Qatar University (QU) recently announced in a press conference that the new College of Dental Medicine will offer a six-year programme beginning in September 2019. The programme will lead to a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree.
With a yearly intake of up to 25 students, 70% of students are expected to be Qatari high-school applicants from within Qatar. As the fourth college under QU Health, the new college will complement the existing health-related colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Health Sciences, and expand inter-professional learning at the university. This is the first dental medicine college in Qatar and the 10th college for QU.
QU officials, led by its president, Dr Hassan Al Derham, as well as officials from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), were there during the announcement.
Dr Al Derham expressed his enthusiasm in the new college and said that the health cluster in QU is to be an ‘umbrella’ for the different schools – pharmacy, medicine, health sciences and now, dentistry.
Now is an important time to prepare a new generation of skilled Qatari doctors, who are connected with their community, the changes in society and economy, and the health requirements needed.
The curriculum will incorporate pedagogical approaches and advanced e-learning and learning technologies that foster the students active learning and critical thinking.
The college will follow international best-practice standards set by accreditation agencies in the US, Australia, Europe and will closely collaborate with international accreditors to ensure compliance with high quality standards. Students who will be admitted to the college will be eligible for sponsorships through the MOAD programme, where HMC and PHCC will sponsor students who signed an agreement to join their dental workforce after graduation. The new Oral Health Institute will serve as a platform to integrate education and research in dental medicine and will benefit from the existing collaboration between HMC and international research institutes.
For details of the new DMD programme, visit qu.edu.qa.