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IN THIS ISSUE

01-02 FEATURE ARTICLECOLLABORATING WITH KING SAUD BIN ABDULAZIZ UNIVERSITYIn January 2010, a senior

delegation from the University

of Sydney travelled to Riyadh

to attend the First International

Exhibition for Higher Education.

The visit further cemented ties

between the university and King

Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for

Health Sciences and the National

Guard Health Aff airs in Riyadh..

02 VISIT BY HRH PRINCE TURKI AL FAISAL

02 VISIT BY THE SAUDI DEPUTY MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

03 SAUDI MINISTERIAL VISIT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

04 TRAINING SAUDI ARABIA’S FUTURE HEALTH LEADERS

05 SHARED PROBLEMS, SHARED SOLUTIONS: CHILDHOOD OBESITY

05 COUNCIL FOR ARAB AUSTRALIAN RELATIONS SUPPORT PHYSIOTHERAPISTS

COLLABORATING WITH KING SAUD BIN ABDULAZIZ UNIVERSITY

In January 2010, a senior delegation from the University of Sydney

travelled to Riyadh to attend the First International Exhibition for Higher

Education. The visit further cemented ties between the university and

King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences and the National

Guard Health Aff airs in Riyadh.

The University of Sydney delegates met with HE Dr Khalid M Alankary,

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Higher Education. During the meeting Dr

Alankary encouraged further collaboration between Sydney Medical

School and the top local universities King Saud University, King Abdulaziz

University, King Fahd University and the National Guard.

The Minister also emphasised that the Ministry is very interested in

helping Saudi universities to sign service contracts with top universities

Our Saudi ConnectionsMAY 2010

SYDNEY MEDICAL SCHOOL

VISIT BY THE SAUDI DEPUTY MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Dr Abdullah Al-Musa, Saudi Deputy Minister for Scholarships, Ministry of Higher

Education Arabia visited Sydney University in March 2010.

Accompanied by Dr Ali Al-Bishri, Saudi Cultural Attaché , Dr Abdul Aziz Al-Oraini,

Consultant to the Deputy Minister and Dr Sattam Al-Otaibi, Deputy Cultural

Attaché, the delegation met with various senior staff from the university to

discuss issues related to the welfare of Saudi students enrolled at Sydney. The

visit concluded with agreement that ongoing dialogue and visits are needed to

ensure the best service for Saudi students now studying at the University of

Sydney.

VISIT BY HRH PRINCE TURKI AL FAISAL Professor John Hearn, Deputy

Vice-Chancellor, International,

welcomed HRH Prince Turki

Al Faisal from the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia to the University of

Sydney on Wednesday 3 June

2009. Prince Turki Al Faisal was

accompanied by His Excellency

Hassan bin Talat Nazer, Saudi

Ambassador to Australia and

New Zealand, Dr Ali Albishri the

Saudi Cultural Attaché and a

delegation from the King Faisal

Centre for Research and Islamic

Studies.

The delegation was at the

University to discuss options

for further engagement in Saudi

research and teaching programs

in key focus areas of medicine,

sciences, law, architecture,

engineering and humanities and

social sciences. A presentation

on the Saudi Health Program

was made by Mr Mohsen

Soliman.

Professor Hearn hosted a

luncheon for HRH Prince Turki

Al Faisal, which included the

Dean of Medicine, Professor

Bruce Robinson, the Dean of

Law, Professor Gillian Triggs,

the Acting Dean of Education

and Social Work, Professor

Robyn Ewing and Associate

Professor Ahmad Shboul, Chair

of Department of Arab & Islamic

Studies at the Faculty of Arts.

from around the world. These service contracts would have specifi c durations,

goals and objectives and replace the former MOUs which make for more action

oriented agreements.

During the visit to Saudi Arabia in January, Associate Professor Lyndal Trevena,

Associate Dean (International) and Director of the Offi ce for Global Health, and

Mohsen Soliman, Manager International Relations and Manager, Offi ce for Global

Health Marketing also met with Professor Rashed S Al Rashed, Vice President

Postgraduate Education, and Associate Professor Mohamed A Al-Moamary,

Associate Dean, Clinical Aff airs at the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for

Health Sciences/National Guard Health Aff airs.

Discussions focused on the University of Sydney Medical Program, which King

Saud bin Abdulaziz University has been teaching in Saudi Arabia for 5 years. “The

University of Sydney Medical Program delivered by King Saud bin Abdulaziz

University and customised for the Saudi population was the fi rst problem-based

learning (PBL) program to be taught in the region”, says Associate Professor

Lyndal Trevena, “and an agreement has been made with the University of Sydney

for a further fi ve years.”

Whilst at the university, the Sydney Medical School delegation also met with

four potential Saudi PhD candidates. Based on this meeting, two of the four PhD

candidates have now been accepted into the University of Sydney to start their

PhD research in July 2010. One student will be completing a PhD in the Faculty

of Dentistry in and the other in Sydney Medical School.

“Also discussed was the possibility of sending a faculty member to attend that

university’s Medical Career Day to answer enquiries from graduate students and

provide information regarding post graduate study and research opportunities

at Sydney Medical School and other faculties such as Dentistry, Pharmacy,

Sciences and Health Sciences”, says Mohsen Soliman, Manager, International

Relations for the Offi ce for Global Health. “This was acted upon with Dr Vera

Terry attending the Medical Career Day in February 2010”.

COLLABORATING WITH KING SAUD BIN ABDULAZIZ UNIVERSITY CONT.

in Sydney and in Jeddah. The

arrangement was brokered by

Mr Mohsen Soliman Manager

International Relations from the

Offi ce for Global Health.

Delegation members are:

HE Dr Khalid M Alankary – Saudi

Arabia’s Minister of Higher

Education.

Professor Mohammed Alawhaly

– Deputy Minister for Education

Professor Abdullah Almosa –

Deputy Minister for Scholarships

Professor Abdulkader Alfentokh –

Deputy Minister for Planning and

Development

Dr Salem Almalik – Director of

International Relations

Professor Abdullah Alothman

– Vice-Chancellor, King Saud

University

Professor Osamah Taeeb –

Vice-Chancellor, King Abdulaziz

University

Professor Khalid Al-Sultan –

Rector, King Fahd University of

Petroleum & Minerals

Professor Abdulayllah Banajah –

President, Taif University

Professor Saad Alharigi –

President, AlBaha University

Professor Ahmed Alsaif –

Rector, University of Ha’il

On Monday 24 May 2010 the University

of Sydney welcomes HE Dr Khalid M

Alankary, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of

Higher Education. Dr Alankary will be

accompanied by his Deputy Minister

and the Vice-Chancellors of six top

universities in Saudi Arabia.

The Minister and his delegation will

discuss plans to further enhance our

collaboration with Saudi Arabia. Key

topics for discussion include:

• further cooperation in teaching,

learning and research

• scientifi c research

• services contracts in the Medical

Sciences, and

• quality assurance in higher education.

During the visit, Tabuk University will

sign two license agreements with

Sydney Medical School, the Exambank

and Compass integrated information

system. These agreements are the

result of a visit from Tabuk University

to the University of Sydney in August

2009 by Professor Tawfi k M Ghabrah,

Dean - Faculty of Medicine at

University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

A follow up meeting in Saudi Arabia

in January 2010 between Associate

Professor Lyndal Trevena, Mr Mohsen

Soliman, Manager International

Relations and Dr Tawfi k Ghabrah

cemented the cooperation agreement

for collaboration in research and

conducting workshops in Tabuk

University in Medical Education as well

as licensing of the Sydney Medical

School’s Exam Bank.

“Exambank, developed by Sydney

Medical School, is an examination item

bank for storing a large collection of

assessment items”, says Mr Daniel

Burn, IT Development Manager at

Sydney Medical School. “It provides

academics with the ability to manage

create and manage an examination

question collection and then build an

examination using client preferred

criteria. Exambank allows the history

of questions to be tracked, their prior

use and with which exams they have

been used in the past. We have refi ned

Exambank over the years and we

have taken this highly evolved product

and linked it with the latest web

development techniologies.”

Exambank’s features include:

• storage of additional information about

the questions, such as author, usage,

and statistical information,

• ability to store multiple types of

questions,

• exam blueprinting,

• strong access control, to prevent the

leaking of questions,

• distribution of exam creation

responsibilities so that experts from

diff erent disciplines can work together

to create an exam,

• handling for multiple question types

and exams, and

• linkage to the Compass learning

objectives system to ensure that

assessments are aligned to content

and outcomes and blueprinted

according to curriculum delivery.

Used in conjunction with the Compass

learning outcomes system, it provides

an ability to map assessment to

curriculum. “Compass is a new kind

of Learning Management System

for creating a constructively aligned

curriculum that links all the online

components of a course to their

learning outcomes”, says Daniel Burn.

“The development of Compass was

collaboration between Educational

and IT experts with many years

of experience, bringing the latest

knowledge in adult teaching and

learning together with the most up-to-

date online development techniques.”

Compass features

• a seamless and searchable application

with a user-friendly interface for

students and teachers at all teaching

sites.

• learning objectives, teaching and

learning resources, and scheduling

information, linked to assessments.

Also during the visit, King Abdulaziz

University will sign a service contract

with Sydney Law School for Moot

Training Workshops to be held

SAUDI MINISTERIAL VISIT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Fast forward to today where in March 2010 the University of Sydney welcomed

15 new candidates to commence the Saudi Health Program bringing the total

number of Saudi Health Program students studying at the university to 102.

Most candidates aim high. Their ambition is to successfully apply to the Sydney Medical School and start study towards

their medical degree in March 2011.

One of the fi rst to graduate from a Bachelor’s degree here is Mohammed Kamel Al Mubark. “I originally thought that I

wanted to study Medicine, but after completing my Bachelor of Health Sciences in December 2009, I decided that I would

rather study Master of Health Informatics.” Mohammed started his Master degree in March 2010, becoming the fi rst Saudi

student from this cohort to do so.

Mohammed continues, “the University of Sydney is the fi rst university in Australia and one of the leading universities for

research. In a university like Sydney, I can be assured of getting a high standard of education as well as the opportunity

to be involved in human health research. Even though I’m far away from my home country, I don’t feel homesick, simply

because the friendly environment in Australia satisfi es everybody’s needs.”

Looking back on those years Mohammed says, “I have spent three joyful and hard working years at the University of Sydney,

the experience I gained was unique. That is why I choose to continue my post graduate studies in Health Informatics at

the University of Sydney. Living in a multicultural society in Sydney which teaches me to deal with people having diff erent

backgrounds, which results in cultivating a better person.”

TRAINING SAUDI ARABIA’S FUTURE HEALTH LEADERS

Since 2005, the Saudi Arabian Government

has entrusted the training of its future health

leaders to the University of Sydney. In that fi rst

year of the program 60 Saudi students, fresh

from their high school experience, arrived in

Sydney to begin their training.

“The Saudi Health

Program is a

comprehensive off ering

which commences

with English language

training at the Centre for English Teaching (CET) at the University of Sydney.

The students then undertake the University of Sydney Foundation Program at

Taylors College to ensure that they are adequately prepared for the rigors of

study at the University of Sydney, before proceeding to a Bachelor degree”, says

Saudi Health Program Coordinator, Mohsen Soliman.

Now with the program in its fi fth year, candidates are enrolled in a range of

Faculty of Health Science and Faculty of Science programs, including the Faculty

of Health Science Bachelor programs in Occupational Therapy and Health Sciences, Faculty of Science Bachelor programs

in Liberal Arts and Science, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bachelor of Science and the highly competitive Bachelor of

Medical Science.

“In December 2009, two Saudi students who arrived in 2005, Mohammed Kamel Al Mubark and Shams Bukhamseen,

graduated from the Faculty of Health Sciences with Bachelor degrees in Health Sciences. In June this year we expect an

additional 12 students to graduate”, says Mr Soliman.

“I HAVE SPENT THREE JOYFUL AND HARD WORKING YEARS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, THE EXPERIENCE I GAINED WAS UNIQUE.”

5

SHARED PROBLEMS, SHARED SOLUTIONS: CHILDHOOD OBESITY

COUNCIL FOR ARAB AUSTRALIAN RELATIONS SUPPORT PHYSIOTHERAPISTSThe Council for Arab Relations (CAAR), part of the Australia Department for Foreign Aff airs and Trade, is supporting the

development of physiotherapy services throughout Saudi Arabia. CAAR funds have allowed for the translation from English

into Arabic of an existing website containing physiotherapy exercises.

“The website was originally designed to provide inexperienced, isolated and rural physiotherapists in Australia with practical

and much-needed information about diff erent types of exercises, stretches and training strategies appropriate for people

with neurological conditions”, says Senior Lecturer Lisa Harvey of Sydney’s Northern Clinical School’s Rehabilitation

Studies Unit. “The website was also designed to enable physiotherapists to readily and easily generate individualised

and professional-looking exercise booklets for their patients. Translation of the website provides greater access to the

information contained in the website by Arabic speaking physiotherapists. It would also enable patient exercise booklets to

be produced in Arabic.”

The physiotherapy exercises project was commenced in 2002 with initial funding from the Royal Rehabilitation Centre

Sydney and the Motor Accidents Authority of NSW (MAA). This initial funding was used to generate 150 exercises onto a

CD. A further grant from the MAA was then used to build on this initial work. It was used to create the website and add

a further 350 exercises for people with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. The website now contains over 750

exercises appropriate for people with neurological conditions.

“The website had been successfully translated into Chinese, Norwegian, Russian and Vietnamese. We are so grateful

for CAAR’s support to make this information available to the Arab-speaking world, says Lisa. “A spin-off is that the new

website is now also better able to serve our Arabic-speaking physios and their clients in Australia.”

The website can be found at www.physiotherapyexercises.com

Obesity and pre-diabetes in children and young people is

not just a major public health problem in Australia, it is an

emerging health issue we share with many countries around

the world, including Saudi Arabia. A new collaboration with

King Saud University is aiming to tackle the issue.

In late March 2009 Deputy Associate Dean in the Discipline

of Paediatrics and Child Health, Professor Louise Baur

attended the 1st International Conference and Workshop on

Childhood and Adolescent Obesity. The conference was held

at the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh. The

conference was held in order to launch the newly recently

established Chair of Childhood Obesity under the oversight

of Dr Aayed Al-Qahtani Associate Professor and Director of

the King Saud University Obesity Chair and to garner local

and international cooperation around the important issue of

paediatric obesity and related diseases. Professor Baur has a

formal role as Advisor to the Obesity Research Chair.

The conference showed that there are many potential ways

in which the University of Sydney and King Saud University

could interact on clinical, research and population health

aspects to these problems of obesity.

While in Riyadh, Professor Baur gave made three

presentations to the conference:

� Clinical practice guidelines for managing childhood

obesity: summarizing the evidence and putting it into

practice;

� Establishing a child and adolescent weight management

program: lessons learned;

� Preventing childhood obesity: is it possible?

Abstracts from the meeting were subsequently

published in the International Journal of Paediatric

Obesity.

Professor Baur also had a range of meetings with Saudi

clinicians and researchers as well as staff and students

from KingSaud University. A range of possible strategies

for research and PhD student supervision were

discussed. “There are real opportunities for Australia and

Saudi Arabia to learn from each other as we both deal

with this dangerous health issue”, says Professor Baur. I

am looking forward to the opportunity to understand the

issues as they face young Saudi children though working

closely with the new Chair”.

6

STUDYING AT SYDNEY MEDICAL SCHOOL

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

T +61 2 9036 7123

F +61 2 9036 3343

E mohsen.soliman@sydney.edu.au

SYDNEY.EDU.AU/global-health

SYDNEY MEDICAL SCHOOL

Sydney Medical School is Australia’s

largest and oldest. At Sydney Medical

School our aim is to develop caring,

clear-thinking, clinically outstanding,

research capable and globally engaged

graduates who have the capabilities

to become leaders in medicine, public

health and research. Ranked by the

Times Higher Education Supplement

as 15th in the world for Life and

Biosciences, you can be sure that our

programs are world-class.

Sydney Medical School off ers pro-

grams in a large number of disciplines

critical to contemporary health care.

These include:

Graduate-entry studies in:

• Medicine (MBBS)

Postgraduate study in:

• Biostatistics

• Brain and Mind Sciences

• Clinical Epidemiology

• Health Policy

• Indigenous Health Promotion

• Indigenous Health (Substance Use)

• Infection and Immunity

• International Ophthalmology

• International Public Health

• Medical Education

• Medical Humanities

• Ophthalmic Science

• Paediatric Medicine

• Pain Management

• Psychotherapy

• Public Health

• Qualitative Health Research

• Refractive Surgery

• Reproductive Health Sciences and

Human Genetics

• Sexually Transmitted Diseases/HIV

• Sleep Medicine

• Surgery

And research programs in any

medical fi eld.

www.sydney.edu.au/medicine

MOHSEN SOLIMAN

Mohsen Soliman is the Manager

International Relations and

Manager, Offi ce for Global Health

Marketing. Mohsen provides

analysis, program development,

support and advice on

relationships with partners in the

Middle East Region and Africa.

Mohsen was born in Egypt and

lived and worked in Europe and

the Middle East. Before settling

in Australia he spent two years

in Saudi Arabia preparing young

Saudi graduates for the world of

work. Mohsen has been working

with the Saudi Health Program

students at the University of

Sydney since 2005.

Contact Mohsen :

Phone: +61 2 9036 7123.

Email:

mohsen.soliman@sydney.edu.au

OFFICE FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

The Offi ce for Global Health works closely with the University’s Offi ce of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International).

The Offi ce for Global Health is part of Sydney Medical School and aims to internationalise the research we undertake, the experience of our students and staff , and our approaches to learning and teaching. We also aim to contribute to the health and wellbeing of our region by engaging in health projects with some of our nearest neighbours.

Find out more about the activities of our offi ce by visiting our website:

www.sydney.edu.au/global-health

CREDITS Copy: Mohsen Soliman and Louise FreckletonEditor: Louise Freckleton Layout: Michael Texilake