Research Profile - College of Medicine and Health Science - United ...

Department of Surgery
Dr. Fawaz also organized the 1st Middle East
Forum and Workshop on “Virtual Reality for
Skills Training in Medicine”in May 2004.
The Department is now designated a training
centre for laparoscopic surgery simulation and
practice by the European Association of
Endoscopic Surgeons (EAES). Dr. Torab is the
Founding President of the recently established
entity – the UAE Chapter of the European
Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES-UAE),
with 42 members, and has organized 17 basic
and advanced laparoscopic workshops involving
bench top trainers, surgery in animal models and
‘Virtual Reality’ surgical simulations.
Prof. Fikri has received two ultrasound machines
donated by the Red Crescent Society to the
Department of Surgery which are to be used for
the detection of free intrabdominal fluid (FAST)
in trauma. The machines have also helped to
facilitate teaching and research activities in
trauma and other fields. Two FAST workshops for
training in ultrasonography have been
conducted by Dr. Fikri Abu Zidan and colleagues
in 2004, 2005, and again in 2006. Dr. Fikri
organized a FAST workshop at a meeting of the
7th European Congress of Trauma and
Emergency Surgery which took place in Malmo,
Sweden in September 2006. Subsequently, he
was instrumental in facilitating the donation
by SonoSite of six portable, hand held,
ultrasound machines for education purposes
in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
at UAE University. SonoSite have since
generously sponsored an education grant for
administrative support, etc, to enable CME/CPD
activity in the recently established Clinical Skills
Training Center at FMHS. By the end of 2008 a
total of 10 FAST courses had been conducted
with 216 doctors trained.
With the support of Faculty Administration it has
been possible to establish a Clinical Skills and
Procedural Training Centre which is a
multidisciplinary venture to foster training for
undergraduates and particularly Residents in
a variety of clinical disciplines. Dr. Fawaz Torab,
who received the Faculty Award for Teaching in
April 2007, is the Director of the Center with
basic and advanced laparoscopic courses
planned in collaboration with industry who
have strongly supported the project financially.
Both FAST and ATLS courses are accommodated
as need be, and also courses in laparoscopic
gynaecological surgery and fetal
ultrasonography. FAST trainers include,
cardiologists, nephrologists, obstetrician/
gynaecologists, radiologists and surgeons. This
exciting initiative has been made possible with
donations from instrument and equipment
manufacturers. A number of Interns and
Residents in the General Surgery training
program have successfully completed ATLS,
FAST and laparoscopic training Courses.
Education and Research
Administration
Many Faculty are also heavily involved in
administration of research activities – these
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