Meeting brought together academic leaders from the School of Health & Medical Sciences and the School of Science & Technology at City St George’s
By Mr George Wigmore (Senior Communications Officer), Published
Senior academics and students from Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) in Saudi Arabia visited City St George’s, University of London in July to explore the development of student exchange programmes and research partnerships between the two institutions.
The visit was led by Professor Wardah A. Alasmari, Vice President for Business Development & Community Partnerships at UQU, and the meeting brought together academic leaders from the School of Health & Medical Sciences (SHMS) and the School of Science & Technology (SST) at City St George’s.
Founded in 1950, UQU has over 17,000 students, including more than 2,300 international students from North America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. The University has 27 colleges that offer various programs in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, engineering and computer science.
During the visit, Professor Alasmari met with key academic and strategic leaders at City St George’s, including Professor Rajkumar Roy, Executive Dean of the School of Science & Technology, and Professor Natalie Armstrong, Executive Dean of the School of Health & Medical Sciences.
The delegation was also joined by 10 UQU students from the Frontiers in Human Health Summer School, hosted at City St George’s. With a strong emphasis on research-informed teaching, the Summer School programme provided students with an understanding of some of the world’s major health challenges and the research approaches used to address them in fields including global health, immunology, genomic medicine, oncology and radiotherapy, neurosciences, cardiovascular health, and population health.
The agenda for the afternoon featured presentations and discussions focused on current progress, opportunities for joint research, and transnational education initiatives.
The meeting began with an introduction from Professor Roy, which focused on policy contributions and emphasised building on the foundations established in January, when Professor Leanne Aitken, Strategic Academic Lead – School of Health & Medical Sciences Integration, visited Riyadh. Professor Alasmari spoke about UQU and the University's strategic objectives and partnerships.
Dr Raheelah Ahmad, Reader in Health Systems and Director for Global Engagement at City St George’s, and Dr Veselin Rakocevic, Associate Dean, International Collaboration and Student Recruitment, then presented an overview of the City St George’s international engagement and highlighted the mutual benefits of deepening ties with UQU and the possibly of medical and nursing students to receive training in Mecca, where UQU is based.
Speaking about the event, Dr Ahmad said:
“We were delighted to welcome Professor Alasmari and Dr Suhad Sonbul from Umm Al-Qura University. This meeting marks a significant next step in establishing long-term and meaningful collaboration. The shared priorities in healthcare, technology and education give us an exciting platform to co-develop impactful research, foster innovation and support global student mobility. We look forward to exploring joint funding opportunities and deepening our academic and cultural exchange.”
Among the key areas of discussion were joint funding opportunities for education and research between the UK and Saudi Arabia. These opportunities were introduced by Mark Hertlein, Head of Global Engagement at City St George’s, and Dr Ahalya Subramanian, incoming Director for Global Engagement for the School of Health & Medical Sciences. Attendees also explored other ways in which the universities could collaborate.
Academic leads from across City St George’s also joined the meeting, including Professor Lucy Dipper, Associate Dean in SHMS (Enterprise, Engagement & Employability).
Professor Armstrong, Executive Dean for the School of Health & Medical Sciences, concluded the meeting with a thank you. Notably, she highlighted the unique strengths of the two institutes, and spoke about how they are providing great potential for student and staff exchange opportunities.
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