The Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in Dubai today welcomed the inaugural cohort of medical students with the White Coat Ceremony, a rite of passage symbolizing entry into the medical profession.

The 2022 class of MBRU’s new College of Medicine, comprising 56 students, received the physician-in-training white coat and took the Hippocratic Oath, a code of professional and ethical conduct and practice in medicine, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chancellor of MBRU, and Chairperson of MBRU’s Board of Trustees, at the MBRU campus in Dubai Healthcare City.

Commenting on the milestone, HH Al Maktoum, said, “The UAE’s health sector advancement is closely tied to increasing access to quality medical education. Part of the country’s wider development strategy is to work towards a sustainable and innovative healthcare system with qualified workforce.  As the Chancellor of MBRU, I see great potential in the university’s role in achieving these goals and strengthening the global healthcare value chain. The MBRU and its students are partners in the UAE’s commitment to build healthcare capacity and enhance its healthcare system.”

During the six-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) Program, students will benefit from a student-centered medical education and state-of-the-art facilities, medical technologies and learning resources.

The ceremony was attended by MBRU’s Board of Trustees, partners, faculty members, senior government officials, and students and their families.

In her welcome address, Her Excellency Dr Raja Easa Al Gurg, Vice-Chairperson of MBRU’s Board of Trustees, said that the ceremony is monumental for the young doctors who have slipped on the first coat of their career, and for the MBRU family who has worked with passion and determination to ensure this dream is realized. “As MBRU, we have taken on the responsibility to develop competencies in the healthcare sector by providing quality medical education, which will help transform the country into one of the most innovative in the world.”

Professor Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, Dean of the College of Medicine, and member of MBRU’s Board of Trustees, led the students in taking the Hippocratic Oath to declare their commitment to accept the responsibilities of the medical profession. In his address, he urged students to uphold their commitment to the medical profession. 

Adding an international perspective, Professor Patrick Johnston, Vice-Chancellor and President of Queen’s University Belfast, MBRU’s academic partner, and member of MBRU’s Board of Trustees, said, “At Queen’s, which is among the top one percent of global universities, we pride ourselves on enabling our students to become game-changers, innovators, communicators and leaders, who are addressing global challenges and making their mark on the world. I am confident that the new medical students at MBRU, who are among the brightest and best, will be supported to realize their true potential, heralding a new era of healthcare in Dubai and other regional communities.”

Prior to the White Coat Ceremony, MBRU’s Board of Trustees held their first meeting during which the members were presented with the strategy of the university, which, in line with the Dubai Plan 2021 and the UAE Vision 2021, aims to develop a high quality healthcare education and a center for healthcare research to enable future generations to become the leaders of a world class healthcare system. 

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Queen’s University Belfast, Communications Office, c.m.kelly@qub.ac.uk +44 (0)28 9097 5310 or Dubai Healthcare City, Corporate Communications Department, wafa.issa@dhcc.ae  +971 4 362 2839