Damascus University

About the University
College of Medicine is the nucleus of the University of Damascus. It was founded in 1903 when the medical school opened branches in medicine and pharmacy after a bitter struggle and great efforts of the men of the Syrian Arab intellectuals during the Ottoman occupation.

Medical school moved from Damascus to Beirut in 1915 and used as its headquarters the Jesuit Medical College during the First World War. It reopened in Damascus after the armistice of 1918 and the withdrawal of the Ottomans from Syria and Lebanon. During the era of Arab government it was called the Arab Medical Institute. The use of Arabic as the medium of instruction was in response to the policy of colonization, which tried to impose French. The founders were convinced that their students would absorb, reflect and express themselves better in their native language.

For both the civilian and the military hospitals of the city of Damascus Medical Institute Dr. Reza Said was elected chair in 1920. In 1924 the Medical Journal of the Arab Institute started publication.

The Institute from its earliest days saw the need not just to train Syrians but also young men and women from across the Arab world. On average half of the students were non-Syrian. In the 1950s over half the doctors in the Mashreq were graduates of the institute.

The University widened its remit after the evacuation of the French in 1946. The Institute the faculties of medicine. It had all the lecture halls and laboratories necessary for teaching. The college issued; Doctor of Medicine and Bachelor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Dental Medicine and a certificate in nursing and midwifery in obstetrics. Successive reforms after 1946 have expanded the School and increased the number of students considerably. An Act promulgated in 1958 during the unity of Egypt and Syria amended the Syrian name to the University of Damascus.

College of Medicine has evolved in the past three decades with more buildings, educational facilities and hospitals, The college provides modern laboratory facilities providing the best conditions for the educational and scientific research. The teaching hospitals are the most modern hospital-university available and possess the ability to provide advanced medical services and educational quality.

College of Medicine adopts a strategy of scientific research by the Ministry of Higher Education in cooperation with various governmental bodies, The basis of this strategy is oriented towards research that serve the community and contribute to providing solutions to various health issues of priority in the Syrian Arab Republic.

We have already said that motivate faculty members to carry out scientific research is carried out through the promotion of academic research, which requires scientific and published in scientific journals court, and scientific research, there are different forms of research undertaken by graduate students under the supervision of faculty members. The university in the form of theories, some of them published in magazines court, There are research members of the faculty and the research that the researcher either alone or jointly by a number of researchers, Some are in conjunction with researchers from elsewhere in the State or in cooperation with foreign universities.

Contributing members of the faculty in the College of Medicine is an important part of a week of science activities establishing the Supreme Council for Science of the Ministry of Higher Education annually. The research presented in the course of many medical researchers and analysts Arabs, as well as the new faculty members to translate research acquired through doctorate from the university to the Arab world, This translation is provided with identity cards required for appointment to membership of the faculty, This is extremely important in the Arabization of science and research, He believes research in the mother tongue should be accessible to a large segment of beneficiaries.

Strategic Plan for Damascus University
The strategic plan of Damascus University is the product of the comprehensive self-evaluation begun in 2006 and the extensive consultation with key representatives of faculties and administrative departments and directorates in the University. The primary purpose of the plan is to improve the quality of the full range of University activities.

A secondary purpose is to provide clarity and focus for all staff members and employees of the University to share the mission, vision and priorities for improvement. The plan incorporates the mission statement into a set of objectives, each detailed into a number of measures, a time-table for implementation spanning from the 4th quarter of 2007 till the 4th quarter of 2010, and assigned responsibilities. The strategic plan also identifies key areas for early consideration in the University, adopts a phased approach moving in stages to more advanced and challenging objectives and locates potential financial resources and technical support required to achieve its objectives.

In principle, the plan provides a flexible framework that enables all University faculties and departments to formulate their own operational plans, and estimate necessary human and material resources. The strategic plan was formally adopted by the University Council in October 2007. The University is already beginning to implement some of its elements. The plan is presented in the following pages in a tabular form headed by each of its twelve strategic objectives.

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Damascus University