Department of Microbiology & Immunology department is continuing providing high quality teaching, research and community service. It contributes to the M.D., B.Sc. Biomedical Sciences and B.Sc. Nursing undergraduate programmes. The Department continue to offer a two-year Master’s programme in Biomedical Sciences (Medical Microbiology) as well as four-year research-based Ph.D. programmes in Bacteriology, Virology, Parasitology and Immunology. It also contributes to the Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) residents’ teaching and training programmes.

The Department has wide spectrum of research interests. Microbiology researches include molecular virology and bacteriology; emerging, vector-borne and zoonotic diseases; antimicrobial resistance, mycology identification and clinical spectrum, molecular epidemiology of parasitic infections. Immunology researches focus on autoimmunity, immunity to hepatitis C virus infection and immunodeficiency, both primary and acquired, including HIV/AIDS. There is active international research cooperation between the Department and scientists in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, the UAE, the UK and the USA. The Department’s clinical sections offer up-to-date diagnostic services to Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) and other hospitals in Oman in the fields of bacteriology, virology, parasitology, mycology and immunology.

• Undergraduate Programmes 

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology is actively involved in the training of undergraduate M.D., B.Sc. Biomedical Sciences (BMS), B.Sc. Nursing students and international students on exchange research programmes. 
 

• M.D. Curriculum

The Department is played a major role in the M.D. curriculum from its inception and it is continuing to do so on every new version of the curriculum. The Department is actively participating in 13 different core and system courses as well as supervising medical student research projects in Phase I and II of the M.D. curriculum. In addition, the Department is contributing to teaching of laboratory medicine in Junior Clerkship and Senior Clerkship in Phase III.
 
B.Sc. Biomedical Sciences Programme
The Department is contributing substantially to the B.Sc. BMS programme. Seven different courses are offered during each academic year. Many students are conducting their undergraduate student research projects under the supervision of departmental staff.
 

• B.Sc. Nursing Programme

The Department has generated a three-credit Microbiology & Immunology course that is taught to second year B.Sc. nursing students during the spring and fall semesters. The course is still being actively run by the department. 
 
Postgraduate Programmes 
The Department is the main centre for the training of OMSB residents. 
 
M.Sc. Programme 
The Department is offering a Medical Microbiology programme for M.Sc. students in 2017. Four courses were taught in the M.Sc. programme.
 
Ph.D. Programme
The Department is also running an active international Ph.D. programme in all sub-disciplines of Microbiology & Immunology. 

The Microbiology & Immunology Department is involved in course coordination/teaching of the following courses to Medical, MLS and postgraduate students during

Spring & Fall Semesters:

Course Coordination and teaching of Medical and MLS Courses:

Course Coordination and teaching of Postgraduate Courses:

Teaching of other Courses to Medical and MLS students

CLINICAL & DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

The Department’s Microbiology & Immunology Diagnostic Laboratory, which is based in SQUH, continued to expand and offer diagnostic services primarily to SQUH, and other governmental and private hospitals. The expansion in the diagnostic services provided by the laboratory paralleled with the patient intake and outpatient activity of SQUH. New tests have always been introduced to improve patient services.   

External Quality Assurance
The Department continued to participate in the Royal College of Pathology of Australia External Quality Assurance Programme. The Microbiology & Immunology Diagnostic Laboratory scored excellent in these international external quality assurance activities.
 
   

Department of Microbiology and Immunology 
College of Medicine and Health Science 
Sultan Qaboos University  
PO Box : 35, Alkoudh.123 Sultanate of Oman 
Phone : (+968) 24143570/ Mrs. Hanan Said Ali Al Jashami - Coordinator 
Fax : (+968) 24413419 
E-mail : hananh@squ.edu.om