Beirut, December 2,2021: The University of Balamand (UOB) and Joint Commission International (JCI), held a signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding to launch the Healthcare Professional Development Program; the first university based academic program in accreditation discipline.

The launching ceremony was held at the University of Balamand in the presence of Dr. Elias Warrak, president of UOB; Murat Kucukkaya, managing director of JCI Middle East and Africa; Dr. Marale Atechian, principal consultant of JCI; and Jean Courtney, interim president and CEO of JCI, who joined via Zoom.

As a center of excellence, The University of Balamand has received continuous national acclaim for its dynamic curriculum that is continuously being updated to provide students with the best educational opportunities. Partnering with JCI, an independent not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies health care organizations and programs across the globe, the university seeks to build a capable healthcare workforce that can provide safe and optimum patient care. optimal patient care.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Elias Warrak, President of UOB stated: "We are here today to highlight the important and vital role of the educational sector in providing the necessary tools to maintain the critical thinking that is needed to safeguard our healthcare system and to deliver the best medical service for our population. This project would have never been realized if it was not for the extensive helpful cooperation of the JCI team in developing this academic venture."

Jean Courtney, Interim CEO of JCI added: “We applaud the University of Balamand’s leadership team for its commitment to advance quality of care and patient safety by making this foundational certificate program available to all health care professionals. The participants in this program will benefit from gaining knowledge on practical methods and best practices that are derived from evidence-based standards and are taught by expert faculty who are clinical and healthcare policy management practitioners.”

The program being offered exclusively by the University of Balamand is made up of 8 modules that are tailored to the needs and requirements of the healthcare sector in the region: tackling various topics in management, leadership, prevention, and safety. Given across two semesters, students will need to complete at least six of the modules to receive their certification, with each module equivalent to three credits. The courses will be given online by JCI and will provide medical, public health and engineering students with receive the knowledge, tools, and expertise needed to excel in the health care work environment.


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