Accreditation is clear approval of the quality of the Universitys Medical Programme

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) has received accreditation from the Irish Medical Council.
It follows an inspection visit by a delegation from the Irish Medical Council to RCSI Bahrain and its affiliated teaching hospitals in October 2014. The accreditation applies to the Universitys undergraduate medical programme and is for a period of five years.

Accreditation is made on the grounds that the programme adheres to the requirements, criteria and standards approved by the Irish Medical Council - these being the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) standards, which are the highest standards available in medical education.

Professor Sameer Otoom, President of RCSI Bahrain, welcomed publication of the report. He said "This is a major achievement for the university on many fronts and it is clear approval of the outstanding quality of the academic programmes on offer at the University".

The President thanked the students and Student Council members, university and hospital staff, and the senior management from the affiliated teaching hospitals for their continued support of RCSI Bahrain and for the assistance and support provided throughout the inspection process.

Under the patronage of His Excellency Dr Shaikh Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Health, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain held its 2nd Annual Career Guidance Symposium and Exhibition on 7th- 8th February 2015 on its campus in Busaiteen.

The symposium included a number of important talks by speakers from various medical institutions from Bahrain, the Arabian Region and as far afield as USA, Canada, Europe and Australia.

Several workshops took place as part of the event, whereby careers in different medical specialization where discussed. Topics included careers in Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, OBGYN, different surgical specializations, among more.

An exhibition also took place in line with this symposium. Participants included the Ministry of Health, King Hamad University Hospital, Bahrain Defence Force Hospital, the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), Kaplan Medical, RCSI Travel, Novartis Pharma Services, Global Medics, AAMC Global Health Learning Opportunities (GHLO) , Medics Away, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), and AMO Worldwide

By continuing to hold this annual symposium, the University attempts to provide all the support to its students to get the best career opportunities locally and internationally.

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain celebrated the transition of 147 medical students to clinical training during a ceremony held at its campus on Tuesday 10th February 2015. The White Coat Ceremony is a symbolic event that celebrates this transition and notably includes the presentation of individual physicians white coats, embroidered with the students name.

The ceremony opened with an address by Professor Joe McMenamin, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Head of School of Medicine - RCSI Bahrain. Through his encouraging speech, Professor McMenamin spoke to the students about the future ahead of them as doctors, and highlighted the significance of wearing the medical white coat and the responsibility associated with it.

This years ceremony featured guest speaker, Dr Bahaa Fateha, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA). Dr. Fateha congratulated the students on achieving this big milestone in their medical studies, and spoke to them about the promising career of healthcare in Bahrain. At the end of his presentation, Dr Fateha announced that RCSI Bahrain graduates who took the Bahrain Medical Licensing Examination (BMLE) have achieved a 100% pass rate for the second year in succession. He congratulated the University on this great accomplishment, and wished staff and students continued success in the future.

Mr Alaaeddin Obied, from RCSI Bahrains senior class, also addressed his fellow students and spoke to them about his experience and what they should be expecting in the years ahead.
The ceremony concluded with the students recital of the professional declaration, through which they vowed to maintain professional attitudes and behaviours in work and relationships with classmates, teachers, patients and the community.

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Three undergraduate nursing students from RCSI Bahrain have participated in Al Bawasil Camp for diabetic children in Doha over a period of five days, from 31st January - 6th February 2015. Sajida Ali Salman, Amnah Ali Salman and Fatimah Fadhel Ebrahim supported the camp in the capacity of volunteers and represented both RCSI Bahrain and the Bahrain Diabetes Society.

Al Bawasil Camp is an official International Diabetes Federation (IDF) event, it takes place in Doha annually and is attended by over a hundred children with diabetes. The five day event hosts children from Qatar and the MENA region, and addresses issues about diabetes through technical, knowledgeable and educational activities. These tools give the children confidence and address both emotional and physical issues caused by the diagnosis of diabetes. The camp is run by doctors, nurse- nutritionists and social specialists.

The three students were chosen to represent of RCSI Bahrain after winning a competition designed for year 4 nursing students, whereby they were asked to generate new educational games that will be used to increase childrens awareness about preventing obesity & diabetes during the diabetes mobile units school visits.


Special thanks to the Bahrain Diabetes Society- specifically Dr Mariam Al Hajri Dr Samia Al Ghutan, along with the Community Engagement Office who made the trip possible.

To enable a research project in East Sudan to be conducted, Dr Khalifa Elmusharaf, Lecturer in Epidemiology & Public Health Medicine and coordinator of Population & International Health at RCSI Bahrain, has received a grant from The United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The research project aims to improve communities resilience to social and economic shocks in a post-conflict setting and to address underlying conflict-drivers, including disproportionate underdevelopment and marginalisation.

The research project will provide pasteurised milk to 4000 underprivileged, malnourished school children in 14 targeted schools for one academic year. The research will evaluate the impact on nutritional status, health-related quality of life, education coverage, academic achievement, awareness of teachers and students on the nutritional value of milk and other foods, and any change in perceptions of community members, regarding marginalisation and discontent.

This research is a collaboration project between Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI Bahrain and Reproductive and Child Health Research Unit (RCRU) at University of Medical Sciences and Technology in Khartoum, Sudan.

It is worth mentioning that Dr Elmusharaf has recently been awarded a PhD from National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway on his research titled "Access to maternal healthcare in post-conflict South Sudan: Is the health system designed for the context?" Congratulations Dr Elmusharaf.

RCSIs Health Professions Education Centre (HPEC Dublin) and the Professional Development Unit (RCSI Bahrain) launched the Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education. The programme aims to support the faculty in their teaching role and to contribute significantly to their professional development.

Around 30 staff signed up for the course and a mix of 10 RCSI Bahrain faculty and clinicians from teaching hospitals were shortlisted to start in March. Professor Teresa Pawlikowska, Director of HPEC, and Dr Martina Crehan, Curriculum Innovator, delivered the first module of the programme and will deliver additional modules at a later stage.

"I am very happy to be in Bahrain to deliver the same programme that was delivered in Dublin, said Professor Pawlikowska, "and to contribute to the professional development of the faculty."Dr Kathryn Strachan, Head of Professional Development Unit (PDU) advised that "this programme is not only in line with RCSI Bahrains strategy for teaching and learning, but is also consistent with the Kingdom of Bahrains National Strategy to achieve excellence in teaching. We hope to run the programme again in the new academic year."

As part of RCSI Bahrains Foundation year curriculum, students are offered the opportunity to gain academic credits for their participation in the RCSI Bahrain Outreach programme, through the "Professionalism" elective. Students gain credits for attending selected community groups on a volunteer basis and completing a report or presentation of their experiences. A total of 50 students for the 2015 programme were placed within eight different locations. It is an opportunity for students to explore issues relating to the population of Bahrain and is a great way to understand the valuable work many of these Charity organisations do.

For many of the undergraduate students, this is the first experience of doing any sort of volunteer work and is great exposure both professionally and personally, in pushing the boundaries and looking from a different perspective. Students roles range from supporting programmes with evidence based research, supporting prgrammes in either observational roles or hands on, understanding the running of an NGO and all it entails or educating children with the newly learnt teaching strategies.

Bahrain Mobility International is one of the organizations hosting students from the RCSI Outreach programme; Students Lulwa Al Musallam, Rana Al Najjar, Rama Nakdali and Raheel Ahmed Al Abbasi are half way through their placement at Bahrain Mobility International. Part of their roles included supporting staff at the centre to prepare the centre for the students return after a holiday period. They have been supporting the teaching staff, organsing theme days, supporting the running of the centre and observed physiotherapy interventions. Speaking about her time, Raheel explains, " The time spent at Bahraini Mobility International allowed me to experience life in a different perspective. I realised that life should be full of hope, optimism, confidence and trust for a better tomorrow. I wouldnt call the people I met disabled but rather people with inspiration and challenges. This taught me that nothing is impossible with determination

Special thanks to the respective teams at: Little Starz Pre School, Be Free Centre, Alia- Early Intervention, Durrat Al Riffa Senior Social Club, RIA, Think Inc, Charity Challenge, Bahrain Mobility International

According to the World Health Organization, interprofessional education occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other, to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes.

On March 3, RCSI Bahrain conducted its first Interprofessional Education (IPE) session with students from the Universitys School of Medicine (SC1) and School of Nursing & Midwifery (N3).The title of this session was "Conditions that threaten womens lives in childbirth and pregnancy". The session was delivered in the format of a World Cafe, where the students were divided into 10 groups of four, each with a captain to facilitate discussion.

The session began with a brief overview and an introduction to IPE. As well as considering obstetric emergencies, the students discussed cultural contexts; the roles and responsibilities of the health professional team and communication and ethical issues.Participants also watched a series of brief videos at www.healthtalk.org; CPR of a pregnant woman; maternity care in a clinic in India; patients whose lives were threatened by problems during childbirth and

pregnancy including post-partum haemorrhage and eclampsia with HELLP Syndrome.The session was organised and conducted by Ms Maeve Royston and Professor Andrew Curtain from the School of Medicine, and assisted by Ms Catherine Abouzaid and Dr Maryam Alaradi from the School of Nursing & Midwifery. Initially, the students seemed anxious and needed encouragement to engage, but by the end of the session, they participated actively and seemed to enjoy RCSI Bahrains new interprofessional learning

opportunity.

For the first time since the launch of the Global Greening Initiative, RCSI Bahrain took part in the campaign by lighting the campus green for three days, from St Patricks Day, March 17 until March 20.
Global Greening is an annual initiative by Tourism Ireland to promote overseas tourism, in which major landmarks and iconic sites around the world are illuminated green for St Patricks Day.

Some of the sites which have gone green in previous years are Niagara Falls (on both the US and Canadian sides), the London Eye, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, and the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, Paris. For the first time in Bahrain, the University joined the list of iconic landmarks as it too underwent a greening for St Patricks Day.

To see various Global Greening photos from around the world, check Instagram with the hashtag #GoGreen4PatricksDay

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on 12th May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingales birth. It is an annual event when nurses around the world come together to celebrate what it means to be a nurse. The theme for this years celebration is; Nurses: A Force for Change: Care Effective, Cost Effective.

Professor Seamus Cowman, Head of School of Nursing & Midwifery at RCSI Bahrain said "International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every 12th May; this years theme highlights the importance of nursing in health services. All of us at RCSI Bahrain are very pleased to host the nurses of Bahrain.

For the first time in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and under the patronage of the H.E Lieutenant General Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Health, nurses in Bahrain joined together to celebrate and debate professional nursing issues in an all-day event held at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain).

Participants included the Ministry of Health, Bahrain Defence Force Royal Medical Services, King Hamad University Hospital, University of Bahrain - College of Health Sciences, Sh. Mohammed Bin Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Cardiac Centre, American Mission Hospital, Awali Hospital, Ibn Alnafees Hospital, and other health care institutions, both governmental and private.

A series of scientific events were offered throughout the day. The keynote speaker was Dr Sandra Lovering, PhD, Executive Director of Nursing Affairs in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dr Lovering has developed a nursing model of care that is sensitive and congruent in the care of Arab Muslim patients.

RCSI Bahrain President, Professor Sameer Otoom, commented on the importance of this event "We are honoured to be part of such a significant event and to host all the nursing leaders in the country, who joined forces to celebrate IND together for the first time in Bahrain . We greatly appreciate the support of H.E. Lieutenant General Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al- Khalifa, and his continuous efforts towards bringing together healthcare professionals on such occasions. His Excellencys patronage of this event is a great motivation to nurses across the Kingdom".

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) and the University of Medical Sciences and Technology (UMST) in Sudan entered into an educational, research and cultural relationship by signing a collaborative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Khartoum, Sudan on May 23, 2015.

The agreement was signed by RCSI Bahrains President, Professor Sameer Otoom and UMSTs President, Professor Hassan M Ahmed. It aims to enhance the educational experience of senior students and graduates of both Universities.

The two organizations will work together in research endeavors to facilitate good will and friendship between the two countries through programmes of study exchange and cooperation in teaching.
UMST will offer five RCSI Bahrain graduates each year the opportunity to undertake an internship training program at a UMST affiliated hospital - approved by the Sudan Ministry of Health.

The 12 month "housemanship" will provide an educationally sound experience for the new doctors in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes together with personal development.

The exchange students will be expected to conduct collaborative research projects, lectures and organize conferences. The MoU also agrees to an exchange of academic information and materials.
RCSI Bahrains President Prof Otoom referred to the joint venture as a longstanding "triangular relationship, further strengthened". "We are very pleased to collaborate with UMST to cement relations, RCSI Bahrain prides itself on only forging links with high quality universities with a high quality profile," he added.

RCSI Bahrain currently works with a number of respected and renowned colleges and universities in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Far East.
Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University, Professor Joe McMenamin emphasized the Universitys focus on the wider community and investing in education. "We aim to develop healthcare leaders who make a difference worldwide," Prof McMenamin said.

Both the RCSI Bahrain President and UMSTs Chairman of the board of Trustees, Professor Mamoun M A Homeida underlined the need for joint medical research that meets a high standard.
"Research is key, a University cannot stand alone - it needs experience and collaboration," said Prof Homeida.

The initiative will enable interns to identify, analyze and manage clinical problems in order to provide efficient, cost-effective and humane patient care worldwide.

Under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Majid bin Ali Al- Nuaimi, Minister of Education, a project was launched last month between the Ministry of Education and Community Engagement office at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland- Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain). This collaborative project aimed to raise awareness of pertinent health matters amongst the teenage population in Bahrain, through their eyes. This is the second consecutive year that the Health Awareness Arts Competition has been run, with this year submission reaching 58, doubling the previous year.

The Health Awareness Competition involves students of local government school from Years 11 and 12, designing a poster with an accompanying word brief, about the significance of a health issue through utilisation of references such as local, regional and international website and brochures. This original work will be judged by a panel of candidates from the Ministry of Education and academics of RCSI Bahrain.

Professor Riyadh Hamza, Secretary General of the Higher education Council attended the awards ceremony held at RCSI Bahrain on Thursday 11th June, where the top three candidates were announced:

- 1st Place: Bayan Jaffer Radhi from Al Hoora Secondary Girls School
- 2nd Place Zainab Mohammed Ebrahim from Hamad Town Intermediate Girls
- 3rd Place Fatima Mohmood Ghloom from Umaimh bint Al Noeman Secondary Girls School

Professor Otoom; President of RCSI Bahrain commented," We are honoured to have the patronage of H.E. Dr. Majid bin Ali Al- Nuaimi, Minister of Education and the continued support of the Ministry of Education once again. This collaborative project is a fantastic opportunity for the youth of Bahrain to express their health concerns via a creative outlet. It reflects the common health problems they believe are relevant for their community.

The larger amount of submission showcases the keenness for the continuation of the programme and we look forward to continuing this collaborative project." He thanked Professor Riyadh Hamza for his participation and the support he provides to health awareness driven by the strategy of the University.

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) held its annual orientation week for around 300 new students in Medicine and Nursing at the University campus in Busaiteen last week. The new cohort of students were introduced to different aspects of student life at RCSI Bahrain through a comprehensive induction programme.

The events proceedings commenced with a Welcome Morning, during which students and their parents were addressed by Professor Sameer Otoom, RCSI Bahrain President, as well as Professor Joe McMenamin, Vice President of Academic Affairs & Head of School of Medicine, and Professor Seamus Cowman, Head of School of Nursing, who outlined rules & regulations and the Universitys expectations of students.

The new student intake consists of students coming from 20 different nationalities, including Bahrain, GCC and the Middle East, Europe and North America, attracted by the prestigious reputation and international calibre of RCSI Bahrain. The Orientation weeks social activities are tailored to introduce the students to life in Bahrain, and to offer them an opportunity to get to know one another, while enjoying an introduction to the Bahraini culture.

As part of its Community Engagement Programme, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) initiated a collaborative partnership with Women Crisis Care International (WCCI).

WCCI is a global centre that provides violence crisis response and training services for the development and implementation of crisis response programmes, as well as community education programmes, by sharing their expertise in womens care with hospitals, medical groups and community organizations.

As a first step towards their collaboration, RCSI Bahrain presented Ms Mary-Justine Todd; Founder & Director of WCCI with a financial donation to support the centres efforts. In future stages, RCSI Bahrain will be supporting WCCIs womens crisis counselling in Bahrain by engaging the Universitys staff and students as volunteers in the centres training sessions.

Ms Julie Sprakle, Head of Community Engagement at RCSI Bahrain, commented: "Decision to come on board was due to WCCIs commitment to the community and establishing forums for education on issues relevant to the community- this is similar to the role of RCSI Bahrains Community Engagement office. Establishing a link and donating towards supporting WCCI programmes shows our commitment not just to education by our noble vision. We hope that this first step will see further collaborations and ensure we can offer both staff and students exposure to opportunities to support the local community".

From her end, Ms Mary-Justine Todd added: ""WCCI would like to express sincere gratitude for the donation from RCSI Bahrain to our work with survivors of violence in Bahrain. This collaboration is an indication of how the University values womens protection and womens health so significantly, WCCI is honoured to be collaborating with RCSI Bahrain in that regard."

RCSI Bahrains guiding principle is to use its core expertise to help others, leading to health, educational and social gain for both individuals and communities, locally, nationally and internationally.

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) is a constituent University of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RSCI), which was established in 1784. Like its Irish counterpart, RCSI Bahrain is a not-for-profit health sciences institution focused on education and research to drive positive change in all areas of human health worldwide.

Ms Claire Mahon, President of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization (INMO), visited RCSI Bahrain on Sept 30th. INMO is a professional body representing 40,000 nurses in Ireland, it also offers a Professional Development Centre as a dedicated education and research hub for nurses and midwives, offering access to professional networks, educational programmes, conferences, library services and focused research for nurses and midwives.

Ms Mahon was welcomed to the University by Professor Sameer Otoom, RCSI Bahrain President, Professor Joe McMenamin, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Professor Seamus Cowman, Head of the School of Nursing & Midwifery.

Professor Cowman provided an overview of the establishment and current activities of the University as well as an outline of the current education and research activities of the School of Nursing & Midwifery.

A presentation was made to the President of the INMO by Professor Otoom

Professor Sameer Otoom, RCSI Bahrain President, Professor Joe McMenamin, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dr Michael Shannon, Director of the Institute of Leadership Programme -RCSI Bahrain, welcomed 37 Masters Students who are undertaking hosted Masters Programmes in Healthcare Management and Quality & Safety in Healthcare Management.

The programmes offer a wide range of education, competencies and skills development for healthcare and management staff focusing on core components of leadership, management and quality & safety in healthcare management. Critically, the programmes affords students opportunities to explore and analyse complex leadership, organisational and managerial challenges and deploy a broad range of tools to identify, assess and implement solutions to enable leadership and quality within and across healthcare.

Students attending these programmes represent Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Policy, Administration and Health Insurance. A distinct asset of these Masters programmes is a strong focus on the characteristics and dynamics of multi-professional teams and learning from the variety of disciplines represented on the various programmes.

Dr Michael Shannon highlighted the supportive atmosphere that is facilitated by the Institutes of Leadership staff that fosters the students leadership and management development through evidenced based practice, reflection, dialogue, advocacy and enquiry. Dr Shannon thanked Professor Sameer Otoom and Professor Joe McMenamin and RCSI Bahrain staff for supporting the Institute of Leadership programmes.

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) has celebrated the conferring of 75 students in a ceremony at the university campus in Busaiteen.

Among the graduating candidates were those from RCSI Bahrains Bachelor of Nursing, Master of Nursing, Nursing Bridging and Medicine programmes, as well as the RCSI Bahrain-hosted Institute of Leaderships (IOL) Masters in Healthcare Management and Masters in Quality Safety and Healthcare Management. Other students were awarded Membership of RCSI and Membership of RCSIs Faculty of Dentistry.

Graduates were presented with their degrees by RCSI President Declan Magee and RCSI Bahrain President, Professor Sameer Otoom. The event was attended by members of RCSI Bahrains faculty and senior management team, as well as members of the RCSI Council and senior management from RCSI Dublin.

In his address, Mr Magee congratulated the graduates on their achievements and praised the ongoing relationship between RCSI and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

RCSI Bahrain is a constituent university of RSCI, which was established in 1784. Like its Irish counterpart, RCSI Bahrain is a not-for-profit health sciences institution focused on education and research to drive positive change in all areas of human health worldwide.

Academic Operations Manager Yoga Hassan and English Lecturer and History of Bahrain Coordinator Sireen Mahmood Alaradi have been named as the winners of the RCSI Bahrain Deans Awards for 2015.

The winners were announced during RCSI Bahrains annual Deans Award Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel, where Ms Hassan was confirmed as the administration award winner and Ms Al-Aradi won the academic award.
Each winner was presented with a commemorative award and a prize of BD500, by RCSI Bahrain Head of School of Medicine and Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Professor Joe McMenamin.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof McMenamin offered his personal congratulations.

"I am honoured and privileged to acknowledge the contribution of all staff members to support the Universitys commitment to excellence in education, research and service. The ethos behind the Deans Award scheme is to recognise and celebrate these exceptional achievements.

"I would like to congratulate Ms Hassan and Ms Al-Aradi for their outstanding service to the University and I am delighted to announce them as the deserving winners of the Deans Awards 2015."
Created in 2011 as a way of acknowledging the diverse and essential contributions of all staff members, the Deans Award scheme is open to nominations from all full-time staff.

Caption: Prof McMenamin presents the awards to Ms Hassan, second from left, and Ms Al-Aradi, second from right, alongside Associated Director for Academic Affairs, Dr Jean Hughes, left, and Head of Language and Culture Unit, Dr Caroline Holden-Rachiotis, right

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) campus in Busaiteen was illuminated in red and white last night in celebration of Bahrains 44th National Day.

Having gone green for St Patricks Day back in March - joining Romes Colosseum and Rio de Janeiros Christ the Redeemer in the Global Greening Campaign - it was only right that the university should join in with so many of Bahrains other most iconic buildings in displaying the national colours on this occasion.

As further celebration of National Day, RCSI Bahrain staff and students gathered to enjoy Arabic tea, coffee and sweets and were presented with Bahrain scarves.

RCSI Bahrain is a constituent university of RSCI, which was established in 1784. Like its Irish counterpart, RCSI Bahrain is a not-for-profit health sciences institution focused on education and research to drive positive change in all areas of human health worldwide.

The Royal college of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bahrain Red Crescent (BRC) for a series of community, charitable and educational activities.

The main aim of the MoU, which was initiated by RCSI Bahrains Community Engagement department, is to promote collaboration between the two parties for the benefit of people and communities locally, regionally and internationally.

As part of the scope of the association, RCSI Bahrain will aim to make a donation to the BRC on an annual basis as well as supporting the Friends of Bahrain programme and promoting BRC events to its staff and students.

In addition, RCSI Bahrain is to become part of Bahrains Humanitarian Action Group - a first responder volunteer group to support communities during local disasters, organised in collaboration with Muharraq Municipal Council - and will also donate hygiene supplies in times of local, regional or international disaster.

On its part, BRC will facilitate RCSI Bahrain undergraduate students participation on its local educational programmes and, potentially, international activities.

The MoU was signed during a meeting at the RCSI Bahrain campus in Busaiteen by RCSI President, Professor Sameer Otoom and BRC Secretary General, Dr Fawzi Amin.

Also present were members of RCSI Bahrains Executive Committee and Student Council, as well as Bahrain Red Crescent Director General Mubarak Al-Hadi.

Speaking afterwards, RCSI Bahrain Head of Community Engagement, Julie Sprakel described it as a historical milestone in the longstanding association between the two parties.

"This is a historical milestone for the partnership between RCSI Bahrain and BRC given our longstanding history of support. The signing marks a solid foundation in which civic engagement and support can be mutually beneficial to our students and staff and the broader community. This collaborative partnership falls in line with the universitys strategic pillar of Community Engagement."

RCSI Bahrain is a constituent university of RSCI, which was established in 1784. Like its Irish counterpart, RCSI Bahrain is a not-for-profit health sciences institution focused on education and research to drive positive change in all areas of human health worldwide.