'Design Thinking' is an integral part of student-centric curriculum at MBRU

Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in the presence of Mohammad Abdullah, President of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), Dr Amer Sharif, MBRU's Vice-Chancellor, and Professor Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, Dean of the College of Medicine.
MBRU and DIDI will explore areas of collaboration in higher education, scholarship, and research. Both entities will consult and cooperate with one another in areas of mutual interest that will further their strategic interests. 
At DIDI, today's students will be tomorrow's innovators; similarly, MBRU works on nurturing students that will be healthcare leaders of tomorrow. With 'Design Thinking' being an integral part of the student-centric curriculum at MBRU, both institutes agree to have faculty exchange as guest lecturers. 
This will further enhance the students learning experiences by exposing them to different areas of innovation and design. Both institutes will also explore opportunities to have student exchanges; students from MBRU and DIDI will be able to attend workshops and lectures. There will also be joint activities and projects, including design challenges. 
Dr Amer Sharif said: "Our vision is to be a global hub for innovative and integrated healthcare education and partnering up with DIDI will open up new avenues for our undergraduate and postgraduate students. It will allow us to collaborate on mutually beneficial projects, enhancing our students' learning experiences when it comes to design and innovation." 
He continued, "Earlier this year we launched a Design Lab, in line with UAE Innovation Month, led by Professor Homero Rivas, Associate Dean of Innovation and the Future. It's a centre for nurturing and fostering innovative healthcare solutions to improve the delivery of care, ultimately benefiting patients and our communities. This MOU is a key step towards realising MBRU's goals of innovative healthcare education and research." 
Mohammad Abdullah, President of DIDI, said: "We look forward to a beneficial collaboration with MBRU and exploring a platform for knowledge exchange and design-thinking. This benefits both DIDI and MBRU's faculty members and student bodies with exchanges and joint workshops.
Our initiatives with MBRU highlight DIDI's leading position as a design university and the importance of integrating design curriculum across education disciplines." 
- supplements@khaleejtimes.com