOur contribution to the local community has been a driving force behind our work this year, not least in the launch of Bahrain’s first ever stroke awareness video in Arabic, in partnership with the Ministry of Health. Our Mobile Diabetes Unit continues to work tirelessly - with 721 students educated in 2015-2016 - while we saw the largest ever group of 16 senior medicine and nursing students taking part in the International Community Engagement programme in Lesotho, India (Chennai and New Delhi) and Vietnam. Overall Community Engagement hours reached a record high of 1,450 this year, through participation of students and staff in a variety of volunteer activities.

A Continuous JourneyIn line with our commitment to teaching and learning, RCSI Bahrain aims to support the development of our staff through the Professional Development Unit (PDU), which this year launched its first Leadership Development Programme. We must

As a university with a truly collaborative approach, RCSI Bahrain’s year has featured a multitude of achievements by students, staff and partners alike, of which we are extremely proud. We believe that we continue to create a unique kind of graduate, with a constant emphasis on the quality of patient care and the highest ethical standards. Our employment rates are higher than ever before, with over 1,300 alumni working across 19 countries.

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Professor Sameer OtoomPresident

Professor Joe McMenamin

Vice President for Academic Affairs/Head of School of Medicine

Mr Stephen Harrison-Mirfield

Chief Operating Officer

also take this opportunity to congratulate a record number of staff who have completed doctoral studies over the course of the year, namely Dr Wendy Maddison, Dr Amal Al-Gallaf, Dr Eman Tawash and Dr Nasreen Al Aradi.

Finally, we extend our sincere thanks to our teaching hospital partners and stakeholders, as without their tireless work, the dreams of our students to make a difference to patient’s lives would not become a reality year-on-year.

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Professor John HylandPresident

RCSI

Professor Cathal Kelly

CEO/RegistrarRCSI

Mr Kenneth Mealy

Vice PresidentRCSI

Professor Hannah McGee

Dean - Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

RCSI

Mr David Quinlan

Chairman - Academic Council RCSI

Mr Mahmood Al Kooheji

Chief Executive OfficerBahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company

Major General Professor Shaikh Khalid

bin Ali Al KhalifaDirector

Bahrain Defence Force Royal Medical Services

Professor Sameer OtoomPresident

RCSI Bahrain

Mr Stephen Harrison-Mirfield

Chief Operating OfficerRCSI Bahrain

BOARD OF GOVERNORS 2016

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE


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Guest of honour, His Highness, Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, representing the Patron His Royal Highness Prime Minster, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa at the 7th annual June Conferring

OUR STRATEGIC BONDS


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Teaching and LearningRCSI Bahrain recognises that it must continuously upgrade and enhance the pedagogical experience of our students, both in terms of direct curricular engagement and also through all levels of their teaching and learning environment. Our six goals in Teaching and Learning are: i) to develop processes which support a culture of faculty and staff excellence; ii) to further develop a learner-centred culture; iii) to improve the quality and availability of educational and learning resources; iv) to enhance the processes of collegial decision making, both within RCSI Bahrain and RCSI in Dublin; v) to expand our postgraduate provision and vi) to develop a formal procedure for introduction of new programmes.

ResearchHealthcare requires a strong evidence base to enable its development and RCSI Bahrain’s School of Postgraduate Studies and Research is committed to contributing towards an understanding of disease processes, healthcare interventions and health services within Bahrain and the GCC. Thanks to our in-depth strategic plan, the university has come a long way in achieving our research goals, namely in developing research-active staff, promoting research-led teaching and learning and developing key thematic research clusters for our projects, based on real societal needs.

RCSI Bahrain’s Strategic Plan 2012-2017 was developed as a result of detailed engagement with staff, stakeholders and management consultant partners. The plan examines how the university is addressing new challenges and identifies the directions in which it aims to develop over the five-year period. The three strategic pillars were identified on the back of an intense analytical process and run throughout the plan. A new Strategic Plan is currently in development and will be launched ahead of the 2017-18 academic year.

Our Strategic Pillars

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Community Engagement and ServiceBuilding on our Noble Purpose, RCSI Bahrain is committed to establishing collaborative partnerships with the local and wider communities, with this commitment embedded into our curriculum. The university actively engages in designing, implementing and maintaining community engagement and service projects within key goals of promoting healthy communities; giving back to those communities; advocating for the growth and development of healthcare professions and influencing policy reforms; engaging with the wider community of healthcare professionals; making a difference internationally and establishing an office of community engagement, the last of which was achieved within the first six months of the Strategic Plan’s launch.

Our Stakeholders

External OrganisationsThe success of a high-performing medical university is intertwined with solid partnerships with local healthcare institutions and public sector partners. To this end, we constantly strive to build new relationships with such organisations and bodies, as well as nurturing those already established. Among those already established are key ties with our main partner hospitals, King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH), Bahrain Defence Force Hospital - Royal Medical Services (BDF), Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) and primary healthcare centres, where many of our students gain valuable clinical experience and go on to secure internships. We are also grateful to our other external partners, the Higher Education Council (HEC), the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Education and Training Quality Authority, the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), Tamkeen and private hospitals, for their continued support.

AlumniThe RCSI Bahrain experience goes far beyond graduation. Our alumni network now stretches across 19 countries, with over 1,300 graduates forming part of our global community of healthcare leaders. We have an active Alumni Office to help our former students keep in touch with the university and regularly welcome them back to share with our current cohort, their knowledge and experience of best practice in various fields of expertise.

‘‘The high quality of education provided by RCSI Bahrain is always appreciated by the students, as well as medical professionals worldwide. We are glad to acknowledge that RCSI is one of our strong partners in the medical education field. It is our privilege to say that our employees constitute faculties of RCSI Bahrain, in teaching medical and nursing students of the university, imparting the latest knowledge in this field, with a hands-on approach as well as theory .

Major General (Prof.) Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa FRCPI, FRCSI, Director of Royal Medical Services, Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) – Royal Medical Services.

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Annual Research Day

Dean’s Awards

New ‘Halls of Residence’ officially opened

International Surgical Careers Conference

Women’s Crisis Care International (WCCI) inspirational talk

Leadership Development Programme launched

Launch of five thematic research cluster groups

Annual Charity Challenge – Bahrain Marathon Relay

Biggest ever cohort of new-joining students

Inspirational talk by RCSI alumnus Dr Houriya Kazim

Inaugural ‘Future Doctors’ programme

2015-2016 ACHIEVEMENTS

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Stroke awareness video launch

The first Mental HealthConference in Bahrain- hosted byRCSI Bahrain

Opening of newly-refurbished centre of physical and social activity, ‘The Hub’

Opening of refurbished Ibn Al-Baitar Clinical Simulation Centre

Seventh annual June Conferring Ceremony

Staff attend International Education Forum (IEF) in DublinTransnational

Education Symposium

EventsAwards/Recognition

ResearchCampus Developments

Professional DevelopmentsCommunity Engagement

Awarded full membership of the Association of Arab Universities

Colorectal Cancer Workshop

Biggest ever International Community Engagement programme concludes

RCSI Bahrain gains National Authority for Qualification and Quality Assurance of Education and Training institutional listing

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KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE


Faculty AppointmentsOur faculty is regarded as being among the most experienced

and committed healthcare education teams in the region. 2015-2016 again witnessed the appointment of some high quality additions at senior faculty level, where we welcomed Chair of the Department of Medicine, Professor Jacinta Morgan; Associate Professor of Medicine, Professor Abdelhaleem Bella; Associate Professor of Pathology, Professor Iqdam Tobbia; Associate Professor in Nursing and Director for Masters in Nursing, Professor Maura Pidgeon and Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Professor Steve Safrany.

2015-2016 saw the first promotion of a Bahraini faculty member of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Dr Hussain Ali Nasaif, who was promoted from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer.

This year also produced the first batch of RCSI Bahrain clinical promotions, with a host of clinical staff members promoted to Clinical Associate Professor. These are Associate Professors of Medicine, Dr Saeed Khalaf, (SMC) and Dr Hamdy Hassan (KHUH).; Associate Professors of Surgery, Dr Dhafar Kamal (BDF); Dr Fahad Al Khalifa (BDF) and Dr Raed Almarzooq (SMC); Associate Professors of Paediatrics, Dr Haya Alkayyat (BDF); Dr Neale Kalis (BDF Cardiac Center) and Dr Osama Abdulkarim (SMC); Associate Professors of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr Abida Qureshi (BDF) and Dr Hosni Malas (KHUH); Associate Professor of Otolaryngology, Dr Hesham Yusuf Ali (BDF); Associate Professor of Microbiology, Dr Manaf Al Qatani (BDF) and Associate Professor of Pathology, Dr Raja Alyusuf (SMC).

Training the TrainersThrough our Professional Development Unit (PDU), which was

established in 2014 as a dedicated resource for staff development,

we offer continual support and qualifications to set standards for teaching and operational staff across all areas. This year, 48 internal Learning and Development sessions were offered, with an overall attendance of more than 600, while 108 grants were awarded to staff to attend external training programmes.

In collaboration with RCSI’s Health Professions Education Centre in Dublin, Dr Martina Crehan, Curriculum Innovator, recently launched our first Peer Observation of Teaching (POT) programme, where faculty members will be observed by their colleagues and given feedback to encourage continual knowledge-sharing. POT is increasingly being recognised

as a valuable tool for academics to encourage professional development in teaching and

learning through critical reflection, and its launch at RCSI Bahrain falls within the

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the university’s strategic pillar of Teaching and Learning.

RCSI Bahrain’s Leadership Development Programme, an executive coaching course, was launched in 2016 to support academic and operational staff

members in their leadership roles. The 17 participants identified

areas for improvement, undertook research and presented their findings

to RCSI Bahrain’s Executive Committee, which initiated an action plan based on the

recommendations. As a means of enabling continued knowledge flow and

ensuring RCSI Bahrain remains at the forefront of clinical teaching, 18 faculty members represented the university at international conferences in places such as Canada, China, Italy, Ireland, Kuwait, Turkey, South Africa, Spain, the UAE and the UK. Academic and clinical staff also undertook a series of live, online master-classes, delivered in collaboration with the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI) in the areas of neurology, cardiology, respirology and nephrology.

Following the successful launch of the evidence-based Clinical

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RCSI Bahrain first opened its doors in 2004, upon honourable invitation from His Royal Highness Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa. RCSI’s links to Bahrain date back over 40 years and the relationship began with RCSI in Dublin’s work to train and qualify Bahraini medical students, who subsequently returned to their home country with the relevant knowledge and skills. RCSI’s brand of education and the wealth of knowledge and experience built up over its extensive history, is reflected in the quality of graduate produced by RCSI Bahrain today.

We offer continual support and qualifications to set standards for teaching and operational staff across all areas

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Lecturers Evaluation Survey during the last academic year, medical students were asked to evaluate their clinical lecturers against six key qualities: teaching and learning; professionalism; communication; evaluation; feedback and promotion of self-directed learning. The PDU received more than 1,900 responses from students evaluating 124 lecturers and this key evaluation of clinical teaching will be repeated annually, showing how RCSI Bahrain is continually investing resources into developing knowledge and expertise, with the aim of improving the teaching and learning ability of our clinical teachers.

This year saw the launch of the Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education, which aims to support the educational and developmental needs of faculty involved in teaching RCSI Bahrain students. The diploma is targeted at early career educators, including post-doctoral scholars, clinical leads and clinical senior

lecturers, and is designed to enable all participants to develop the knowledge and skills required to provide high quality educational experiences for learners in an academic and/or clinical environment.

Academic DevelopmentMedicine and nursing are careers in which continuous learning

is vital to the success of the institution and the individual, and we are proud that in the 2015-2016 academic year, a record number of staff were funded to further their qualifications. We would like to congratulate our four doctoral scholars: Head of Student Development and Wellbeing, Dr Wendy Maddison, who received her Doctorate in Education from Liverpool University

in the UK; Quality Officer, Dr Amal Al-Gallaf, who was awarded her PhD from The British

University in Dubai; Director of BSc Nursing, Dr Eman

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Participants in the Leadership Development Programme pictured with Executive Committee members



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Tawash, who achieved her PhD from RCSI in Dublin - the first for RCSI Bahrain’s School of Nursing and Midwifery - and English Lecturer, Dr Nasreen Al Aradi, who completed her Doctorate in Education from Eton University, UAE.

Professional QualificationsRCSI Bahrain places equal importance on up-skilling both

faculty and operational staff and we congratulate all staff members

who have achieved valuable professional qualifications over

the last year, including Dr Hussain Ali Nasaif, who completed the Harvard Medical

School Global Clinical Scholars Research Training Programme; Sumaya Hashim, who completed the CIPD Level 5 Diploma in Learning and Development; Neha Siddique, HR Administrator, who completed the CIPD Level 5 Diploma in Human Resource Management; Adam Wallace, Head of Sports and Recreation, and Alana McConalogue, Fitness Consultant, who completed

Doctoral scholars, Dr Eman Tawash, Dr Amal Al-Gallaf, Dr Wendy Maddison and Dr Nasreen Al Aradi

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the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Qualifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and Julie Sprakel, the then Head of Community Engagement, who was awarded a Fellowship from the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at RCSI in Dublin.

Institutional Listing and AccreditationThe Education and Training Quality Authority, Bahrain’s

quality assurance agency, does valuable work in ensuring all higher education institutions are based on international standards for external quality assurance. RCSI Bahrain had previously been ranked in the top category for achievement in terms of governance, management and teaching and in late 2015, the university gained its Institutional Listing, confirming it as an approved institution to offer programmes designed and developed locally in Bahrain within a governed framework.

Expanding our Partner NetworkAt the core of the students’ experience is the element of clinical

teaching and learning in a working hospital setting. In addition to delivering almost 50% of the core medical programme in our affiliated hospitals and health centres, we also work in partnership with a number of local institutions. This year we have added to this network by signing a series of agreements with local facilities, Bahrain Specialist Hospital; Gulf Diabetes Specialist Centre and the German Orthopaedic Hospital, as well as Sudan’s University of Medical Sciences and Technology (UMST).

RCSI Bahrain also joined the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates’ (ECFMG), Global Education in Medicine Exchange (GEMx), the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC), and Global Health Learning Opportunities Collaborative (GHLO). Through the latter, RCSI Bahrain facilitates international students to take electives and this year we welcomed students from Kuwait University’s Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Medicine at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. These initiatives provide a network of collaborating institutions from around the world, facilitating global mobility for medical students pursuing clinical or research electives outside their home country.

Empowerment of WomenThe PDU has worked hard over the past

year to increase the representation of women from our university at the highest level. In February, Senior Lecturer in Family Medicine, Dr Ghufran Jassim, and the then PDU Coordinator, Sumaya Hashim, were funded

to attend the ‘Advancing Female Leadership through Higher Education’ conference in Milan, Italy. The unit also continued collaboration with the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), with which a joint-committee has been established with the aims of identifying opportunities for health awareness campaigns and outreach programmes; considering possible research topics and exploring possibilities for a scholarship. Several key SCW committee meetings took place over the academic year, to discuss collaboration between the two parties in the form of Quality of Life and Lifelong Learning. In addition to this development, RCSI alumnus and the UAE’s first female surgeon, Dr Houriya Kazim, and founder and CEO of the Bahrain-based Women’s Crisis Care International (WCCI), Mary-Justine Todd, led TED-style inspirational talks focusing on the empowerment of women.

Bahrain Specialist Hospital

Gulf Diabetes Specialist Centre

German Orthopaedic Hospital

‘‘RCSI Bahrain is one of our partners in the improvement of women’s medical, environmental, social and psychological areas of life .

Dr Hala Al Ansari, Secretary General, Supreme Council for Women

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ResearchThe research strategy for the School of Postgraduate Studies

and Research was further developed in late 2015, leading to the creation of five needs-based thematic research clusters in the areas of: Cardiovascular and Metabolic diseases, led by Lecturer in Human Biology, Dr Ebrahim Rajab; Haemaglobinopathies, led by Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, Dr Salim Fredericks; Health Professions Education, led by Associate Professor in Physiology Professor Fiza Rashid-Doubell; Bioscience, led by Associate Professor in Physics, Professor Fryad Henari and Oncology, led by Senior Lecturer

in Family Medicine, Dr Ghufran Jassim. These clusters are intended to guide the research agenda of staff and students and with each cluster being owned by a faculty member, we anticipate the output of research to be more impactful.

Dr Eman Tawash’s PhD research - which was the first ever PhD for the School of Nursing and Midwifery - focused on the development of a best practice model for recruitment of young

Arab nursing students. This fledgling model was presented at the international Sigma

Theta Tau conference in Cape Town, South Africa in

July 2016, by Head of School of Nursing

and Midwifery,

Professor Davinder Sandhu speaks at the Annual Research Day November 2015

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Professor Seamus Cowman, who supervised this work.This academic year also saw tangible results from our needle-

stick injury research, which aims to minimise the number of self-inflicted injuries by staff in hospitals in Bahrain. The findings of this research were presented to King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH).

RCSI Bahrain is proud that over the last three years, an average of 34 research papers have been produced by staff and students annually, remarkably accounting for more than 10% of all research papers produced in Bahrain in that time. A reflection of the significant work done in research is seen in the publication of papers in a host of international journals including the British Medical Journal; the British Journal of General Practice; the Journal of Clinical Nursing; the Journal of Applied Physics and Medical Teacher Journal over the last 12 months.

Collaboration is key to research and RCSI Bahrain has engaged with local institutions such as Arabian Gulf University (AGU). This particular collaboration has evolved into a joint research fund of BD20,000 per year, with the aim of the grant being to support studies developed by researchers from both institutions. The 2016 recipients of the grant were Associate Professor in Physiology, Professor Fiza Rashid-Doubell, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, Dr Salim Fredericks and AGU colleagues Associate Professor Khaled Greish and Dr Safa Taha from the department of Molecular Medicine, for their work on ‘Using Nanotechnology for selective targeting of new Curcumin derivatives for treatment of breast cancer’ and Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Professor Steve Safrany and Human Biology Lecturer, Dr Ebrahim Rajab, in coordination with Dr Amer Kamal Alansari from AGU on ‘Sigma-1 receptors – a novel target in the treatment of type 2 diabetes’.

In 2015-2016, RCSI Bahrain invested well in excess of the national required rate of revenue on research. This funding includes the awarding of 11 research grants to explore areas such as basic science, translational science and community medicine.

In 2015-2016, RCSI Bahrain invested well in excess of the national

required rate of revenue on research

Some examples of the manifestations of these grants this year were studies on the use of nano particles and stem cells as novel anti-cancer agents; attitudes to organ donation; auditory discrimination performance; the use of curcumin in otosclerosis and investigating sigma receptors as novel targets for cancer therapy.

The School of Postgraduate Studies and Research received a budget of $115,000 for capital expenditure in 2015-2016, which has been used to purchase essential equipment for the research laboratory and to support ongoing scientific investigations.

Faculty members being supported for doctoral studies have also formed a group called PhD Reports, leading to knowledge-sharing and upskilling through workshops on statistics and research ethics.

Over the next academic year, the expanded School of Postgraduate Studies and Research will be focusing on encouraging Masters by Research. In line with the current initiative to positively promote nursing as a valuable and sustainable career choice for Bahraini nationals, further plans are in place for the development of specialist Masters programmes for nursing professionals, such as intensive care, which is a much-needed direction for health services in Bahrain.

Advancing Knowledge through SymposiaRCSI Bahrain’s Annual Research Day was held in November

2015 and took an extended format, with 16 oral, 24 poster and three PhD report presentations taking place. Our keynote speech was given by the then Secretary General of Bahrain’s Higher Education Council (HEC), Professor Riyad Hamzah, on the recently-launched Research Strategy for the Kingdom. Visiting Professor Ronan Conroy from RCSI in Dublin presented ‘Ten Top Tips on How to Conduct Research’, while Mr. Osama Al Khajah, CEO of Ebtikar, gave an address on ‘Innovation for Students’.

Bahrain’s inaugural Mental Health Conference hosted by RCSI Bahrain took place in February, under the patronage of His Excellency, Supreme Council for Health Chairman, Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. With the aim of increasing awareness across Bahrain of various aspects of mental health and the means and resources to treat them, the event was held under the overall theme; ‘No Health Without Mental Health’.

The Annual Research Day and Mental Health Conference were just some of a whole host of such events across the university’s calendar, which also included Regenerative Medicine and Sickle Cell symposia, aimed at promoting a culture of scholarship and innovation. Clinical scholarship is always moving forward and through such needs-based events, RCSI Bahrain stays at the cutting edge of the healthcare education field.

EMPLOYABILITY & GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

Tried and Tested ToolsRCSI Bahrain has mapped its components of employability

as defined by the Dacre Pool and Sewell (2007) Employability Model of CareerEDGE, as a means to embed career development, clinical experience, academic subject knowledge, core transferable skills and emotional intelligence. This model also incorporates reflection, evaluation and analytical thinking for self-development.

Curriculum review is an ongoing process across all programmes and cycles and 2015-2016 has seen the advancement of the first formal reviews of our three nursing programmes, which will be completed next year. We work hard to ensure that the perspectives of all stakeholders are considered and particular emphasis is given to what employers are looking for. We look for clinical innovations

that can be built into what we teach in order to ensure that our graduates bring with them current perspectives on the latest developments.

One example of this integration into our medical curriculum is the ‘RCSI 50 Clinical Competencies,’ which map the clinical skills our medical students acquire across the entirety of the curriculum, from year one to year five. These 50 competencies are based on what is expected of new graduates when they enter the workplace.

Licensing Examinations SupportA critical measure of our success in driving employability is

the performance of our students in various licensing exams that allow them to

practice in different countries and we are delighted that

our pass rates this year are higher

than ever. For

EMPLOYABILITY AND GLOBAL LEADERSHIP


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It is absolutely crucial that RCSI Bahrain is producing work-ready doctors and nurses with not only the theoretical knowledge they need to be able to practice, but also the clinical competence that will set them apart in their careers. Graduate-employability is built into our curriculum, our academic support services, our career advice and our wider student activities. At every point in our student journey we consider the ultimate goal of developing healthcare leaders, be it through our clinical teaching, student support services and alumni relations, or elective and extra-curricular opportunities and quality of internships.

Participants at RCSI Bahrain’s Nursing Careers Day

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example, in the (2015) US Medical Licensing Exams (USMLE) – widely recognised as a performance benchmark – the number of students sitting this exam increased from 14 in the previous year to 29, with the average score achieved amongst the RCSI Bahrain group of 222.9, compared to the average of 210.7 for international medical graduates.

To prepare for the USMLE Step 1 examination, we offer students a variety of resources. These include the Kaplan Live Prep Programme, taught over eight weeks by Kaplan’s world class medical professors based in the US, and the Kaplan USMLE Step 1 Simulated Examination, a mirror of the format used in the USMLE Step 1 examination, which we offer up to four times per year. To support this, RCSI Bahrain also offers the Kaplan USMLE Step 1 Question Bank, a resource containing over 2,000 Step 1 questions, diagnostic testing, and two fully-simulated exams. This academic year we had 71 students register for the Kaplan USMLE Step 1 Simulated Examination, a higher number than ever before.

We congratulate our 2015 graduate, Dr Ali Almoamen, whose USMLE Step 1 examination score placed him in the top 1% of all of the international medicine graduates.

This year we also introduced support to students taking the UK Medical Licensing Exams by offering a ‘Passmedicine’ Qbank account for the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test.

Our Alumni NetworkWhen a student joins RCSI Bahrain, they are not just joining

a university, but also the international RCSI community of over 20,000 alumni working in more than 140 countries. We have an alumni development resource team, with former students regularly visiting to share their knowledge and best practice. This year we had 15 alumni visits from graduates working in the Middle East, UK, US and Canada, focusing on topics such as the UK medical pathway; research as a medical student; updates in cardiology and North American medical applications.

Active Career DevelopmentRCSI Bahrain aims to continually link students to potential

employers and industry experts and to this end, a highlight in our events calendar this year was the seventh annual Nursing Careers Day on May 29th. The event took the form of a large-scale conference to introduce our nursing students to potential careers at home and abroad and was organised by the School of Nursing and Midwifery, in collaboration with the Careers and Alumni Office. The keynote speech was delivered by visiting Professor Hester Klopper, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FUNDISA, the South African not-for-profit organisation established to improve nursing education and excellence in nursing scholarship. Other speakers on the day included RCSI Bahrain’s Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus

Dr Ali Almoamen presents to students during an alumni talk at RCSI Bahrain


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Cowman; Associate Professor of Nursing and Director for the Masters in Nursing programme, Professor Maura Pidgeon; the then Head of Community Engagement, Julie Sprakel; National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) Allied Medical Profession Consultant/Advisor, Namat Al Subaie, Tamkeen Customer Engagement and Support representative, Ahmed Hassan Janahi, and RCSI Bahrain Alumni. The event also hosted other experts from different hospitals around the country, allowing students to explore various specialities for their future studies and planting the seed for further education within the nursing field.

As well as training undergraduate students to be leaders in their field, RCSI Bahrain also offers programmes to existing healthcare professionals to take their careers to the next level.

This year’s cohort of 61 BSc Nursing Bridging students, who are all practicing nurses upgrading their Diploma level qualification to a BSc Honours Degree, was particularly strong and the RCSI Bahrain model is benchmarked against the Irish National Framework of Qualifications, mapped to the Bahrain National Qualification Framework and designed with reference to the principles of European qualifications.

Global RecognitionRCSI Bahrain is recognised and accredited by

numerous bodies worldwide, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the national Medical Boards of many countries. In addition, the School of Nursing and Midwifery is listed on the approved schools of the EMRO, WHO. The 2015-2016 academic year brought additional recognition and accreditation by the Association of Arab Universities (AARU) and ‘The Network: Towards Unity for Health,’ a 30-year old global network of individuals, institutions and organisations committed to improving the health of the people and their communities. Our memberships of US-based NGOs Global Health Learning Opportunities (GHLO) and Global Educational Exchange in Medicine (GEMx) were also renewed, increasing access to international exchange opportunities for our students.

Our hosted Masters programmes through the Institute of Leadership (IOL), were formally recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Jordan, bringing to five the number of countries in which these programmes are accredited, after

Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman.The university’s links with the Far East were further fostered

this year when we welcomed the official representative of the Trade Mission of Taiwan, His Excellency Mr. Michael Chen, to the campus, to discuss the ongoing relationship with the National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences (NTUNHS). As a result of this partnership, nursing students Zainab Ahmed, Farah Sunji and Ayesha Barakat Hussain and Nursing Lecturer, Catherine Abouzaid, visited Taipei in July to take part in the institution’s Complementary Therapy Summer Programme. The event was open to international students from partner schools overseas, as well as individuals with a particular interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Taiwanese culture, and provided a rare opportunity to focus on holistic therapies through lectures, hands-on practices and hospital visits.


RCSI Bahrain students with colleagues at the NTUNHS Complementary Therapy

Summer Programme in Taiwan

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Professor Joe McMenamin presents a gift to Trade Mission of Taiwan representative His Excellency

Mr. Michael Chen

TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATION



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In today’s healthcare environment, professionals are mobile, networked and equipped with the tools to spread knowledge that ultimately impacts patient care for the better. As a constituent university of RCSI in Dublin, we strive to be a regional leader in transnational education, based on the guidelines of good practice in education offered by the Irish Qualification and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012. Our medical curriculum is the same as that taught at RCSI in Dublin, with students sitting the same exams across all campuses. We now have a student profile of 38 nationalities and award both our medical and nursing students with degrees from the National University of Ireland (NUI), as well as from RCSI Bahrain, thus providing international mobility in their careers. As a university based in Bahrain, we align ourselves with the Kingdom’s National Higher Education Strategy 2014 – 2024, as implemented by the Higher Education Council (HEC), whose vision is to position Bahrain as a regional hub for quality higher education and to be a global knowledge economy contributing to the sustainable and competitive growth of the Kingdom.

International MobilityEach year, medical students at Junior Cycle 3 and Intermediate

Cycle 2 stages have the opportunity to apply to spend the first semester at RCSI in Dublin as part of the RCSI Mobility Programme. Last year, 14 students travelled to Ireland for their first semester, while RCSI Bahrain hosted five students from Dublin. The programme is managed by the Centre for Student Success (CSS) and is highly competitive. We are delighted that our most recent participants testified to the value of the experience on both their studies and on influencing their future career plans.

It proved a particularly fruitful experience for Intermediate Cycle student Abdel Rahman Raed Mustafa Halawa, who became the first RCSI Bahrain representative to win a prize from RCSI. Abdel Rahman was awarded the Harold Browne Anatomy Medal for winning the Anatomy Quiz, organised by RCSI’s Biological Society.

RCSI Bahrain recommends and encourages our students to take four-to-eight week research and clinical electives at different stages of their education. RCSI Bahrain has agreements with more than 20 reputable institutions worldwide for these electives. Students are free to choose their preferred speciality and location for an opportunity to observe health professionals delivering care in different settings and to experience specialities prior to making career choices.

Bringing Together ExpertiseJune 2016 saw RCSI in Dublin play host to its fifth annual

International Education Forum (IEF), at which 26 staff from RCSI Bahrain and PU-RCSI (Perdana University), Malaysia, joined more than 140 colleagues in Dublin. Guests from RCSI’s collaborative partnerships and clinical sites also attended a selection of open sessions throughout the week, under the theme; ‘Nurturing RCSI as an International Education Leader’. Knowledge was shared on professionalism, international citizenship, inter-professional education, academic integrity and developing cultural competencies in international organisations. The conference also celebrated the first year in which RCSI issued the same medical degree to graduates across three continents.

Transnational Education SymposiumRCSI Bahrain this year held the first Transnational Education

Symposium in May, under the theme: ‘Globalisation and Transnational Education and Curriculum Development,’ focusing on how universities in the Arab world can collaborate further in an increasingly mobile medical education sector. The

RCSI, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin

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event welcomed high profile guests, including University of Qatar Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Professor Hossam Hamdy; Association of Medical Schools of Europe President, Professor Peter Dieter and Association of Medical Education in the Eastern Mediterranean President, Professor Ibrahim Al Alwan, who discussed their own experiences of globalising curriculums in a diverse field. The event was attended by staff, students and visiting professionals from institutions and government entities, including Arabian Gulf University, the Ministry of Health, and King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH). RCSI Bahrain’s own perspective and experience in transnational education was portrayed by Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus Cowman and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Head of School of Medicine, Professor Joe McMenamin.

Raising the Research Agenda2015-2016 saw RCSI Bahrain continue its collaboration with

the respected SBI Pharmaceutical, a Japanese manufacturer of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid (5-ALA), culminating in a joint symposium in May. The collaboration centres on the exploration of methods of using 5-ALA – an amino acid found in animals and plants which is a valuable source of energy for the body – as a diagnostic and therapeutic agent in oncology, mitochondrial disease, sickle cell disease, neurodegenerative and infectious malaria diseases, as well as diabetes. The symposium was attended by SBI representatives from Japan, along with the Japanese Ambassador to Bahrain, His Excellency Kiyoshi Asako and guest professors from other partner organisations, including Professor Naohide Yamashita, Head of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, and Professor Peter Dieter from the University of Dresden, Germany. Dr Raed Almarzooq of Salmaniya Medical Complex also gave a presentation on the use of photodynamic therapy in colonic cancer. The two parties have signed a further Memorandum of Understanding to continue the partnership, with SBI committing to sponsoring three RCSI Bahrain research fellows, incorporating a study of diabetic patients, in the ultimate aim of encouraging and ingraining good clinical based research practice and a

research culture which is embedded into their future careers.

Hosted Programmes – Institute of LeadershipOur Institute of Leadership (IOL) operates two taught Masters

programmes of MSc in Healthcare Management and MSc in Quality and Safety in Healthcare Management. Led by RCSI in Dublin, these programmes are credited by both the National University of Ireland and licensed by the Higher Education Council of Bahrain as hosted programmes. In November 2015, we were delighted to confer 28 graduates of these programmes in Bahrain, an excellent example of transnational education in continuous momentum. This latest cohort brings to 1,450 the total number of graduates of the IOL from across its centres in Bahrain, Dublin and Dubai. 2015-2016 also saw the programmes rated ‘Excellent’ by an RCSI external review process, coinciding with the appointment of former National Director of Nursing and Midwifery of Ireland’s Health Service Executive, Dr Michael Shannon, as Programmes Director and Senior Lecturer here in Bahrain.

RCSI’s Health Professions Education Centre (HPEC) in Dublin and RCSI Bahrain’s Professional Development Unit acknowledges this year’s graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education, a joint-programme undertaken by 30 staff to support their teaching role and ongoing knowledge development. This was the first year that RCSI Bahrain has run such a programme, which was led by RCSI’s Director of HPEC, Professor Teresa Pawlikowska and Curriculum Innovator, Dr Martina Crehan, and mirrored that provided in Dublin.

RCSI Bahrain staff members with colleagues at the International Education Forum,RCSI in Dublin

HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT

HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT


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In Ireland and in Bahrain, RCSI is built around the education of healthcare professionals through partnerships with service providers. Our noble purpose is to enhance health in Bahrain, the other GCC countries and beyond, through endeavour, innovation and collaboration in education, research and service. We are dedicated solely to healthcare education which means that patients are at the centre of everything we do. In this way, we operate with a single-minded goal, to advance patient care and contribute to healthcare environments, through improvements in clinical science with an evidence-based approach to educating our students.

Positive Promotion of NursingOver the last 12 months, RCSI Bahrain has been among the

driving forces behind a national campaign to positively promote the profession of Nursing. Supported by the Chairman of the Supreme Council for Health, Lieutenant General Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the campaign sets out to highlight the value of nursing as a profession and its strategic role in delivering the highest healthcare standards.

This year’s International Nurses Day events attracted an attendance of over 400 students and staff. Officially launched by Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus Cowman, the festivities included presentations by senior nursing students on their experiences of community engagement, research and clinical placement. Nursing Year 3 student, Aysha Al Malood, held a special screening of her celebratory video, while fellow students and staff took part in a series of games and a raffle draw.

Our MSc in Nursing is currently the only Masters-level qualification in the field available in Bahrain and to date, we have graduated more than 80 nurses from Bahrain and other countries around the region. Our Student Recruitment team has been very active in encouraging uptake in this programme over the last year and implemented hospital visits around the region to inform nurses about the possible opportunities and direction their careers could take with the help of RCSI Bahrain.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has also contributed heavily towards the development of a joint-research strategy for nursing in collaboration with King Hamad University Hospital’s (KHUH) Department of Nursing.

High-Level Policy ChangeSuch is the impact of RCSI Bahrain’s presence in the

Kingdom, that members of our faculty have this year been given representation on various national committees, which support both educational and health policies in Bahrain. Head

of School of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Professor Davinder Sandhu, has, for the second

successive year, collaborated with the Higher Education Council (HEC) on

the National Research Strategy and the Developing Skills Committee.

In addition, Professor Sandhu is assisting with the development of governance of clinical trials in the Kingdom, collaborating with the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA). Director of the BSc in Nursing programme, Dr Eman Tawash, has been appointed to the

NHRA’s Nursing Licensure Examination Committee, while

Professor of Anatomy, Professor Robin O’Sullivan was appointed to

the NHRA’s Bahrain Dental Licensure Examination Committee.

Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus Cowman, has joined the

KHUH Research and Ethics Committee. In terms of RCSI Bahrain’s own internal governance, the

university’s Research Ethics Committee (REC) was established in 2006 as a means of protecting patients, students, staff and research participants. 2015-2016 saw the REC review 72 research proposals, of which 46 were approved, under the Chairmanship of General Physician Dr Fawzi Amin. The REC has a rigorous process to ensure all university research will ultimately influence the healthcare sector positively and for this reason it underwent a review in 2015.

Rewarding PartnersIt is important for RCSI Bahrain to continually recognise

the work of our partner hospitals and encourage our clinical teachers in their work to advance healthcare in Bahrain. Without

It is important for RCSI Bahrain to continually support

the work of our partner hospitals and recognise

their contributionto the university

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their guidance and dedication to quality clinical teaching, the university would not sustain the reputation it has today. This year’s Clinical Lecturer Award for Medicine, as voted by the 2016 graduating class, was presented to Dr Dalal Alromaihi, Consultant Endocrinologist at KHUH. The Clinical Awards for Nursing meanwhile, went to mentor, Jasmine James from KHUH, and tutor, Fatema Ali Mohd from BDF.

Clinical Teaching In May 2016, the $250,000 refurbishment of RCSI

Bahrain’s Clinical Simulation Centre (CSC) was officially opened under the name of prominent Islamic pharmacist, botanist, physician and scientist, Ibn Al-Baitar, by RCSI CEO/Registrar, Professor Cathal Kelly. The state-of-the-art facility is seen as the first step in a broader plan to enhance our approach towards student competency assessment and clinical skills learning and simulation.

2015-2016 also saw the School of Nursing and Midwifery’s Clinical Teaching and Learning Committee, which oversees clinical teaching and learning environments in nursing student placements, develop a series of partnerships with local hospitals, reflecting how the university self-regulates and maintains the highest clinical teaching, learning and student assessment standards.

text

Professor Cathal Kelly, CEO/Registrar officially opens the refurbished Ibn

Al-Baitar Clinical Simulation Centre alongside Mohammed Abdulla

and Dr Kathryn Strachan

Professor Seamus Cowman cuts a cake to celebrate International

Nurses Day

STUDENT LIFE AND EXPERIENCE



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A Bumper YearIn 2016, 93 doctors and 151 nurses graduated from RCSI

Bahrain being our largest ever cohort of students. The seventh annual June conferring was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. The event was attended by His Highness Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, Kingdom of Bahrain, alongside RCSI Bahrain President, Professor Sameer Otoom, staff, stakeholders, special guests, dignitaries, government officials and students’ families. Senior representatives of RCSI made the trip from Dublin, including outgoing President, Mr

Declan Magee and CEO/Registrar,

P r o f e s s o r C a t h a l

At RCSI Bahrain, we recognise that the most positive university experiences involve a balance of academic and extra-curriculur activities and as such, we have dedicated increased resources over the course of the last year to ensure our campus and team are equipped for students to thrive inside and outside of their learning experience. We have dedicated support teams to innovate the teaching and learning element of life at RCSI Bahrain, as well as the right people to help students get the best out of their down-time in sports, recreation and non-core academic activities.

Kelly, alongside NUI Registrar Dr Attracta Halpin. In his address, Mr Magee congratulated the graduates on their achievements and praised the ongoing relationship between RCSI and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Students received their degrees from RCSI Bahrain, the National University of Ireland (NUI), as well as licentiates from the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI) and RCSI.

As always, the conferring ceremony provided an opportunity to recognise students for exceptional performances throughout their undergraduate training, with the morning proving to be a momentous occasion for 24-year old Bahraini state schooled, Dr Maryam Fareed Ashoor, who became the first student to win all three specialist graduate awards, namely the James Finucane Prize in Medicine, the John Murphy Prize in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Niall O’Higgins Prize in Surgery, as well as the Degree Award for Medicine Gold Medal and the Medicine Overall Gold Medal.

A Dedicated resource for Student SuccessA unique feature to RCSI Bahrain is our Centre for Student Success (CSS), which is managed by the Department

of Student Development and Wellbeing. Facilitating students’ success during the course of their studies at RCSI Bahrain, the centre focuses on personal and professional development, offers a ‘drop-in’ learning support concept with full-time tutors and provides wellbeing support through the Student Health and Wellbeing Unit.

In a recent student survey, the CSS received resounding praise for its value in terms of contribution to student lifestyle and the overall student experience at RCSI Bahrain.

The Student Development and Wellbeing Department organises various events and activities

that have been enhanced this academic year, including the Buddy Programme, which utilises the experience

and knowledge of older students to assist new students to settle into the university. The Buddies kicked off the

year with a treasure hunt around campus for new students to familiarise themselves with their surroundings, while they

also supported the Coffee and Culture Quiz, the Influenza Awareness event and the Walk Safe initiative during exam time. The introduction of Stress Buster Workshops, Laughter Therapy

2016 June Conferring

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and Art Therapy sessions provided a wide range of ideas to assist students. As well as these fun events, the Student Development and Wellbeing Department created a games corner, where students can drop in and play educational games. The team has also introduced a ‘Hot Spot’ area, where students can sit over a coffee and debate current affairs.

RCSI Bahrain places an emphasis on assisting students to develop a healthy lifestyle and during the academic year, the Student Health and Wellbeing Unit held a series of ‘Fruit/Vegetable of the Month’ events, designed to promote nutrition and healthy eating. In addition, the unit organised a ‘No Smoking’ campaign in coordination with the Ministry of Health’s Smoke Cessation Awareness Team, which offered advice on how to stop smoking. We would like to give a special recognition to the winner of our 2016 ‘Buddy Star Award’, Nalin Jaiswal (JC1/2), who demonstrated outstanding qualities as a role model for younger students, committed time to the Buddy Programme and volunteered continuously at university events.

Rolling OrientationThe CSS this year built on the initial pilot

of a Rolling Orientation programme for all new students. After the Orientation Week, all new students receive five Rolling Orientation sessions over the first semester, providing them with important information, tips and guidance at relevant times in their study path. Senior students are also invited to run peer-led sessions to give tips and guidance based on their experience.

Rewards and RecognitionStudents are encouraged to further

their professional development and extra-curricular achievements by participating in overseas conferences and presenting academic papers or research, with funding being available through Student Conference and Travel Awards. This year, 14 students were

granted financial awards to attend and present at events in Dublin, UK, Taiwan, Indonesia and Vietnam. A

team of five delegates also attended the Model United Nations (MUN) conference and

competition in Erfurt, Germany, where students wrote resolution papers for

global issues. We were very proud that this year, School of Medicine student Maryam Alzeera won the award of ‘Outstanding Delegate’ at the event.

To reflect the importance of leadership skills in our graduates, the Department of Student Development

and Wellbeing presented two leadership awards at the School of

Medicine graduation dinner. The PAL Leadership Award was awarded

to outgoing SC2 student Yusra

In 2016, our largest cohort of 93 doctors and

151 nurses graduated from RCSI Bahrain

Student Orientation 2015



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AlMatrook, for her demonstration of exceptional leadership and commitment to the programme. The CSS Student Leadership Award meanwhile, was presented to graduated student Dr Mohamed Al Reefy, in recognition of his continuous engagement with the CSS over the course of his studies at RCSI Bahrain.

Student CouncilRCSI Bahrain’s Student Council is extremely active and works

hand-in-hand with the Student Services and Events team, with the Council having a central position in the Student Services office just off the main lobby. The RCSI Bahrain Student Council aims to maintain and promote the educational, social and general welfare of students, by engaging with students to address concerns and facilitate communication between students and staff. The 2016 Student Council elections proved the most competitive in the university’s history, with three teams running for office during an intense campaign. The new Council, which features students from across the undergraduate programmes and course years, was formally inducted in July and will hold office for the duration of the 2016-2017 academic year.

Student Events and ActivitiesThe Student Services and Events department, in coordination

with the Student Council, once again packed in a host of social activities over the course of the year, including the annual Homecoming, International Night, Bahrain National Day, St Patrick’s Day and Talent Show events, as well as the largest ever Winter Ball, which was attended by over 450 students and staff.

Another of the university’s signature events is the Clubs and Societies Fair, which is organised for the start of the first semester in each academic year, as an opportunity for the ever-growing number of student clubs and societies to showcase their activities and attract new members. RCSI Bahrain actively encourages the formation of, and participation in, student-led clubs and societies covering any number of sporting, artistic, medical and general interests, provided there is sufficient interest and that they are governed by the Student Council. Among the new groups established in 2015-2016 were the African Students Association, the Book Club and the Fashion Society, bringing to circa 30 the number of active student clubs and societies at RCSI Bahrain.

On the back of the formation/continuation of these clubs and societies came a series of other events

organised by the individual groups. Understandably, medical and academic events are a huge focus of the clubs and societies and among the highlights of the 2015-2016 calendar was the second annual International Surgical Careers Conference back in January. Organised by the Surgical and Medical Societies, under the theme: ‘Interventional Medicine Taking over Surgical Specialities?’ the event focused on the fields of cardiology, gastroenterology and neurology and ran over three days, with 300 delegates attending presentations and workshops delivered by more than 30 prominent surgeons from around the region. Special thanks must go to the main sponsors of the event, Ahli United Bank, Mannai Technical Services and Al Hilal group, as well as big congratulations to all the student organisers.

Among the other student-led events during the year were the Oncology Symposium – organised by the Research and Medics in Leadership Societies and featuring prominent guest speakers – and the Neurology Society’s Neurology Week series, which included a presentation by Dr Ahmed Abbas, Neurophysiologist, from Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in the UK.

Sports and RecreationFurther refurbishment of our centre of physical and social

activity, The Hub, followed unprecedented levels of participation towards the end of the 2015-2016 academic year.

Formerly known as the Sports and Recreation Centre, the facility has expanded its services and facilities to include state-of-the-art spinning bikes, a volleyball court, a video game-zone as well as newly-designed areas that provide dedicated ‘Chill-Out,

Work-Out and Time-Out’ areas. The Hub is now also home to the university’s five competitive sports teams as

well as the ever-growing weekly sports and fitness activity schedule.

Led by Head of Sports and Recreation, Adam Wallace, and

Fitness Consultant, Alana McConalogue, these activities are open to male and female staff and students. The number of students using the facility is higher than ever and we are proud that this includes a vast number of females who show strong athletic performance in their

competitive sports. The 2015-2016 sporting season

saw Tekkers Football Academy take over the coaching

role of RCSI Bahrain’s men’s and ladies football teams. Led by English

Football Association qualified coach and

Further refurbishment of our

centre of physical and social activity, The Hub, was launched towards the end of

the 2015-2016 academic year, following unprecedented

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Bahrain i n t e r n a t i o n a l player, Deena Shipwright, the men’s team had a record number of students participating in the competitive squad.

The university this year played host to the second edition of its annual Basketball League – the only amateur competition in the country – featuring the university’s own teams, alongside others representing local companies and other organisations, with participation rising from eight teams in year one to 14 this year. Most significantly, the RCSI Bahrain men’s basketball team captured the university’s first competitive sports trophy as it prevailed over the experienced Al Qadsiya outfit in dramatic circumstances in the final.

Graduating Nursing student Fatema Fardeen Hassan, also excelled on the basketball court this year as she was part of a team that represented Bahrain at a regional ladies basketball tournament in Dubai, where they achieved a respectable fourth place finish.

We extend our thanks to locally-based Euromotors and DHL, whose support has continued this year and has enabled our sports and recreation offering to be where it is today, which in turn impacts our holistic student experience.

New Halls of ResidenceIt has long been the intention of RCSI Bahrain to acquire its

own accommodation for international students and this finally

came to fruition just in time for the 2015-2016 academic year, with the university leasing a brand-new 20-apartment building within a short walk of the campus. The two-bedroom apartments compare favourably with other accommodation on offer in the local area – where the vast majority of our international students reside – with full furnishings, wifi and 24-hour security included as standard. The rooms are initially reserved for new-joining international students and a member of staff is appointed as ‘house master’.

The Hub

RCSI Bahrain Halls of Residence

DEVELOPING THE COMMUNITY



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Promoting Healthy CommunitiesThis year, our overall staff and student involvement in

Community Engagement activities increased by 8%, with the total number of community hours registered since the Strategic Plan’s inception reaching 7,692. This includes the valuable work carried out by our Mobile Diabetes Unit, which began as a pilot scheme four years ago and has developed into a fully-fledged initiative supported by the Ministry of Education and Bahrain Diabetes Society. The unit educates school children from Grade 4 to Grade 6 on the dangers of diabetes - which is very prevalent in the Kingdom - and particularly on healthy lifestyle options and the prevention of Type II Diabetes through exercise and healthy

eating. On one visit this year, it was found that 43% of children had not eaten breakfast before coming to school that day and that 27% of those children had a family history of diabetes, thus showing the need for early education. The unit promotes learning through fun, with active games and demonstrations as well as hands-on nutritional education. We are very proud that since it was established, almost 3,000 schoolchildren have benefitted from the unit, which is 100% funded by RCSI Bahrain and operated by our students and staff.

Following on from the previous Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) public service announcement video,

RCSI Bahrain this year launched a stroke awareness video under

the patronage of the Ministry of Health.

Corporate Social Responsibility at RCSI Bahrain is interwoven throughout the fabric of our organisation, with Community Engagement being one of three pillars in our 2012-2017 Strategic Plan. By reaching out and developing relationships with the local community, we apply our teaching and research to pertinent issues and address real societal needs. At every level, our staff and students work hard to give back to those local and international communities in need, by offering their time and skills to underdeveloped areas. In doing so, we focus on five specific goals: i) to promote healthy communities; ii) to give back to the community; iii) to advocate for the growth and development of healthcare professions and to influence policy reforms; iv) to engage with the wider community of healthcare professionals and v) to make a difference internationally. Through our Community Engagement initiatives, RCSI Bahrain has become synonymous with developing our students to actively participate in community engagement.

Foundation Year students display a science experiment to pupils from Nadeen School

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In April, the Community Engagement department organised a special workshop on colorectal cancer, in collaboration with the Rufaida Honor Nursing Society and Hoffman-La Roche (Roche) pharmaceutical company. The event featured a presentation on the myths, facts and statistics behind colorectal cancer as well as a report on the findings of a new study on colorectal cancer awareness. A fun twist was added to proceedings with a trip to Al Malkiyah beach, where representatives of Roche inflated a giant colon model, as an educational demonstration of colorectal cancer symptoms for the general public.

The Community Engagement office also lent its support to several events during the same month to raise awareness about autism, through both off and on-campus collaborations. Under the patronage of Bahrain’s Minister of Labour and Social Development, His Excellency Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaideen, the ‘Enter My World’ programme was held in cooperation with local autism centres, Alia: For Early Intervention and the Naseem Initiative, with RCSI Bahrain student volunteers assisting with fund-raising and on-site organisation. RCSI Bahrain staff and students also supported an autism awareness walkathon, organised under the patronage of the Head of General Organisation for Youth and Sports, His Excellency Mr. Hisham Mohammed Al Jowder, in partnership with Naseem Initiative and Bahrain Youth Forum Society.

Giving back to the CommunityMany of our staff and students recognise the

importance of altruism in their chosen field and so we have a blood donation drive twice a year, in line with our agreement with the Central Blood Bank. This year, we donated 97 units of blood, which we hope will contribute to saving lives and facilitating surgical procedures throughout the country.

As well as giving our time to external charity and community initiatives, RCSI Bahrain staff and students also engaged in internal fund-raising activities throughout the year. 2015-2016’s activities calendar featured a diverse range of events, including a charity dodge-ball tournament, a ‘Colour-Me’ fun-run, glow-in-the-dark yoga and more. The aforementioned activities took place as part of the second annual Health Week, organised by the Sports and Recreation team in February, which contributed towards a donation of over BD1,200 to Bahrain Red Crescent

Society. The donation was supplemented by a series of charity events led by student clubs and societies and will be used to purchase dignity kits for women in situations of natural disasters, where basic hygiene products are not readily available.

As part of our annual Charity Challenge, the university entered a large contingent into the annual Bahrain Marathon Relay last November, when the two teams of staff and students achieved our best ever combined results. The challenge aimed to raise student awareness of the value of a healthy lifestyle and to teach running techniques and strategies, with academics Dr Ebrahim Rajab and Dr Declan Gaynor, coordinating a special ten-week training programme in the run up to the event.

Advocating for the Growth and Development of Healthcare Professionals and Influencing

Policy Reforms2015-2016 also marked a significant development for our Medical

Commencement Programme (MCP) and Foundation Year

(FY), in the formal integration of Community Engagement into the curriculum. For MCP, this took the form of a nine-week module centred on instilling self-awareness, volunteerism, ethics and professionalism in students. For FY, a Professionalism

‘Outreach’ Module was introduced to create a greater

understanding of autisim, in which students spent a week

working at a charity, school or social centre in Bahrain and were tasked to

deliver a final project presentation on their experience. Local NGOs to have benefitted from

these initiatives include the Palm Association, Alia: For Early Intervention, Bahrain Down Syndrome Society, Hope Institute, Hidd Charity Organisation, Al Kawther Charity, Royal Charity Organisation, Al Sanabel Orphan Care Society, Durrat Al Riffa Senior Social Club and the Migrant Workers Protection Society. The introduction of these modules has seen a marked change of attitude and behaviour, with students commenting on how they have fostered a sense of long-term fulfilment and motivation to do more for those in need.

Our community engagement activities have led to us being invited to participate in many key committees and events influencing the country’s healthcare and research strategies, which has manifested this year in various ways, including then Head of Community Engagement, Julie Sprakel, being

Following on from the previous Cardiopulmonary

Resuscitation (CPR) public service announcement video,

RCSI Bahrain this year launched a stroke awareness video

under the patronage of the Ministry of Health



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nominated for the steering committee of the Gulf Group for the Study of Diabetes Conference in March. The conference is an annual event organised by the Bahrain Diabetes Society and held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, which aims to curb the spread of the disease whilst educating those already affected.

Engaging with the Wider Community of Healthcare Professionals

A career in healthcare is dynamic and requires constant innovation and learning, therefore RCSI Bahrain as an institution must engage with the wider community of as many healthcare practitioners as possible, in order to share knowledge and best practice. We not only collaborate with local NGOs, hospitals and government stakeholders, but also ensure our accreditation and recognition from international bodies are kept current. All programmes at RCSI Bahrain conform to international guidelines and standards for nursing and medical education, for example, the International Council for Nursing Standards and the World Federation for Medical Education Standards.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has continued ongoing collaboration with the University of Bahrain’s College of Health Sciences during this academic year, in pursuing collaborative research and other projects.

Nursing Lecturers, Dr Mariam Alaradi and Khadija Matrook completed the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Course at the World Health Organisation’s headquarters in Switzerland. Organised by the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research in conjunction with the WHO, the intensive training course aimed to enhance the research capital in sexual and reproductive health worldwide and to contribute to an increased sharing of knowledge between healthcare professionals in local and international health training institutions. After her successful completion of the course, Ms Matrook was appointed as an international tutor for the course in the Middle East region.

We also engage with the international community of healthcare professionals by attending various international symposia, with two students funded to attend the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) World Diabetes Conference in November 2015 in Vancouver. Significantly, undergraduate nursing student, Narjes Ashkanai’s abstract was selected by the IDF panel to be featured in the conference handbook - only the second time that an undergraduate nurse has been featured at this capacity at such a high profile International event.

Making a Difference Internationally A rounded healthcare professional must be able to deliver

patient care in any scenario, and as such we give our senior

medical and nursing students the opportunity to travel abroad through our International Community Engagement Programme (ICE). 2015-2016 saw the largest contingent of 16 students undertake postings across the globe. Among the highlights of this year’s programme was a mission to Lesotho in Southern Africa by final year medical students, Mohamed Alreefi and Noora Althawadi, final year nursing students, Aysha Snan and Maryam Jasim and Senior Lecturer in Family Medicine, Dr David Misselbrook. The ICE programme made a welcome return to the mountainous enclave state – which is surrounded by South Africa – that saw the team join a larger group of almost 100 builders, teachers, parents and secondary school student volunteers from the charity group, Action Ireland Trust (AIT). The RCSI Bahrain contingent worked principally in partnership with St Joseph’ s Hospital in Roma, a small town some 35 kilometres from the capital, Maseru, where five doctors and a larger team of nurses aim to provide all inpatient and outpatient care to a rural population of around 200,000 people. As part of their two-week placement, the team conducted an outreach primary care clinic at a remote school in Hlalele, where they saw approximately 150 patients, while the students also led an Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) session at the Roma College of Nursing. In addition, the group attended a local home for disabled children, had dinner with the Archbishop of Lesotho and attended an Irish-Lesotho-Bahraini cultural event in the company of their Majesties the King and Queen of Lesotho, the Prime Minister and other cabinet members.

Earlier in the year, senior medical students Hari Hullur, Khalifa Aldoseri, Saumitra Tiwary and Myat Han travelled to Chennai in India, where they spent time in Global Health City, attended the Master Class in Liver Disease (MCLD) 2016 conference and worked extensively with a number of the hospital departments. A second project in India in February saw nursing students Ghadeer Ashoor, Narjes Ashkanani and Ahmed Almass team up with medical student Bibi Laulloo and nursing lecturer, Ali Ebrahim at Vikas Hospital in New Delhi, where the group aimed to identify differences and similarities between Indian and Bahraini health systems and practices. The final assignment brought Fatema Sultan, nursing classmates Amna Almuhandes and Zainab Heraiz and medical student Ali Ayaz together with RCSI Bahrain Professor of Surgery, Professor Martin Corbally, team leader, Dr Hind Zaidan from King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH), and the Irish Operation Childlife team at Children’s Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

A number of donations have also been made internationally to support the bodies with which RCSI Bahrain partners,

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with this year’s being ‘Family and Friend’ CPR kits to Roma Hospital in Lesotho to ensure everyone in the area is trained in basic CPR and resuscitation techniques.

SC2 medical student Mohammed Al Reefi in Lesotho

ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016RCSI BAHRAIN Medical University of BahrainP.O. Box 15503, AdliyaKingdom of BahrainTel: +973 1735 1450Email: [email protected]

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