On April 30th, 2024, the main foyer of Gulf Medical University, Ajman, was filled with a shared commitment to community well-being as students from different health professions education programs from different years, viz., 1st and 2nd year MD students, 2nd year BBMS, 2nd year HDPCS, 3rd year nursing, and 2nd and 4th year PharmD programs came together. Together, they conducted an interprofessional community engagement activity that highlighted the importance of immunization. The initiative organized to celebrate World Immunization Week 2024, marked an important part of the collective efforts to raise awareness to prevent infectious diseases through vaccination as an indisputable human right to protect children from life-threatening diseases. The initiative focused on seven main objectives to highlight the:
- Impact of immunization on reducing vaccine-preventable diseases
- Recommended vaccinations for children
- Role of Health Education in vaccination
- Importance of child vaccination and the threat of immunity gap
- Recommended vaccinations for adults
- Laboratory support for surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases
- Innovative approaches to vaccine development
The event was guided by Dr. Doaa Mostafa AlEraky, Dr. Shatha Al Sharbatti, Dr. Alireza Amin, and Dr. Osama El Sayed El Assay (Consultant Pediatrician and Head, Department of Paediatrics, Thumbay University Hospital, Ajman), whose expertise and commitment enriched the experience of the students, promoting an effective environment of learning and engagement. World Immunization Week aims to draw attention to the need for collective action to prevent infectious diseases through vaccination, and safeguard more adults, children, and their communities, so they can enjoy longer, happier lives. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is persevering great efforts to combat preventable infectious diseases by implementing a digital platform for vaccinations (Al Hosn), developed with the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and local healthcare authorities.
This event was a timely intervention to highlight immunization as one of the modern medicine’s greatest success stories through an interprofessional community event by narrating the story of immunization, embracing the current impact, and exploring the future of vaccination.
The event featured different activities like Informative and well-illustrated posters aligned with the seven main objectives, game-based learning activities, educational videos and flyers, accompanied by dedicated participants who took the initiative to explain and address queries from individuals seeking clarification.
A feedback survey was conducted, and a significant 98% of participants expressed that the event was well-organized and interactive with appropriate facilities and helpful materials. Nearly all respondents conveyed that the event was informative, raised awareness, and tackled misconceptions about immunization. The posters provided accurate and comprehensive details about vaccines with well-chosen references that were relevant and integrated clearly into the presentation. The presenters were highly engaging, demonstrated interest for the topic, and maintained the interest of the audience throughout, skilfully using visual aids. The success of our event was a testament to the interprofessional collaboration, meticulous efforts, and dedication of each member who worked efficiently within the given time frame.
“Interprofessional educational activities is required to be inculcated in the curriculum from early years, as it truly reflects how patient care is actually delivered. Today’s event is a testimony that we walk the talk!” said Prof. Manda Venkatramana, Vice Chancellor Academics & Dean, College of Medicine, who is also the Chairman of the Community Engagement Committee of Gulf Medical University.
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