King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

The University was formally established in 2005 due to the positive feedback from the postgraduate programs in various medical fields offered by the National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) since the mid-1980s. The advanced medical facilities at the King Abdulaziz Medical Cities in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al-Ahsa proved to be critical foundations for the University's successful inception.
KSAU-HS's main campus is in Riyadh, with two additional campuses in Jeddah and Al-Ahsa. Riyadh's main campus hosts seven colleges: College of Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, College of Applied Medical Sciences, College of Nursing, and the College of Science & Health Professions. Jeddah Campus hosts College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, and College of Sciences and Health Professions. Finally, Al-Ahsa Campus hosts the College of Applied Medical Sciences, College of Nursing, and College of Sciences and Health Professions.
The umbrella of NGHA has given the KSAU-HS students access to King Abdulaziz Medical Cities in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al-Ahsa, which are considered the most advanced medical complexes in the region. Furthermore, it has enabled KSAU-HS to enhance its curricula and academic programs with clinical applications and training under highly competent health professionals' supervision.
The University is very proud of the significant achievements made since its establishment in April 2005. Our vision for the future is outlined in the 2008 Strategic Plan, which provides a roadmap for growth and development and a record by which progress can be measured. It is not meant to change our course, but to sharpen our sights on the future and focus our collective direction more closely. Our collective tactics should enable us to build on our strengths and turn challenges into opportunities.
KSAU-HS has undergone a dramatic transformation over a short period. It has changed from a predominantly teaching institution to a research-intensive university and adopted governance and management systems based on performance and best international practices. The University has set its sights on becoming a distinguished global university.
KSAU-HS and NGHA provide optimal health care for eligible patients and their dependents. KSAU-HS will provide academic opportunities, conduct research, and participate in industry and community service programs in the health field. It will also provide educational health programs in an academic setting that fosters excellence in innovative learning, scientific research, compassionate patient care, and community health promotion that will enhance the health care development nationally and globally.
KSAU-HS has several agreements and memoranda for academic collaboration with reputable North American, European, and Australian universities and institutions.
Memorandum of understanding with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to establish a Collaborating Center for CanMEDS competencies in Saudi Arabia. The mission of this center is to promote excellence in residency education. It will serve as the hub of a network of medical educators, trainers, and faculty committed to supporting, developing, and facilitating CanMEDS in all domains of medical education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and in the professional practice.
The center will host and present a series of conferences & workshops on residency training, develop a network of medical educators, and deliver education and training to postgraduate medical education programs in Saudi Arabia. In Nov 2010, KSAU-HS hosted The Saudi Arabian Conference on Residency Education (SACRE). This conference was a landmark event that highlighted the collaboration KSAU-HS has with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The topic discussed in the conference program included critical trends in the development of residency education, quality in a residency program, contemporary and emerging tools for assessment of resident competence, simulation technology to teaching & learning in postgraduate medical education, teaching the domains of physician competence using the CanMEDS framework, the best research in residency education, new approaches for enhancing excellence in teaching and assessment in residency, current controversies in residency education and the implications for their program.
The Association for Medical Education in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (AMEEMR) selected King Saud bin Abdulaziz University as its headquarter. This decision came at the Association's 2010 General Assembly, which the College of Medicine at KSAU-HS hosted. Twenty-three representatives from fifteen countries and a president of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) attended the meeting.
KSAU-HS has several licensing agreements to develop its academic programs with prestigious universities worldwide: University of Sydney (Australia), University of Liverpool (UK), South Alabama University (USA), Flinders University (Australia), Arkansas University (USA), Thomas Jefferson University (USA) the University of Maryland ) the USA), Maastricht University (Netherlands), The University of Oklahoma (USA) and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (USA).
The campus is in the east of Riyadh. Its design is a mix of contemporary and Islamic architecture to reflect Saudi local culture and tradition's essence. The campus has ten thousand students, but it can accommodate future increases in student enrolment.
Central units of the campus include Administration Building, Conference Center, Clinical Skill Training Center, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Seven Colleges (Medicine, Nursing, Applied Medical Sciences, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Science and Health Professions, Public Health and Health Informatics), Housing Compounds, Sports Center and Recreational Facilities. There is a large landscaping area connecting the buildings with footpaths for effortless movements and less traffic usage. Also, there is a monorail connecting the main areas of the campus with the housing compound.