The Department of Microbiology and Clinical Parasitology is one of the main preclinical departments at the College of Medicine, King Khalid University. It was established in 1400 AH (1980 AD), four years after the establishment of the faculty, according to Royal approval No. 3/m/3806 on 19/02/1400 A.H (08/01/1980AD). The department is entitled for teaching theoretical and practical classes in four basic specialties: Bacteriology and Mycology, Virology, Parasitology and Medical Entomology, and Immunology.

VISION, MISSION AND VALUES

VISION: 

To be recognized as a center of excellence for distinctive interdisciplinary education and advanced innovative scientific research in clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, and immunology.

MISSION: 

To impart high-impact competency based education with an integrated approach and foster innovative research in a diverse and inclusive environment by exploring scientific domains in microbiology and immunology while transforming discoveries into therapies against infectious diseases, immune disorders, and cancers for benefiting the community. 

VALUES:

The department values are derived from King Khalid University values which are Excellence, Integrity, Commitment, Competence, Innovation, Transparency. It also goes with the values ​​of the Asir people (honesty, tolerance, belonging, and discipline) launched by His Royal Highness Prince Turki bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Asir region, in the Ajawid initiative.

GOALS:

1. To be a center of excellence providing best practices, training and educations in microbiology and immunology.

2. To serve as a distinguished regional diagnostic referral center for infectious diseases and immunological disorders.

3. To provide competency-based and high quality interdisciplinary scientific research in the field of infectious diseases and immunology.

4. To develop and implement effective postgraduate training programs.

5. To foster community partnerships.

Activities of the Department:

The department in order to full KSA 2030 vision, health aspect is:

1.   Teaching theoretical and practical classes in microbiology, parasitology and immunology to the students of the College of Medicine.

2. Conducting diagnostic, specialized and confirmatory laboratory tests including virological, bacteriological, fungal, parasitic and immunological tests for patients attending at Aseer Central Hospital (ACH), Abha Maternity and Child Hospital (AMCH), and other hospitals across the Southern Region of KSA.

3.   Conducting scientific research with emphasis on clinical issues, community health problems and endemic diseases in Aseer province such as Malaria, Leishmania, brucellosis, Rift valley fever, dengue fever and other endemic parasitic, bacterial, fungal and viral infections.

4. Conducting scientific research with special emphasis on basic and clinical research in immunological disorders including allergic and autoimmune diseases.

5.  Supervising the performance of the technicians and specialists at the Province's health affairs laboratories.

6. Continuously inspecting the Province's hospitals with the purpose to identify the microbial contamination sources and studying contagion media between patients and hospital staff.

7.  Participating in the disease control, providing scientific and technical consultations, and setting plans to prevent hospital contagion in the Province.

8.  Conducting scientific seminars, workshops in emerging infectious diseases (e.g. COVID-19 in different areas of the region during the pandemic.

9. The department also offered a number of scientific presentations through its high caliber staff at both national and international levels.

10.Collaborations with national and reginal centers in research and diagnostic affairs.  

Departmental Committees

1. Curriculum development committee.

2. Examination, evaluation and continuous assessment committee.

3. Lab Purchase and teaching requirements committee.

4. Teaching and courses committee.

5. Master program follow up committee.

6. Promotion and research committee – upon requirements.

7. Participation in mentorship committee at college level.

8. Participation in regional hospitals and university committee.

Conferences & Seminars

The department participated in the conferences seminars through the following:

1. The department teaching staff regularly presented scientific papers in the Annual Research Day which organized by the Academic Deanship of the college.

2. The department teaching staff had regular participation in the in local, regional and international conferences.

3. The department organized lectures to the laboratory specialists and technicians on the microbiological tests of food poisoning at the regional province's health affairs department of the Ministry of Health (MOH).

4. The department organized lectures to the hospital staff and patients in the southern region on the microbes, and infections prevention and control.

5. The department is a regular participant in the joint forensic-medical committee at the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia.

6. The department had taken part in a number of seminars on the Prophetic Medicine, which were held in Abha in the last few years.

Academic Committees

The department, through its teaching staff members, participated in several committees within the College and the University as well as in the Public Health committees. The department also established several committees to discuss the various aspects and activities including:

1.  The master program in Parasitology and Medical Entomology committee.

2.  The college accreditation committee.

3.  The enrollment of the college graduates as faculty members in the preclinical departments committee.

4.  The department also established a number of committees on different occasions to oversee the distribution of the academic burden on teaching staff members.

5.     The department is an active participant in the committees of the College’s Annual Research Day event.

6.      The department participated in the student academic cases committees at the College.

7.     The department participated in several committees at the province's hospitals such as the medical waste disposal committee.