Al Jalila Children’s and Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences Graduate the First Cohort of the UAE’s First Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Programme

Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital, today announced the graduation of the first cohort of its Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program, the UAE’s first two-year training program for psychiatrists. The program - run in academic partnership with Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) and the the only Saudi Board accredited mental health fellowship programme in the UAE - opened its door in January 2019.

Dr. Abdulla Al Khayat, Chief Executive Officer of Al Jalila Children’s said “Congratulations to the graduates of the first Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program in UAE. Completing the first cycle of this program is a testimonial that Al Jalila Children’s is living up to its mission of developing its education portfolio and filling existing gaps to help advance paediatric healthcare in the UAE. Being a part of Al Jalila Children’s Mental Health Center of Excellence, the program has the unique advantage of being supervised by a well-known team of internationally trained mental healthcare professionals from around the world, delivering a comprehensive multidisciplinary specialized assessment.” 

One in seven children and adolescents experience some form of mental illness. As such, graduate or trained child and adolescent psychiatrists have an important role in promoting their treatment and recovery. 

The program’s clinical rotation experience and supervision focuses on developing skills in diagnostic interviewing, case formulation, treatment planning, and psychotherapeutic and pharmacological management in the context of a strong knowledge base in child development, psychosocial factors, and familiarity with the function and organization of health, education, and community support organization.

Professor Sulaiman AlEmran, Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) said: “We are pleased to graduate the first cohort of doctors from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program at the beginning of 2021. Two years ago, Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital and in partnership with MBRU received the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) accreditation as a training center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, becoming the first and only center in the UAE to provide structured training in this subspecialty. MBRU was recently awarded the full institutional accreditation by the SCFHS, this provides an opportunity to MBRU and its affiliate hospitals to offer healthcare specialty and subspecialties training programs, giving health professionals in the country and the region the opportunity to pursue structured training programs in distinguished centers.”

The graduates from the program are awarded with the Advanced Specialty Training Certificate in this subspecialty by the Saudi Commission of Healthcare Specialty.  

Professor Ayman bin Asaad Abdo, the Secretary General of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) congratulated the first cohort of graduates from the Saudi Board accredited Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program and said that SCFHS and MBRU are deeply committed to the development of healthcare professionals who are efficient in addressing the evolving medical needs of the community.  “I would like to congratulate the graduating doctors and I would like to wish them the very best on behalf of the SCFHS. We are committed to creating and nurturing an integrated academic health system in partnership with esteemed institutions like MBRU and are dedicated to the training of healthcare professionals who can elevate medical care in their respective countries and regions.”

The Program will begin accepting applications for its second cycle on 4 April and closing date for submission is 6 June. Applications can be submitted online at fellowship.aljalilachildrens.ae.