n xstyle="font-family: tahoma">Arabian Gulf University
College of Medicine and Medical Sciences
Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Medical EducationThe Arabian Gulf University, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences,Bahrain has been a pioneer in the region in the field of EBM (‘Evidence-Based Medicine’). The first workshop on EBM in this region was organized at the AGU in Bahrain in April 1999 followed by several workshops nationally, regionally and internationally. To promote EBM the college established a Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Medical Education in 2000.
History
The concept of a common university in the Arabian Gulf region was always alive in the minds of the leaders and intellectuals of the area. Plans and projects for a joint academic venture existed long before the local universities were opened. These national universities, necessitated by the rapid course of development taking place in the area, satisfied the most pressing developmental, educational and cultural needs. The establishment of these universities resulted in the regional university project being postponed but not abandoned.
The spread of local universities during the last two decades did not however, fulfill the function of a unified university for the Arabian Gulf region. The idea of such a university, being deeply rooted in the shared educational and scientific tradition of the region, remained a cherished dream and ultimate goal. Following the 1975 meeting of the Ministers of Education for the Gulf States a project, for forming a joint Gulf university was initiated. The final agreement to establish this ambitious educational project was made public in 1979. At the time, the decision was made to locate the "Arabian Gulf University (AGU) in Bahrain".
The Regional Development Dimension
AGU is committed to the following goals:
1. Orienting its programmes and curricula to the cultural, scientific and occupational needs of the contributing states;
2. Undertaking the education and training of scholars and specialists in the various branches of knowledge needed by the member states;
3.Investigating the region's social, administrative and technical problems;
4. Conducting research in the various fields of development and contributing to the emergence of appropriate scientific and practical solutions.
Programmes in Oceanography, Desert and Arid Zone Sciences, for example, are designed with a view to the future course of scientific development in the member states with special emphasis on the cultivation of a technology tuned to the needs and cultural background of the region.
Committed to regional development, AGU does not confine its activities to teaching; it looks forward to serving the Gulf societies in the cultural and intellectual arena by means of sponsoring conventions, forums and cultural and scientific exhibitions. This stems from the awareness that is concerned with futuristic views and studies of the basis of readiness for tomorrow's world. This concern was reflected in the forum "Futuristic Conceptions", held in Bahrain under the auspices of the AG constituent committee in May, 1983. The Forum hosted more than five Arab and international professors and intellectuals who discussed a number of intellectual orientations which could be adopted by the university as a distinguished scientific institution.
Colleges
The University has two colleges: Medicine & Medical Sciences and College of Post Graduate Studies.
The College of Medicine & Medical Sciences has adopted an innovative approach to medical education, patterned on recent initiatives in Australia, Canada and Holland. This approach emphasizes self-learning and problem solving. Future medical personnel are trained to act within the context of the health team and to treat environmental effects on health as well as pathology. Students obtain practical experiences through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of medical cases and health problems in real life situations. They are instructed to take a comprehensive approach to medicine, treating illness from all different angles, rather than following the classical approach. This approach is an innovation in medical education in the Gulf States which will hopefully be used in planning future curricula for medical studies in the region.The College of Post Graduate Studies include two areas, Technological studies and Education. Technoligical Studies is primarily concerned with the application of sciences, relevant to the region's environment, such as combating desertification, shortage of food and water supply, salt stress, desert engineering, drought stress, pollution control, application of moden technologies i.e. biotechnology, remote sensing, etc., for exploration of resources and production of novel products. The socio- economic impacts of different technologies on man and environment are also dealt with.
Education is concerned with the development of programmes in the important field of special education, including the education of the handicapped and the gifted. It aims at training the student to identify a certain problem in the field of special education, to set objectives, make hypotheses, determine approaches and analyze data as well as formulate ideas, conduct research in order to solve the problem, and make concrete recommendations. In addition, it is planned to offer programmes in counselor education and educational planning.
Library
The university has two libraries: medical and sciences. The science library has a collection of more than 12,000 volumes covering all branches of knowledge. It subscribes to a number of reputed scientific electronic data base.All books are classified according to the Library of Congress Classification scheme. A comprehensive selection of audio-visual equipment is also at the disposal of library users.
The medical library houses a collection of books on basic and clinical sciences. It holds around 17,000 volumes of books and journals. It subscribes on various specialities in medical sciences. Books are classified according the National Library of Medicine classification scheme. The library is fully automated. As teaching in the medical school is based on problem orientation, the medical library has a large collection of video tapes and sets of slides to supplement teaching.
The university libraries have generous inter-library loan facilities from the local libraries and the libraries of GCC States. Inter-library services are also available from the National Lending Library of England. These facilities are free of cost to the teaching staff, students and researchers.
The university libraries provide on-line search facilities to the teaching staff, students, and researchers free of cost. The university subscribes to "DIALOG" which is one of the richest databases in the world. Manual spot search facilities are also available.
The library has seating facilities for 250. Separate study and group discussion rooms for male and female students are available. There are also a number of carrels for individual study. In order to help students use the library properly and effectively and to enhance the utilization rate, an orientation programme is arranged for new students every year.
In addition, text books for the various courses are provided to students at the beginning of the academic year.
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Arabian Gulf University
College of Medicine and Medical Sciences
Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Medical Education
P.O Box 22979, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel.# (+973) 239522 - Fax # (+973) 230730 Email:
ebm@agu.edu.bh 