Partnership with Saudi Arabian University Brings Students to Jefferson

In 2008, Shirley Greening, CT(ASCP), CFIAC, JD, chair and professor of the Department of Bioscience Technologies, was a visiting professor at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences (KAU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. One of many outcomes of that relationship has been the arrival of Saudi Arabian students to the department’s 12-month advanced master’s degree program in 2009.

Ghadeer Almuhaini, MS’10, met Dr. Greening during that 2008 visit. “I participated in classes that she taught and took a certification exam she proctored,” Ghadeer says. While working as a cytologist at the hospital affiliated with KAU, Ghadeer was awarded a KAU scholarship and applied to Jefferson.

Sari Al-Jishi, MS ’10, was working in King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center in Riyadh when she heard about Jefferson from a former supervisor. “I thought coming to the U.S. would enhance my experience, my language and my personality,” she says. “I have been exposed to different cultures and have met more people, especially in the field that I’m interested in.”

The advanced master’s degree is designed for students with a BS in laboratory sciences. Students use the required clinical practica to gain experience in new areas, and foreign students often have an opportunity to do things they can’t do at home. At Ghadeer’s clinical at Quest Diagnostics, she says, “I got to work with the digital microscope – state of the art technology.” She attended a workshop and received a certificate noting her experience. That would not have been possible at home.

Sari’s advisor arranged for her to work in tissue typing, stem cell and flow cytometry labs, all new fields for her. In a management rotation she learned that supervisors do more than paperwork: “They do everything from scheduling to purchasing equipment. I never thought of that before.”

In their classes, both students note that there are fewer exams and more projects, presentations and papers in the U.S. Ghadeer says American students are more independent and aware of what is expected in the syllabus. “At home the relationship between teachers and students is more formal than here,” Sari shares. “Here, there is respect for the teachers but there is no barrier.”

Jefferson’s hands-on training is similar to what Ghadeer experienced in Saudi Arabia. “That is good because when you are in the field you know the technical part, not just the science behind it,” she says.

Thanks to generous scholarship programs, many Saudi Arabians are sponsored to study overseas. Sari, who has a government scholarship, explains, “Our king encourages us to be more educated in all ways, so we have a lot of scholarship from home.” She hopes to take specialized knowledge back to Saudi Arabia. “I’m interested in a doctorate in tissue typing or blood banking, but hospital administration is another possibility.”

Ghadeer’s scholarship obligates her to return to KAU when she completes her education, but first she wants to earn a PhD in cancer biology or molecular pathobiology. “I don’t want to be stuck in one field. As a student I like my professors to be versatile, so that’s the way I want to be.”

Thanks to the ongoing connection with KAU, more Saudi Arabian students are anticipated in future classes, says Dr. Greening. “I have recommended Jefferson to some of my friends at home!” Ghadeer says.

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