Basic Medical Sciences

Department of Basic Medical Sciences

Basic medical sciences (BMS) are the backbone of any undergraduate or graduate program in medical schools throughout the world. The basic medical sciences are central and fundamental, not only to educating the next generation of physicians for Saudi Arabia, but also to improving the lives of our citizens through scientific breakthroughs in translational medical research which will make an impact in preventing and treating cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and neurological disorders. At this early stage, the department of BMS-Jeddah provides the basic medical sciences courses for the undergraduate medical students in the university, including anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology and physiology. As the university grows, our department is envisaged to have greater input into postgraduate, allied health sciences and other related programs.  The Department of Basic Medical Sciences interacts very closely with the other academic units of the university, such as the basic sciences and the clinical departments, as well as the School of Nursing and its sister departments at the other campuses of the KSAU-HS.

The Department of Basic Medical Sciences-Jeddah has international, high-caliber faculty who have years of experience in their fields. They aim to develop the students' ability to use basic principles in biology to understand and solve problems related to health and disease in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Faculty also provides mentorship to the medical students. The department aims to strive in achieving excellence in both teaching and research. It promotes to establish a research milieu, which is conducive to learning and creating new knowledge. In time, the Department of BMS plans to develop thematic research programs in both basic and applied research, which will take the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, KSAU-HS-Jeddah to the next level on the international scene, while fulfilling the  specific health care needs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

At the College of Medicine-Jeddah we follow KSAU-HS’s integrated and challenging undergraduate medical curriculum. It is designed to foster self-learning and develop students into life-long learners and researchers. It also inculcates in critical thinking and logical reasoning skills in students and equips them to adapt their knowledge and application of basic sciences to relevant areas in medicine.  This department contributes to the pre-med program by introducing the basic medical science disciplines to the students. The first two years' of the medical curriculum is a shared responsibility between the basic sciences and the clinical faculty. It is delivered through a problem-based learning format, to small groups of students who meet regularly for approximately five hours per week throughout the first and second years of the program. Materials from the different basic sciences disciplines, including microbiology and pathology, are integrated in a manner relevant to clinical cases under discussion in the week’s problem. All basic sciences faculty members take on three roles in this teaching program: PBL tutor, resource person and evaluator. Many faculty members also hold joint appointments in our Medical Education/Clinical Affairs Departments where they participate in teaching and conduct research projects. Integrated teaching and learning strategy enhances collaboration between basic sciences and clinical departments, and effectively utilizes precious institutional resources. We aim to develop skilful medical professionals through our undergraduate medical degree and medical specialists through our Postgraduate Medical Education Programms. We encourage every graduate to return to their communities to provide an exceptional level of healthcare.