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Thumbay International Pathway celebrates a decade and 90 new doctors at its convocation
A decade after launching with 27 students, Gulf Medical University’s Ajman-to-Poland medical pathway continues to expand with its tenth cohort
- PUBLISHED: Fri 5 Jun 2026, 10:37 AM
The Medical University of Lublin (MUL), Poland, will hold a convocation to honour students of its Thumbay International Pathway – Poland, the medical route that begins with pre-clinical study in Ajman and culminates in an MD degree from the Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
The ceremony marks a significant milestone. The program is now in its tenth year, and Gulf Medical University (GMU) has enrolled its 10th cohort of students.
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It started modestly. In 2017, the programme was launched as the Associate Degree in Preclinical Sciences with just 27 students. In 2022, the Commission for Academic Accreditation renewed the program’s accreditation with a substantive change to the Higher Diploma in Preclinical Sciences (HDPCS), a Level 6 qualification. The model includes three years of pre-clinical study at GMU, followed by transfer to Lublin for three years of clinical training, with the final MD degree awarded by its partner university and recognized across the European Union. The articulation agreement has ensured seamless transfer between the universities.
Since 2017, more than 650 students from 62 nationalities have enrolled. The first cohort graduated from Lublin in 2023, and the numbers have continued to grow every year.
This brings the total to 90 doctors who trained in Ajman and earned their degrees in Poland. Today, 335 students from more than 45 nationalities are enrolled across the three pre-clinical years at GMU, with future cohorts already progressing through the pathway.
Leaders from both universities reflected on the success of the partnership. Prof. Manda Venkataramana, Chancellor, Gulf Medical University, said: "Every name we read out today began as an application from a student who simply wanted to become a doctor. What this pathway gives them is an honest, direct route from Ajman to a European medical degree, with no guesswork and no closed doors. Seeing our tenth cohort arrive, with graduates now practising across the world, tells me we built the right thing."
The ceremony was held in the presence of Dr Thumbay Moideen, founder president of Thumbay Group and Gulf Medical University, whose vision set this pathway in motion. What began as his conviction that students in the UAE deserved a direct and trusted route to a global medical career now counts 90 graduates, with hundreds more on the way.
The programme has become a trusted route into medicine for students from around the world. The June 23 convocation celebrates the graduates, their families, and the faculty members across two countries who helped build this pathway.
For more details, visit: https://gmu.ac.ae/poland-pathway/