Six UAE students to train at Harvard Medical School Hospitals in Boston

Launched in June, the HMSDC observership programme allows students to earn elective credits for three selected courses offered by the college. It also provides students with a broad interdisciplinary approach to their studies while allowing intensive interaction with the Harvard medical faculty and students.

The students include Zulaikha Mohamed Abdulhameed and Fatima Ahmed Sultan, who are enrolled in the Medical Laboratory and Technology program in SWC. Both studied stem cell and bone marrow transplantation at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center.

Pursuing a degree in Health Information Management, Amina Mohamed Abdulla participated in the medical informatics program at Children's Hospital, with a focus on the use of electronic patient records.

Fatima Mohamed Abdulla, Fatima Asfandyar Al-Zaroni, and Nouf Khamis Al Ali, students of SWC's Health Education program, learned about innovations in patient and family education through observerships at Joslin Diabetes Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Robert L. Thurer, MD, Chief Academic Officer of HMSDC said: "These observerships will play a significant role in preparing Higher College of Technology graduates to take up positions in the UAE's health care system.

"While there has been much emphasis on the need for more well-trained physicians and nurses in the Gulf region, skilled professionals in the areas of patient and family education, medical informatics, and other health sciences are also an integral part of building a sustainable health care system."

HMSDC also offers clinical and research fellowships, as well as specialty observerships, to selected health care professionals in the Gulf region.

Launched as a joint effort by Harvard Medical International (HMI) and Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), HMSDC is part of Dubai Government's mission to develop DHCC into a center of excellence for health care delivery, medical education, and research.

The Sharjah Women's College (SWC) is allied to the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), which was established in 1988 and comprises 12 campuses throughout the UAE.