Skip to content | Change text size
 

Bendigo school director takes helm at Sharjah medical school

19 October 2005

Professor Gordon Whyte will oversee the running of the new Monash medical course at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, after being seconded to the university and appointed dean of the medical college.

University of Sharjah.

Professor Whyte, who was previously director of the Monash Bendigo Regional Clinical School, started at Sharjah in September, the beginning of the academic school year.

In his new role, Professor Whyte will oversee the installation of the five-year medical course at Sharjah.

Monash signed an agreement with Sharjah in December 2004 to provide medicine and pharmacy degrees at the University of Sharjah.

As part of the agreement, Monash is providing its medicine and pharmacy curriculum and course material, helping recruit senior staff, and designing and staffing a new teaching hospital.

The course has about 60 students enrolled, which is expected to grow to 120 next year.

Professor Whyte said the Sharjah University Medical College was one of a suite of initiatives by the Ruler of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, and the UAE to develop the Emirates as a centre for health and education as well as tourism and business.

"The opportunity for Monash is to build collaborative research programs to match the teaching programs going into place in medicine," Professor Whyte said.

"My role is to assist Sharjah to build a reputation for excellence in medical education and build local collaborations.

"This is also an opportunity to build lasting relationships between Monash and Sharjah and then into the Middle East and India and Pakistan. My role is to set the scene at this stage, then to create further opportunities between the two organisations."