PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

​​​​​Master and Dip​​​​lo​ma in Personalized medicine

Personalized medicine can be defined as products and services that leverage the science of genomics and proteomics directly or indirectly and capitalize on the trends toward wellness and consumerism to enable tailored approaches to prevention and care for an individual or a society.

Estab​lishment of the human genome and ad​vances in proteomics have led to a rapidly advancing field of healthcare that is informed by each person´s unique clinical, genetic, genomic makeup, and environmental information. These help scientists and physicians to develop targeted diagnostics and therapeutic approaches to achieve more personalized management by identifying individual susceptibility to disease and the response to a particular treatment. Thus, personalized medicine can help in:

Elimination of redundant treatments​

• Decreasing side effects of drugs
• Prevention and prediction of disease
• Earlier intervention and reduction of healthcare costs

The Personalized Medicine Program at the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences (CMMS), Arabian Gulf University (AGU) is offered with the aim of presenting advanced learning and practical training to physicians, science graduates and technicians planning a career in the area of personalized medicine including clinical genomics and pharmacogenomics.

The program focuses on complex diseases with multigene components influenced by environmental factors that interact with the human genome such as cancer, heart disease, neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders, obesity and diabetes. Such diseases represent an enormous burden in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Vision

The Personalized Medicine Program's vision is to be a unique, innovative and effective educational and research program to serve the health needs of GCC citizens, and globally contribute to excellence in research and development, clinical services and health education.

Mission

The mission of the Personalized Medicine Program is to acquire familiarity with genetic and genomic testing and gain theoretical and practical knowledge of personalized medicine and its role in making treatment individualized to the disease and patient.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, graduates should be able to :

• Help patients receive fast and effective treatment
• Personalize healthcare and improve patient outcomes through:
• Carrying out more precise diagnostics
• Eliminating unnecessary treatments and minimizing side effects
• Achieving cost effective healthcare
• Conducting scientific research

Program Outline

The Master of Science Program is a two-year program organized as follows:

The curriculum is organized around 4 semesters (16 weeks duration each). The first semester consists of core courses, while the second semester is devoted to specialized courses. During each semester, the student organizes with the supervisor/s the required courses and the research work, which are spread over the semesters of the academic year.

Topics for the theses will be decided in consultation with the Supervisors and the Director of the program taking into consideration the students' interests and ongoing research activities. Final approval of the protocol will be made by the program's Academic Committee.

Thesis work can be partly performed by the student in his/her institution provided that a qualified supervisor is identified and technical facilities are available to carry out the planned experiments. Internal and external examiners evaluate the written dissertation and examine the student orally.

The program is implemented by the Director and decisions are made by an Academic Committee consisting of members representing the major specialties in the program.

The Diploma Program is a one-year program organized as follows:

The curriculum is organized around two semesters (16 weeks duration each).
The first semester consists of 7 core courses and the second semester is devoted to specialized courses equivalent to 12 credit hours.

The two semesters are spent in formal classroom and laboratory learning.
Interactive resource sessions and laboratory activities allow the students to expand their knowledge, share experiences and acquire up to date laboratory methodology.

After completion of courses, the student prepares a diploma project.
​Graduation Requirements

Successfully complete a minimum of 28 credit hours of course work.
Obtain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0
Carry out a laboratory-based research project and successfully defend a written thesis​
Course Description for Master in Personalized Medicine
The students study 36 credits hours inclusive of a Master thesis which is equivalent to 8 hours. The courses cover 28 credit hours as in the list below.

Core Courses (1st semester)

The requirement of these Core Courses is 12 credits.

Specific courses (2nd semester)

The requirement of these Courses must reach 16 credits.

Master Project (3rd and 4th semester)