From left to right: Ms. Karina Dubois-Nguyen, Director of USI, Prof. Ahlem Ammar, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Science at UdeM, Dr. Sylvie Dubois, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing at UdeM, Ms. Marie Jobin-Gélinas, Gender Equality and Human Rights Advisor, USI, Prof. Rezq A.S.Salimia, President of the Nablus University for Vocational and Technical Education (NU- VTE), Ms Solène De Bellefon, Head of the Middle East Desk, French Red Cross, Ing Ghada I.A. Ibrahim, Project Manager, ISC support project ISC, Prof. Mélanie Lavoie-Tremblay, Vice-Dean for Research, Faculty of Nursing, UdeM, Ms Intisar Masood Hwaimil Abuaqel, Vice-Dean and Head of Obstetrics Department ISC, Ms.Stéphanie Tailliez, Assistant to the Vice-Dean for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Nursing, UdeM, Dr. Sana Mahmoud Hasan Al Aqqad, Assistant Professor and Gender Focal Point, ISC, Mr. Alessandro Di Renzo, Head of Delegation for the Palestinian Territories, French Red Cross, Marie-Claude Payette, Senior Director - International Affairs and Communications, UdeM International, Louise Demers, Director and Associate Vice-Rector, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, UdeM. Photo credit: USI
End of august, UdeM and USI welcomed a Palestinian delegation as part of the technical support project for the Ibn Sina College of Nursing and Midwifery (ISC) in Nablus. This five-year project, financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and led by the French Red Cross, began in October 2022.
It aims to strengthen the capacity of the ISC, which was recently transferred under the responsibility of the newly created Nablus University for Vocational and Technical Education (NU-VTE), to contribute to improving the quality of primary healthcare provision in the West Bank. Through its international academic reputation, particularly in research and gender issues, UdeM with the support of its Faculty of Nursing and its Unité de santé internationale, will provide expertise in several areas such as the development of employability programs, the support for the development of a Master's degree in nursing, institutional policies and programs aimed at equity, diversity and inclusion and gender mainstreaming.
The project has two main focuses:
1: Improve access to quality public initial and continuous education for ISC students, including gender issues.
2: Contribute to making ISC a national and international reference center, particularly in the field of nursing research.
Emphasis will be placed on developing research and sustainable regional and international partnerships to raise ISC's international profile. In this sense, the delegation's visit to Montreal initiated inter-university relations between the project partners and laid the foundations for future collaborations. Members of the delegation were able to familiarize themselves with other academic teaching and research models and configurations, such as the Centre of expertise in health simulation (EXESS) of the Faculty of Nursing, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Arts and Science, the CHUM Research Center, and the Laval University Hospital Center in Quebec City.
In addition, a workshop on research development strategy led by USI enabled the delegation to begin thinking about the strategic positioning of ISC, both in terms of the range of courses on offer and academic research.
The delegation at the development strategy workshop hosted by USI. Credit: USI
Ibn Sina College is the only public higher education institution offering affordable nursing and midwifery training in the West Bank. It also offers continuing education for healthcare professionals. As part of the project, the college will be modernized with the construction of new buildings and simulation centers. The new NU-VTE will comprise four faculties in addition to the ISC, all with a strong technical and professional vocation: Crafts, Technical and Professional Engineering, Communication and Information Technology, Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources.
" We are actively seeking assistance to enhance our approach in integrating the skillful philosophy into university pedagogy, strengthening gender equity, improving research methodology across various fields of study, and looking for partnership especially in future graduate studies at Ibn Sina College and throughout the entire university.” Prof. Rezq A.S.Salimia, President of NU-VTE.
USI and its partners are delighted to be collaborating with the French Red Cross and the French Agency for Development on this project, which promises bright prospects for the development of the ISC of Nursing and Midwifery, and for improving the skills of qualified front-line healthcare personnel in the West Bank.
The project is implemented by the French Red Cross in collaboration with the Unité de santé international (USI) and the Faculté des sciences infirmières (FSI) of the Université de Montréal (UdeM), Croix-Rouge Compétence (CRC) and the Palestine Red Crescent (PRCS), with funding from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).