The University has still a long way to go before interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching and research yields the sort of results necessary in today's world, Sandra Buttigieg, director of the Institute of Health Care, said yesterday.
"I believe we still have a long way to go to be able to claim with confidence that interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching and research at our University is bearing the fruit that is becoming increasingly necessary in the world of today," she said during a graduation ceremony at the Aula Magna in Valletta for students who received their post-graduate degrees.
Dr Buttigieg said it was not surprising that interdisciplinarity is one of today's most hotly debated topics considering the challenges it offers. This is a rapidly-mutating technological world where the boundaries between one discipline and another are shifting and blurring constantly, she said. The challenges of tertiary education urge us to look beyond the traditional disciplinary boundaries, towards innovation.
The shift towards interdisciplinarity, however, does not mean abandoning undisciplinary specialisation or moving away from traditional study programmes, she stressed. It effectively means a measure of dialogue, interaction and integration between two or more disciplines with a specific and clear purpose as well as working as part of a team, she said.
Faced with new forms of service delivery, a rise in patient expectations, staff shortages and a need for cost containment, Dr Buttigieg said "health care is increasingly emphasising the interdisciplinary team approach in which all health care professionals adopt and develop new skills while striving to improve the quality of health care and patient satisfaction".
The Institute of Health Care, despite limitations in resources, she said, is increasingly focusing on improving its research output. Its main goal however remained that of being instrumental in the development of effective interdisciplinary health care teams by bringing disciplines together not just from an administrative point of view but also philosophically, she said.
Unfortunately, however, undergraduate education is still largely based on individual disciplines rather than on the concept of shared learning. This meant that students enrolled in undergraduate programmes have little contact with each other and are offered little collaborative learning experiences which are designed to promote interdisciplinary or interprofessional health care team relationships.
While emphasising evidence suggesting that interdisciplinarity and teamwork in health care results in reduced hospitalisation and health service costs, reduced error rates and lower patient mortality, she also warned that one must also be aware of avoidable negative effects of teamwork such as rivalry, status and hierarchy effects and challenges arising from being a team.
On a lighter note, PhD graduate John C. Betts spoke of the significance Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and his famous story of bravery and courage in the form of Don Quixote had on his personal development.
He admired the bravery, vision and inspiration which de Cervantes and his fictional character Don Quixote had in abundance. Blinding vision, blurring inspiration and baffling bravery were both an irresponsible waste and a shameful loss, he maintained.
The following is a list of students who graduated yesterday:
Master of Science in Engineering
Sponsor: Prof. Robert Ghirlando
Elaine Nicole Calleja, Anthony Psaila and Trevor Spiteri*.
Master of Science in Integrated Product Development
Sponsor: Prof. Robert Ghirlando
Ian James Attard, Ronald Attard Pullicino, Charles Azzopardi, Joseph Anthony Bartolo, Robert Bezzina, Hermann Borg, Donald Camilleri, Anthony Caruana, Godwin Cutajar Kinsella, Jason Demicoli, David Farrugia, Emmanuel Francalanza, David Mangion, Nathan Muscat, Samantha Runco*, Kenneth Spiteri, Keith Zammit and Terry Zammit.
Master of Philosophy in Engineering
Sponsor: Prof. Robert Ghirlando
Alexandra Bartolo, James Borg Bartolo, Jonathan Cauchi and Raphael Grech.
Master in Information Technology
Sponsor: Dr Ernest A. Cachia
Anthony Attard Montalto, Carmel Azzopardi, Keith Bugeja, Vanessa Camilleri, Riccardo M. Flask, Carmel Gafa, Roberta Galea, Doris Grech*, Gordon Mangion, Owen Sacco and Colin Vella.
Master of Science
Sponsor: Prof. Charles V. Sammut
Conrad Attard, Bjorn James Azzopardi, Robert Cortis, Andrew Duncan, Adrian Gouder, Marie Claire Rizzo, Matthew Rizzo, Alison Shaw, Fiona Sammut, Charla Pia Vella, Matthew Vella, Joseph Victor Zammit, Matthew Zammit and Victor Zammit.
Master of Health Science
Sponsor: Dr Sandra Buttigieg
Lorraine Attard, Rose Marie Angela Cutajar, Hannah Kim Grima Formosa, Mary Grace Mifsud, Sandra Schembri Wismayer, Paulann Spiteri, Joseph Vassallo and Stephanie Vella.
Master of Science
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Alison Anastasi, Sunaina Balani, Karl Bartolo, Romina Briffa, Adela Cachia, Martina Castillo, Chantel A. Ellul, Owen Farrugia and Claire Gatt.
Master of Philosophy
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Wendy Antonia Scicluna Giusti
Doctor of Medicine and Surgery
Sponsor: Prof. Godfrey Laferla
Alexia Abela, Silvan Azzopardi, Amanda Baldacchino, Daniela Bondin, Nicholas Borg, Reuben Karl Borg, Amanda Bugeja, Jonathan Calleja, Lara Callus, Nicola Anne Caruana, Roxanna Caruana, Frank Christian Casha, Maria Cassar, Sarah Chetcuti, Thea Marie Chetcuti, Stefania Chetcuti Zammit, Lyle Chircop, Petramay Cortis, Jonathan Cutajar, Jeffrey Dalli, Emma D'Amato, Nicholas Paul Delicata, Krista Falzon, Helena Felice, Rebecca Anne Fenech, David Grech, Sarah Henderson, Kenneth Mangion, Maria Antonella Mifsud, Marilyn Mifsud, Maximilian Mifsud, Maxine Montefort, Martina-Jo Muscat, Michelle Muscat, Marwan Obeid, Michael Pace Bardon, Elaine Pace Spadaro, Bianca Parsons, Justine Preca, Luise Reichmuth, Ian Said, Samantha Saliba, Stephen John Sammut, Mark Schembri, Kelly Taliana, Krystle Blaire Theuma, Edith Vassallo, Joseph Paul Vella, Yanica Vella and Ivan Zammit.
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
Sponsor: Prof. Robert Ghirlando
John Charles Betts and Philip J. Farrugia.
Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine and Surgery
Sponsor: Prof .Godfrey Laferla
Ali Ahmed Al-Ashtar, Michael A. Borg and Maria Louisa Cassar.
* In absentia