Jerusalem | Al-Quds University’s proposed doctorate program in Public Health, the first of its kind in Palestine, recently received accreditation from the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education Quality Assurance Commission.

The program aims to improve the health situation in Palestine and build healthy communities by graduating highly-qualified public professionals and independent researchers who can think critically to reach innovative solutions and contribute new knowledge in the field of public health. To be offered in the beginning of the academic year 2021/2022, this promising Ph.D. program will be a further contribution by the university to the Palestinian health sector, particularly in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, Dr. Asma Al-Imam, emphasizes this program was prepared based on the relentless efforts by the Faculty of Public Health at Al-Quds University to become a regional and global center for excellence in the contribution of knowledge, learning, research, and innovation, in line with the pioneering role of Al-Quds University in supporting research and promoting health sciences in Palestine.

The program includes theoretical and applied courses, with 30 credit hours as courses and a doctoral dissertation of 18 credit hours. The teaching and supervision processes of the program will be undertaken by specialized professors. The first cohort of enrolled students will be accepted at the beginning of the next academic year based on the procedures that will be announced on the AQU website.

As designed, the program has the capacity to enable its graduates to assume leadership and advisory positions in the field of public health and work as evaluators, researchers, and academics in health programs. The program will also support students with the tools to become experts in epidemiology and work in various settings such as universities, hospitals and primary healthcare in governmental, non-governmental, and international organizations.

It is worth noting that the Public Health program was catalyzed following the excellence and innovation demonstrated by graduates of the master’s program in Public Health at Al-Quds University, which highlights to the excellence of the university’s graduates and their endeavors to spread its humanitarian and scientific message on the various levels.