Eastern Mediterranean University’s (EMU) Clinical Practice and Research Center, which will operate under Dr. Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty, has been inaugurated on Friday, 3 June 2022 at a ceremony held at Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty with the participation of TRNC Minister of Health İzlem Gürçağ Altuğra.
Present at the opening ceremony were Minister Altuğra, EMU Board of Trustees President Dr. Erdal Özcenk, EMU Rector Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın, General Director of Cyprus Evkaf Administration, Prof. Dr. İbrahim F. Benter, EMU Board of Trustees Members, Vice Rector for Administrative and Technical Affairs Prof. Dr. Serhan Sensoy, Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Dr. Nahide Gökçora, Head of Clinical Practice and Research Center Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Güzoğlu, faculty deans, faculty members and students. Before the ceremony, Minister Altuğra attended visited EMU Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty Building and got information. Then the opening ceremony started.
“We Will Be Able to Do Multidisciplinary Studies”
Speaking at the ceremony, EMU Dr. Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty Clinical Practice and Research Center Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Güzoğlu wished the center to be beneficial for the faculty and EMU. Assoc. Prof. Güzoğlu stated that medicine has been adopted as an art because, while diagnosing patients, doctors gather information from the patient one by one, like painting brush strokes on a canvas, and combine them with their wisdom, mastery and experience to reveal the big picture. Emphasizing that faculty students will have the opportunity to meet with patients from the first year under the roof of EMU, as recommended by internationally reputable organizations, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güzoğlu also stated that they can carry out multidisciplinary studies with other faculties that train health professionals at the center.
“Students Will See Good Clinical Practices”
EMU Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Dr. Nahide Gökçora stated that they are proud and honored to be providing new services to the public, and emphasized that the Clinical Practice and Research Center, which has actively been put into service at Dr. Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty today, is an important step taken in accordance with the mission of the faculty. Expressing that their mission is to raise quality doctors who make a difference with their skills, and to produce solutions by shedding light on the health problems of the society, Prof. Dr. Gökçora talked about projects such as the cancer registry project that the faculty has been carrying out for years for public health and the establishment of Famagusta State Hospital – EMU genetic research laboratories. Stating that students and experts in the Clinical Practice and Research Center will implement practices such as age-appropriate cancer screening, vaccination in children, counseling for early diagnosis of neurodiversity such as autism, diagnosis and treatment of dementia, one of the most important problems of our age, Prof. Dr. Gökçora pointed out that their aim is to bring faculty members together with the public at the center and to serve public health by educating students as witnesses of good clinical practices from the first years of their medical education. Prof. Dr. Gökçora wished the center to be beneficial to the faculty, EMU and the whole country.
“I would like to thank those who contributed to the opening of the center”
Expressing that today is a very happy day for them, EMU Rector Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın, thanked former Rector Prof. Dr. Necdet Osam and his team for taking the first step on this issue. Emphasizing that the aim of EMU as a state university is to provide quality education, conduct research and serve the society, Prof. Dr. Hocanın noted that the opening of the center is a moment when these three goals intersect. Underlining that they do not aim to serve the society like a hospital, but aim to provide basic clinical education in the first three years for educational purposes at the center, whilst seeing patients and contributing to the society. Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın pointed out that EMU is a name in every field. Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın thanked all the stakeholders who contributed to the opening of the center.
“Public's Access to Health Services Will Increase”
President of the EMU Board of Trustees Dr. Erdal Özcenk stated that he is proud, both as the President of the Board of Trustees and as a doctor, that such a center has been introduced to the country by EMU. Reminding that EMU is the locomotive of higher education in the TRNC, Dr. Özcenk noted that EMU, which is a great asset of the country, has a structure that is intertwined with the public. Pointing out that the most striking example of this is the support they gave to the students as one heart with the public during the difficult pandemic process, Dr. Özcenk stated that thanks to EMU's strong institutional structure, it has successfully overcome this difficult period with the measures it has taken economically and socially. Dr. Özcenk emphasized that in addition to the quality education that EMU provides to its students, it also produces projects that will add value to the TRNC. Giving information about the history of Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Özcenk pointed out that faculty graduates can practice medicine all over the world. Expressing that the center will increase the public's access to health services, Dr. Özcenk noted that it will also provide faculty students with the opportunity to practice under the supervision of their instructors. Stating that various services for public health will be provided and research will be conducted in the center, Dr. Özcenk congratulated all stakeholders who contributed to the establishment of this modern center and wished the students and the public good luck.
“I wish the Center Brings Positive Outcomes for Our Country”
TRNC Minister of Health, İzlem Gürçağ Altuğra, stated that medical education is the most comprehensive and long-leg education and emphasized the importance of practical applications as well as the developing educational technologies in this process. Stating that the TRNC is the island of universities, Minister Altuğra pointed out that the fact that medical faculties have opportunities for students to learn good clinical practices is an important plus for the country. Altuğra also stated that continuing their observations and research at hospitals affiliated to the ministry, Dr. Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty students now have these opportunities within EMU. Minister Altuğra underlined that the role of science-based universities is indispensable in carrying healthcare services to a higher level in a country. Stating that the cancer registry project they carried out jointly with Dr. Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty and the MDH – EMU Molecular Genetics Research Laboratory established in Famagusta State Hospital are the two best examples of the benefits that the joint work has brought to the country, Minister Altuğra said it is their greatest wish to work together on beautiful projects with EMU. Stating that Dr. Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty has made such progress since its establishment and it should be appreciated that it has trained successful students to serve in the sensitive field of health, Minister Altuğra said that with the opening of the center, besides the practical training of the students, many studies to be organized by the academics in the field of health will be conducted. Noting that with Dr. Fazıl Küçük Medicine Faculty's motivating effect and the ministry's infrastructure in terms of personnel and equipment, they can achieve many more good works, Minister Altuğra wished the center to be beneficial and auspicious for the country.
After the opening speeches, EMU Rector Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın and Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Dr. Nahide Gökçora, presented General Director of the Cyprus Evkaf Administration, a plaque of appreciation for their contributions to the center. After the ribbon cutting, Minister Altuğra visited the center and received information about the center.
