More than 170 students at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) celebrated their transition to clinical training during the annual White Coat Ceremony at the Busaiteen campus.

Regarded as a seminal moment in the course of medical training and future careers, the ceremony is a symbolic event based around the presentation of the students white coats and takes place in the Intermediate Cycle stage.

Yesterdays event featured an address by RCSI Bahrains Head of School of Medicine, Professor Joe McMenamin, who highlighted the significance of wearing the white coat and the responsibility associated with it.

Guest speakers on the occasion were Ministry of Health Head of Medical Education and Training for Secondary Healthcare, Dr Eman Al-Doseri and final year medical student, Kevin Schreiber.

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.

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.

March 2017: A study led by a Bahrain-based academic has revealed an alarming lack of training and clarity on matters of procedure and policy concerned with violence management in healthcare professionals working in mental health services across Europe.

The findings were produced as part of study authored by Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus Cowman, which has been published in the journal, BMC Health Services Research.

Based on a survey of 2,800 healthcare professionals, including psychiatrists, nurses, outpatients and forensic staff, from 17 countries across Europe, the report highlighted a lack of direction on best practice in the management of violence in European mental health services and identified a high proportion of professionals (19.5%) who had received no formal training on violence management
This study, which also featured researchers from RCSI, Dublin; National University of Ireland, Galway; Athlone Institute of Technology and Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden identified a need for European Union (EU) directives on risk management of workplace violence in mental health which will unify and enforce best practice to governments, employers and professional bodies in each EU state.

Speaking on the research, lead author, Professor Cowman said: "In mental health services, in order to prevent aggressive patients from harming themselves, other patients or staff, coercive measures and foremost, violence management strategies are required, which do not currently exist. In agriculture, the use of land and the welfare of farm animals and fishing is regulated, yet in mental health services, a vital and controversial human intervention such as coercion and violence management is devoid of EU direction on best practice."

Professor Cowman highlighted the role language differences play in the lack of consensus between mental health professionals, the lack of collaborative research and fragmentation in psychiatric services across Europe. He said: "Language differences are a reality and may have contributed to insular thinking; however, it is vital that this must not be seen as a barrier to sharing best practice. There is a real need to grow a formal mental health communication network in Europe."

The biggest ever gathering of alumni of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) took place at the Diplomat Radisson Hotel, as part of a series of events to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Over 150 graduates joined current and former staff for the university’s inaugural Alumni Dinner event, with cohorts of alumni from the very first graduating class of 2010, right up to the most recent – and biggest ever – class of 2016, in attendance.

After a reception and the opportunity to catch up friends and former classmates, RCSI Bahrain’s Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus Cowman, presented a welcome address looking back at ten years of nursing at RCSI Bahrain and a special video made especially for the event.

Prominent nursing consultant, Dr Fariba Al-Darazi delivered the keynote speech, entitled: ‘Nurses’ Commitment to Lead and Embrace Change in the new era of Healthcare’, while Asma Al-Najjar from the school’s first graduating cohort of 2010 spoke on behalf of the alumni gathered.

In recognition of the auspicious occasion, a number of awards were also presented to graduates and contributors.

The Alumni Dinner is the latest in a series of events taking place over the course of the 2016/17 academic year to mark the tenth anniversary of the launch of the school, which kicked off with a cake-cutting ceremony under the patronage of Ministry of Health Undersecretary, Her Excellency, Dr Aysha Buaneq, last November and will continue with the annual International Nurses Day event in May.

RCSI Bahrain’s School of Nursing and Midwifery was established in 2006 with a primary aim of growing the base of indigenous nursing talent in Bahrain and, since then, has graduated over 800 nurses, through its BSc (Hons) Nursing, BSc Nursing Bridging and Masters in Nursing programmes.

Successful students graduate from the School of Nursing and Midwifery with degrees from both RCSI Bahrain and the National University of Ireland and become work-ready and confident nurses who can meet the needs of their patients and the health services. 

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) hosted its annual International Nurses Day (IND) celebrations at its Busaiteen campus.

The university community gathered for a programme of events that included a series of video and interactive presentation by senior nursing students.

Officially launched by RCSI Bahrain Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus Cowman, the day also featured a celebratory cake-cutting and an afternoon of games and activities.

Marked annually around the world on May 12th, International Nurses Day of May aims to celebrate the efforts and contributions of nurses to the healthcare community.

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) played host to a special event aimed at introducing its cohort of nursing students to future career opportunities.

Organised by the School of Nursing and Midwifery, in collaboration with the Careers and Alumni Office, the annual Nursing Careers Day attracted more than 100 senior nursing students and alumni.

Attendees were welcomed to the event by RCSI Bahrains Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor Joe McMenamin, before the programme got underway with a presentation on Expanding and Extending your Nursing Career by Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus Cowman.

Nursing Profession Assistant Registrar for the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), Nooreya Mohamed presented on the NHRA Nursing Licensing Examination, while RCSI Bahrain Associate Professor in Nursing and Director for Masters in Nursing programme, Professor Maura Pidgeon, looked at postgraduate studies in nursing.

Among other speakers on the day were RCSI Bahrain Community Outreach Manager, Victoria Ham; Masters in Nursing alumna, Julie Sprakel and Ahmed Hassan Janahi from Tamkeen.

RCSI Bahrain alumni, Eman AlJahmi and Aysha Albuarki also spoke to contemporaries about their respective careers in nursing in Bahrain since their graduation in 2010.

The event also provided an opportunity to showcase the top ten research projects conducted by the senior nursing students as part of their final year assessments.

The projects focused on clinical topics of the students choice and aim to prepare for evidence-based nursing practice in patient care.

The hosting of the RCSI Bahrains eighth Nursing Careers Day, falls in line with the universitys ongoing efforts to positively promote nursing as a viable career option in 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.

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) celebrated the graduation of more than 200 future healthcare professionals during the annual Conferring Ceremony, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The mornings School of Medicine ceremony was attended by His Highness Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, on behalf of His Royal Highness Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and witnessed the graduation of more than 100 doctors for the first time in the universitys history.

The afternoons School of Nursing and Midwifery ceremony honoured the graduation of over 100 nurses and was attended by Her Excellency, Minister of Health, Faeqa Al Saleh.

RCSI Bahrains eighth annual Conferring Ceremony welcomed over 1,200 guests, including staff, stakeholders, special guests, dignitaries, government officials, students families and senior representatives of RCSI in Dublin.

In accepting their awards from RCSI President, Professor John Hyland, and RCSI Bahrain President, Professor Sameer Otoom, yesterdays graduates received degrees from RCSI Bahrain and the National University of Ireland (NUI).

Addressing the assembled attendees, Professor Hyland congratulated the graduates on their achievements to date and praised the ongoing relationship between RCSI and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Professor Otoom also took the opportunity to congratulate the graduates and extended particular gratitude to the friends and family members who had supported them in their achievements.

As ever, the Conferring Ceremony provided an opportunity to recognise students for exceptional performances throughout their undergraduate training and it proved to be a particularly momentous occasion for Dr Ahmed Al Abassi, who was awarded the James Finucane Prize in Medicine; the John Murphy Prize in Obstetrics and Gynaecology as well as the Degree Award Marks Gold Medal.

The Niall OHiggins Prize in Surgery was presented to Dr Rohit Goswamy, while the Highest Aggregate Marks Gold Medal was awarded to Dr Judy Al Ahmad, who also delivered the 2017 School of Medicine Valedictorian address.

The Clinical Lecturer Award for Medicine, as voted by the graduating class, was presented to, Bahrain Defence Force hospital Consultant Anaesthetist, Dr Khalid Abdulghaffar.

In the School of Nursing and Midwifery honours, The BSc Nursing Gold Medal was awarded to Khawla Al Husain, who also delivered the valedictorian address; the BSc Nursing - Bridging Gold Medal went to Huda Braeek and the Rufaida Alaslamia Prize in Nursing was presented to outgoing graduate, Maryam Abdulla.

Yesterdays ceremony brought to more than 1,300, the number of RCSI Bahrain graduates since the inaugural Conferring ceremony back in 2010.

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 first ever Medicine Open Day took place at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) in Busaiteen recently, with over 48 participants, including high school students and parents in attendance.

The rolling-exhibition aimed to provide the opportunity for Grade 12 students to experience life as doctor and life as a medical student at RCSI Bahrain.

Over the course of the exhibition, participants had the chance to attend a series of interactive clinical simulation skills workshops led by RCSI Bahrain academic staff and alumni.

They were also treated to a personal account of Head of School of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Professor Davinder Sandhus career in medicine and an overview of the kind of specialist training and life available post-graduation. This will be followed by an interactive questions and answers session with the perspective students.

The event is the latest in a series of initiatives to provide such opportunities to potential future healthcare professionals and follows on from the inaugural Nursing Open Day and Future Nurses events earlier this year.

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) welcomed new undergraduate students in medicine and nursing as part of its annual Orientation Week. These students are set to become leaders in their field with the unique brand of medical education delivered at RCSI Bahrain.

Organised by the Student Services and Events team, the Orientation programme aims to introduce new-joining students to both academic and extra-curricular aspects of life at RCSI Bahrain.

Over the course of the week, the students were introduced to key members of the university’s academic and administrative staff, including President, Professor Sameer Otoom, Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus Cowman, Head of School of Medicine, Professor Joe McMenamin, and Chief Operating Officer, Stephen Harrison-Mirfield.

Professor Otoom commented: “Since the establishment of RCSI Bahrain in 2004, our student body has grown to over 1300, and I am pleased to say that this year’s cohort is of a very high standard both academically and personally – we expect to see great things from them. Through our students and staff, we remain committed to our promise of advancing healthcare in the Middle East region, and creating a different calibre of medical graduate, who will join an increasing alumni network of over 15,000 students.”

Mr Harrison Mirfield commented: “Bahrain is a growing destination for education, with the establishment of many international Universities bringing knowledge into the country, and RCSI Bahrain is proud to be at the forefront of this best practice. Orientation has aimed to show our students not only the academic side of their experience, but also that our campus is constantly alive with events run by more than 40 clubs and societies across fitness, arts, culture, technology, community engagement and much more.”

Assigned to their ‘Buddy’ mentor groups, the newcomers also received introductions to academic programmes and university rules and procedures, as well as an extensive tour of the campus facilities.

The active programme concluded with the Orientation Open Day – featuring a number of locally-based service providers coming on campus – and Welcome Mixer – a social event organised by the Student Council.

The 2017-2018 academic year intake at RCSI Bahrain consists of future doctors from almost 20 different nationalities, including those from Bahrain, GCC neighbours Kuwait, UAE and Oman, the wider Middle East region, North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The curriculum the students will study is identical to that being delivered in Ireland, and RCSI Bahrain’s faculty are a mix of the best international and local expertise available in the medical field.

RCSI Bahrain is a constituent university of RCSI in Dublin, 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, and shape future healthcare leaders.

The Institute of Leadership (IOL) in Ireland, hosted by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain), received 20 team members from Bahrain and Oman Ministries of Health, for a three-day training course focusing on leadership and management development. Her Excellency Dr Aysha Mubarak Buaneq, Undersecretary for the Bahrain Ministry of Health, gave an opening address at the course, which was held at the Institute of Leadership within RCSI Bahrains campus in Busaiteen. The programme will facilitate these practicing healthcare professionals in the delivery of efficient and effective healthcare systems. The course was led by the Director of RCSI Bahrains hosted programme, Dr Michael Shannon, who has extensive experience in corporate and clinical leadership in Ireland and England. Dr Shannon formerly worked as a senior policy advisor at the Ministry of Health, Ireland and as National Nursing and Midwifery Services Director for the Health Service Executive, Ireland.

Dr Shannon commented: Healthcare leaders and managers require an understanding of the important issues concerning effective leadership within and across the healthcare system. Shaping healthcare policy is a significant issue for healthcare professionals, particularly those working in public health service. Through this intensive course, we are facilitating the regions policy-makers to explore new concepts of change management, effective implementation of policies and improve participants professional and educational development. We also focus on enhancing leadership potential and exploring process mapping to facilitate cost effective improvements to systems.

The course follows the beginning of the academic year for RCSI Bahrain, as the University last week welcomed new undergraduate students in medicine and nursing as part of its annual Orientation Week. These students are set to become leaders in their field with the unique brand of medical education delivered at RCSI Bahrain. Over the course of the week, the students were introduced to key members of the universitys academic and administrative staff, including President - Professor Sameer Otoom, Chief Operating Officer - Stephen Harrison-Mirfield, Professor Joe McMenamin - Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery - Professor Seamus Cowman.

RCSIs Institute of Leadership (IOL) is Irelands only third-level institution dedicated to developing the leadership, management and educational capacity of health professionals. The Institute maintains close connections with the world of healthcare delivery and higher education, and offers programmes characterised by flexibility, speed of response, customer service and a blended learning approach that allows our students to learn while continuing to work. The Institute has campuses in Dublin, Bahrain and Dubai and also delivers programmes across the GCC region, Egypt, Jordan and Sub-Saharan Africa. RCSI Bahrain hosts two programmes for the Institute of Leadership, being in Healthcare Management, and Quality and Safety in Healthcare Management.

More than 70 graduates celebrated receiving a wide range of awards during the annual November Conferring Ceremony at RCSI Bahrain recently.

Among the graduating candidates were those from RCSI Bahrain’s undergraduate nursing and medicine programmes, as well as the RCSI Bahrain-hosted Institute of Leadership’s (IOL) Masters in Healthcare Management and Masters in Quality Safety and Healthcare Management. Other candidates were awarded Membership of RCSI and Membership of RCSI’s Faculty of Dentistry.

The graduates were presented with their awards by RCSI President, Professor John Hyland and RCSI Bahrain President, Professor Sameer Otoom.

The event was attended by around 500 people, including government officials, dignitaries, stakeholders, special guests, , students’ families and friends, staff and faculty, as well as members of the RCSI Council and senior management from RCSI in Dublin.

Chairman of the UKs National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Professor David Haslam, visited the campus recently to conduct a series of meetings and presentations to staff, students and stakeholders.
A former President and past Chairman of the UKs Council of the Royal College of General Practitioners, past-President of the British Medical Association and Vice Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Professor Haslam discussed how to ensure doctors use the best available evidence in planning treatment for their patients.
Professor Haslam took the opportunity to meet with senior RCSI Bahrain officials to discuss the use of evidence in medicine and made a presentation to academic staff members and invited guests from some of the universitys partner organisations, on the academic aspects of guidelines in medicine.
He had had earlier met with representatives of the Supreme Council for and the Ministry Health, to deliver a workshop to discuss plans for the further advancement of medical care in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The visit closed out with Professor Haslam delivering a lecture to over 150 Senior Cycle students on Guidelines about Guidelines. The full lecture can be viewed below.

RCSI Bahrain is pleased to announce the launch of the RCSI Bahrain Medicine Scholarships, which are open to local and international students. The scholarships will provide partial funding for five students enrolling in the MB BCh BAO (undergraduate medicine programme) at RCSI Bahrain for academic year 2018/2019.

Information about the scholarship applications and selection process is available at https://www.rcsi.com/bahrain/undergraduate/application-information/scholarships.

We are currently accepting applications for the 2018/2019 Academic Year. Please click on the following link to apply: MB BCh BAO (Medicine)

More than 160 RCSI Bahrain medical students last week celebrated their transition to clinical training during the annual White Coat Ceremony on campus. Regarded as a seminal moment in the course of medical training and future careers, the ceremony is a symbolic event based around the presentation of the students white coats and takes place in the Intermediate Cycle stage.

The event featured an address by RCSI Bahrains Head of Surgery, Professor Martin Corbally, who highlighted the significance of wearing the white coat and the responsibility associated with it.

Guest speakers on the occasion were Shaikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Cardiac Centre Paediatric Cardiologist, Dr Neale Kalis and final year medical student, Ali Marzuk.

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.

RCSI Bahrain yesterday this week marked the launch of its annual Health Week programme, to coincide with the second Bahrain National Sports Day.

Bahrain National Sports Day is organised under the directives of His Majesty the Kings Representative for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sport Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa with the aim of promoting sport and health-enhancing physical activities.

Alongside its regular schedule of sporting activities, RCSI Bahrain took the opportunity to announce details of its fourth Health Week programme, which will kick off with a 500m sprint rowing challenge for staff and students on Sunday morning.

On Sunday evening, the university will play host to a three-on-three basketball competition, followed by the Alternative Sports Day - featuring bubble football, rodeo competition and inflatable volleyball - on Monday afternoon.

A new element of this years Health Week will see collaboration with Bahrain Rowing and Canoe Centre and Beach Culture at Bahrain Bay to deliver an introduction to water sports at Bahrain Bay on Tuesday.

The highlight of the Health Week programme last year was the popular Colour me RCSI fun-run and that will make a welcome return to the Busaiteen campus on Wednesday afternoon, with a sunrise stand-up paddle board yoga session - again in association with Beach Culture - to conclude proceedings on Thursday morning.

Launched by the sports and recreation team in 2015 with the aim of promoting healthy lifestyle among staff and students, RCSI Bahrains Health Week programme falls in line with the universitys overall objective of advancing human health in Bahrain.

RCSI Bahrain is delighted to announce an exciting conference focused specifically on higher education and its role in producing highly employable graduates for the Bahraini job market.

The Employability Summit is being organised jointly by RCSI Bahrain and Bahrain Polytechnic and will take place at the RCSI Bahrain campus on Sunday, March 11th.

The event will feature a series of high-quality speakers with valuable insights into the needs of Bahrain and its employers and will also provide plenty of opportunities to network with key stakeholders, including employers, academic institutions, sponsoring bodies, ministries and students from around the country.

To register for one of the limited places available at the event, please click on the following link and submit the relevant details.
Click here to register.

If you have any queries or require further information on any matters relating to the Employability Summit, contact RCSI Bahrain Recognition, Careers and Alumni Manager, Fadi Ghosn on fghosen@rcsi-mub.com or 16660179.

RCSI Bahrain celebrated the 17th anniversary of Bahrains National Charter by attending the Ministry of Education carnival for Higher Education Institutions in Sakhir.

Speaking on the occasion, RCSI Bahrain President, Professor Sameer Otoom congratulated His Majesty, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister.

Professor Otoom praised the vision of His Majesty, King Hamad and said that the Charter reflects the Kings desire to develop and enhance Bahrain for its own people, particularly with regard to education.

In addition to RCSI Bahrains participation at the carnival, the universitys Mobile Diabetes Unit also took part in the Charter Day exhibition at the University of Bahrain.

Staff and students manned the RCSI Bahrain booth throughout the day and introduced visitors - including the Minister of Education, His Excellency, Dr Majid Bin Ali Al-Naimi - to the activities of the unit, which aims to educate primary school students about Type II diabetes.

The mobile unit was originally donated to the Bahrain Diabetes Society by the Rotary Club of Manama and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by RCSI Bahrain in 2012 for an initial pilot project for a series of school visits.

The school visits are carried out by RCSI Bahrain nursing students and are aimed at educating children through a host of interactive games and activities.

RCSI Bahrain and Bahrain Polytechnic yesterday hosted an exciting conference focused specifically on the interrelationship between higher education institutions and employers in producing highly employable graduates for the Bahraini job market.

The Employability Summit took place at the RCSI Bahrain campus and featured a series of expert speakers and workshops, all aimed at providing valuable insights into the needs of Bahrain and its employers.
Among the speakers were Economic Development Board CEO, His Excellency Khalid Al Rumaihi; Labour Market Regulatory Affairs (LMRA) CEO, Ausamah Al Absi; Tamkeen advisor, Dr Jarmo Kotilaine; Alba CEO, Tim Murray and University of Bahrain Performance and Strategy Advisor, Cameron Mirza.
The Higher Education Council (HEC) was represented by Secretary General, Dr Abdulghani Al Showaikh and Director of Accreditation and Licensing, Dr Muna Al Qouz.
The organising institutions also hosted a further working session with selected representatives from public and private hospitals as a means of better addressing the skills and employability challenges faced by the sector, with a view to future collaboration on vocational training in due course.
Overall, the event sought to provide opportunities to network with key stakeholders, including employers, academic institutions, sponsoring bodies, ministries and students from around the country.
Speaking on the occasion, RCSI Bahrain President, Professor Sameer Otoom emphasised how employability is a key focus for the university.
"We are extremely excited to host what is very much a first event of its kind for RCSI Bahrain. We are particularly delighted to collaborate with Bahrain Polytechnic in supporting local employability and the high-calibre of speaker at the event reflects how important this is for RCSI Bahrain." 

Senior Chemistry Lecturer, Dr Declan Gaynor and Accounts Clerk, Khulood Al Salman, have been named as the winners of the RCSI Bahrain Deans Awards for 2017.

The winners were announced during a revamped annual staff lunch attended by Professor Sameer Otoom and over 100 fellow colleagues at the university campus.

Created in 2011 as a way of acknowledging the diverse and essential contributions of all staff members, the Deans Award initiative is open to nominations from all full-time staff.

This years event also played host to a number of new award presentations, designed to recognise the contribution of both academic and administrative staff members over the last 12 months.

The Inspirational Leader Award was presented to BSc Nursing Programme Director, Eman Tawash, while Digital Marketing Specialist, Bushra Ali, was named RCSI Bahrains inaugural Rising Star.

Nursing Lecturer, Danah Smith, received the Community Engagement Award, with Human Biology Lecturer and Research Laboratory Manager, Dr Michael Keogh, taking home the Research Excellence Award.

The Estates and Support Services department received a great round of applause after winning the Team of the Year award, while further acknowledgment was made to long-serving staff members.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor McMenamin offered his personal congratulations to all the winners and praised their contribution towards the universitys commitment to excellence in education, research and service.

Following on from the appointment of its first dedicated Careers Specialist, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) recently marked the opening of a new Careers and Alumni Office.

Located directly behind the main reception area, the office is designed to facilitate student visits and meetings and will offer guidance, professional development support and advice at different stages of RCSI Bahrain’s programmes.

The new office kicked off its schedule of events for the academic year with a series of alumni talks, namely ‘Pathways to practice in Australia’ with RCSI Bahrain class of 2012 graduate Dr Omar Saleh, in addition to a North American electives night, an event hosted by the University’s North American Medical Students Association aimed towards students interested in applying to North America for their electives.

As well as hosting regular seminars, workshops and networking events, a new ‘Careers Discovery Week’ is among further planned activities for the academic year.

In addition, the office will continue to engage with its networks of alumni to provide students further opportunities for research globally.

RCSI Bahrain is a constituent university of RCSI, which was established in Dublin, Ireland in 1784. Licensed as an independent private university, 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.