Shafallah Centre’s managing director Mohamed al-Sada (left) and UCQ dean and CEO Dr Kim Critchley with officials from both institutions after the formal signing ceremony yesterday.

The Shafallah Centre for Persons with Disabilities and the University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) have partnered to improve community health through the signing of an international clinical agreement yesterday.
The partnership establishes fundamental ties between Shafallah Centre, an organisation that cares for and educates persons with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, and UCQ, Qatar’s exclusive provider of nursing education.
With instruction from Shafallah Centre specialists and university professors, UCQ’s nursing students will launch developmental and clinical projects at Shafallah as part of their curriculum to help further cultivate the medical knowledge base to support Qatar.
Shafallah Centre’s physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy professionals will serve as supervisors and mentors for students as part of the agreement. The Centre will offer a learning environment in which UCQ students can gain practical experience.
“Continuous improvement is at the core of the Shafallah Centre’s mission to provide the best care, services, and educational resources for children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, and by utilising the expertise of UCQ’s nursing students, we will be able to further improve young people’s lives,” Shafallah managing director Mohamed al-Sada said.
UCQ dean and CEO Dr Kim Critchley stated that the international clinical agreement allows for the institution’s nursing leaders to apply key nursing concepts to clinical practice while improving health in the local community.
“UCQ students will gain valuable experience as they work with their professors and specialists at Shafallah Centre to enhance the wellbeing of children in Qatar with disabilities.”
UCQ clinical placement co-ordinator Behi Nikaiin explained that students from the Bachelor of Nursing (BN) and Master of Nursing (MN) programmes will complete special practicums at Shafallah Centre for academic credit.
“Working in groups, the students will hone their critical thinking and teamwork skills to create and implement health programmes in conjunction with the Shafallah Centre’s experts.  These theories of health behaviour and health promotion will be applied in their work after graduation.”