Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Professions Education program prepares graduates for global leadership roles in health professions education by providing practical experiences, mentorship, and career development opportunities in academic institutions, healthcare organizations, and policy-making bodies. It promotes the development of Emirati leaders in health professions education to enhance education and healthcare systems. By cultivating advanced leadership, scholarship competencies, and innovative strategies, the program aims to drive organizational change and advancement in health professions education and healthcare settings. The rationale behind this program stems from a pressing need to enhance education and promote healthcare systems and community health locally and globally. By cultivating advanced leadership and scholarship competencies, the program aims to drive organizational change and advancement in health professions education and healthcare settings. Recognizing the importance of integrating recent technologies and AI-based tools ensures that graduates are equipped to select strategies that positively impact health professions education and healthcare systems, aligning with available resources. The program integrates diverse healthcare and educational perspectives to address complex challenges by fostering interprofessional and interdisciplinary education and collaboration. It seeks to create an environment that supports partnership and connectivity among stakeholders, such as policymakers and healthcare system leaders, thereby enhancing the overall efficacy of healthcare education. The program also emphasizes the development of educational policies to support the implementation of approved strategies, enhance learning, and foster creativity. Supporting and advancing ethical principles with respect to cultural sensitivity ensures that the educational experiences developed are both inclusive and effective. The program employs a flexible learning approach that combines face-to-face and online strategies to achieve these goals. A cloud-based infrastructure like Blackboard facilitates interaction between students, faculty, and electronic resources. A diverse range of teaching and learning methods is employed, including lectures, flipped classrooms, small group collaborations, journal clubs, workshops, seminars, action learning sets, and assignments. Workshop sessions focus on active learning, enabling students to practice techniques with tutor support. In summary, the PhD in Health Professions Education program prepares health professions educators with leadership skills and knowledge while emphasizing evidence-based practice and research. It employs a flexible learning approach and diverse teaching methods to achieve these goals, supported by a comprehensive assessment framework and the integration of Action Learning Sets to drive real change in healthcare education. By fostering interprofessional collaboration and ethical practices, the program aims to create leaders who can navigate and influence the complex landscape of health professions education and healthcare systems globally.