The Faculty of Health Sciences at the University recently held a National Symposium of Health Sciences, the main aim of which was to showcase the research being conducted at the faculty by members of the academic staff and postgraduate students. No fewer than 13 oral presentations and 19 poster exhibitions were presented.

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo was present for the opening and gave an address, toget­her with the faculty dean, Prof. Angela Xuereb Anastasi.

Prof. Xuereb Anastasi recalled how the faculty had taken off four years earlier, having previously been the Institute of Health Care, and had become the second largest faculty – with over 1,300 students, 68 full-time members of staff and 11 departments offering 15 programmes at undergraduate level and 14 at Master’s level. There are currently 77 students registered for a Master’s degree and 13 registered for a PhD with the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Eleven departments are involved in the education and training of healthcare professions: physiotherapists, nurses (which include mental health and community nurses), midwives, radiographers, occupational therapists, podiatrists, nutritionists, medical physicists, applied biomedical scientists, communication therapists and health service managers.

Prof. Xuereb Anastasi stressed the importance of a good working relationship with the Department of Health, which consistently creates demands for new emerging specialisations and professions. Examples of this are a new undergraduate programme in radiography, which includes radiotherapy, a new discipline for the University, for which clinical training is being held at the University of Cardiff and which is being supported by the Health Ministry, and a Master’s programme in Medical Physics – an European Social Fund project – with clinical training being done in Leeds.

Both these specialisations will be required by the new oncology centre soon to open its doors to cancer patients. In fact, the students forming part of the first cohort in both fields are anticipated to graduate this autumn in time for the opening.

Prof. Xuereb Anastasi launch­ed the Malta Journal of Health Sciences (MJHS) – a faculty journal with online open access – under the direction of its editor-in-chief, Daniela Gatt.

The link for this is journal is www.um.edu.mt/healthsciences/mjhs.

At the end of her address, 10 students following undergraduate programmes offered by the faculty were presented with a Dean’s Award in acknowledgement of their success in achieving an 80 per cent grade or higher in either of their two middle years of study.

The Department of Health consistently creates demands for new specialisations and professions

These students are Mark Briffa (applied biomedical science), Sabrina Camilleri (nursing), John Carabott (applied biomedical science), Christina Fiorini (communication therapy), Roberta Mangion (occupational therapy), Mario Rapa (radiography), Stefan Sciberras (communication therapy), Chantelle Zahra (occupational therapy) and Bernice Zarb (nursing). The Dean’s Awards were sponsored by HSBC Bank (Malta) Ltd.

Prof. Clive Mulholland, deputy vice chancellor, Research and Student Experience, at the University of South Wales, UK, opened the symposium with a keynote lecture titled ‘Survival of the fittest: course design and the impact of technology’, during which he explored how course design may change as a result of technology.

The symposium came to an end with closing speeches by Prof. John Rizzo Naudi and the Health Parliamentary Secretary Christopher Fearne.

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