Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition

Press Release: DSDM D ubai, UAE: The Dubai School of Dental Medicine (DSDM) en- rolled its first batch of students in January 2013 and announced its collaboration with the prestigious UK Roy- al college at the recent AEEDC. We spoke to Professor Wray about the significance of this collaboration and how the first intake of stu- dents are settling in to the new facility… We are extremely proud to announce the collaboration with The Royal College of Sur- geons of Edinburgh and the opportunity this gives our students. When our students em- bark on a three year intensive clinical train- ing programme at DSDM, the course has a clear didactic component and a research dis- sertation and students obtain an MSc upon completion of the course. In addition, our students will simultaneously graduate with a membership from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in the UK. This di- ploma can subsequently be converted into a fellowship so that students will be graduat- ing with both an academic qualification in the form of an MSc and also an internation- ally recognized clinical qualification, which would ultimately be a fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. We are extremely proud to be offering our students such a prestigious clinical qualifi- cation and we are proud that the Royal Col- lege have endorsed our programme to of- fer a fellowship to students sitting exams outside of their faculty, for the first time in the region. The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh represents the global bench- mark in specialist dental training and is one of the most sought after medical train- ing centres in the world. Graduates of DSDM will have the same spe- cialty qualifications, clinically, as those col- leagues who are consultants and professors Dubai School of Dental Medicine announces collaboration with The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The DSDM Open Day Review: Dr. Najat Abdulla Saeed Mohemmed Al-Hasani, potential student by Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa D ubai, UAE: What do you think about the school at this early stage? It is quite interesting actually. It is the first post-graduate dental school in the UAE and it covers almost all of the de- partments of dentistry. Why is it so attractive to have such a school here in UAE? Firstly, not leaving your home country, this is the main argument. Another thing is that it follows the requirements it sets out, you know exactly what it wants from you, when you are going to practice dentistry and you know exactly what to go for. How well were you informed about the DSDM and did you have enough informa- tion from the start? Very much so! Professor Wray explained the ideas behind the DSDM extensively and how the programs will be, all my questions were answered Personally speaking, are you happy with studying in the UAE or would you rather go abroad? We are satisfied with what we have here in the UAE, if we had the chance to study abroad, we would but we are satisfied with what we have and where we are. If I did have the opportunity to go abroad I would probably have studied either in Ireland or United States of America. within the UK. This prestigious institution has influence which extends to the Middle East, the Far East & Australasia. The aca- demic and clinical training provided to our students will groom them to become inde- pendent specialist practitioners of the fu- ture. Dubai School of Dental Medicine will set the standard of excellence and be recog- nised as a leader in dental education, re- search and clinical practice by providing in- ternationally recognised student centered dental education programmes that combine advanced didactic, clinical and research training designed to prepare the candidate for a career at the specialist level. The inaugural academic year at DSDM is an exciting time for everyone involved. Our first batch of students, who started in Janu- ary, are a group of gifted, motivated young dentists with a clear focus on obtaining spe- cialist clinical and academic qualifications. The school prides itself on a philosophy of life-long learning and innovation in a pa- tient-centered environment. We will grad- uate up to 35 dental specialists every year from our endodontics, oral surgery, ortho- dontics paediatric dentistry, prosthodontics and periodontics accredited programmes. Our students are taught by an internation- al faculty in a state-of-the-art dental school, based in Dubai Healthcare City. Our faculty specialists are highly qualified with exten- sive experience in dental education, research and clinical practice. They have trained in renowned institutions and are committed to bringing students and patients the most advanced dental treatment based on scien- tific evidence. Our first batch of students hail from across the GCC and we are keen to support Dubai Healthcare City’s aim to build a specialised medical talent pool in the region. Moving forward we look forward to welcoming students from the UAE, the wid- er GCC and around the World. Student perspective: Name: Eman Hassan AlNuaimi Nationality: UAE Undergraduate School: Ajman University of Science & Technology Accredited programme: Paediatric Den- tistry Why did you select DSDM: I chose to study my Postgraduate Degree in Paediatric Den- tistry at DSDM as the school is a well-struc- tured institution and is an integral part of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Aca- demic Medical Centre in Dubai Healthcare City. Providing us as students the oppor- tunity to sit for The Royal College of Sur- geons of Edinburgh dental specialty ex- amination as a graduation requirement is a great academic achievement and reflects the school's vision in providing its resi- dents with high standards of qualification. What are your hopes for your dental career: Improving the quality of oral health care provided to paediatric patients by the Min- istry of Health and giving more attention to medically compromised patients and pa- tients with special needs. I also want to be- come involved in research programmes of- fered by DSDM and other academic institu- tions within Dubai Healthcare City. This is something that has been lacking in the past within the field of dentistry in the UAE. Name: Batool Ghaith Nationality: UAE Undergraduate School: Trinity College Dublin Accredited programme: Bachelor of Den- tal Science Why did you select DSDM: I wanted to complete my studies in an institution that provided the highest level of academic ex- cellence, in an advanced clinical environ- ment. As a postgraduate student I felt that DSDM met these requirements. What are your hopes for your dental career: To continue my skills training and knowl- edge development throughout my career to enable me to provide the highest quality of care for my patients. A student at the Dubai School of Dental Medicine (Photo courtesy of DSDM) Dr. Najat Abdulla Saeed Mohemmed Al-Hasani 27Dental acaDeMia triBUneDental tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | March-April 2013