In the presence of His Excellency Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health and Her Excellency Dr Diana Abdulkarim Al Jahrami, Secretary General of the Higher Education Council (HEC) and Deputy Chairperson of the Higher Education Council Board of Trustee, RCSI Medical University of Bahrain hosted on campus its Annual Research Conference, where they were welcomed by Professor Sameer Otoom, President of RCSI Bahrain; Professor Alfred Nicholson, Vice President for Academic Affairs/Head of School of Medicine, and Professor Stephen Atkin, Head of School of Postgraduate Studies and Research.

Professor Atkin commented, “We extend our sincere congratulations to the healthcare professionals, faculty, researchers and students who submitted over 110 abstracts, which were presented at the conference via Oral, Soapbox and Poster presentations. With over 100 students and more than 30 faculty and researchers participating from the University, the Annual Research Conference provides a forum for disseminating current research, exchanging new perspectives and facilitates new collaborations between our students and faculty for future projects.”

The Research Conference commenced with a presentation by the keynote speaker Professor Eric Kilpatrick, Division Chief in Clinical Biochemistry, Sidra Medicine in Qatar, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine with Weill Cornell Medicine and Honorary Professor in Clinical Biochemistry with Hull York Medical School, UK, who has published over 180 papers and presented on the topic of 'Assessing glycaemic control in diabetes: more than just glucose'. 

This was followed by presentations from the University’s main speakers of the conference: Dr Edwina Brennan, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Medical Commencement Programme, on ‘Relationship between endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and vitamin D in female subjects'; Professor Uwe Torsten, Professor and Head of Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, on ‘The initiation, promotion and progress to VIN and beyond'; Dr Manjula Nandakumar, Postdoctoral Research Supervisor on 'Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Technology in Diabetes Therapy and disease modelling'; and Ms Maryam Yaqoob, Lecturer in Nursing, on 'Enablers and barriers for a successful transition to Higher Education as perceived by First-year Undergraduate nursing students’.

Three University researchers, two clinicians and one nurse participated in oral presentations, which featured primarily the results of clinical research. Five university students, Ms Sara Anjum Niinuma, Ms Khulood Al Zakwani, and Mr Taim Akhal, all in Medicine Year 3, Ms Margherita Gabra, Medicine Year 2 and Ms Malak Dinar, MSc in Nursing, participated in soapbox presentations demonstrating their growing skills and knowledge in conducting research.

Professor Otoom stated on this occasion: “We extend our sincere appreciation for the presence of His Excellency Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and Her Excellency Dr Diana Abdulkarim Al Jahrami at this important event. We are grateful for the Supreme Council of Health and Higher Education Council’s support for enhancing Bahrain’s research framework and for the continued support toward the expansion of research expertise.” 

At RCSI Medical University of Bahrain, we place innovative research at the heart of enhancing human health and patient care. We are focused on clinical and patient-centered research, addressing key national, regional and global health challenges.