Queen’s University Belfast Update for the JTG BOAMS – 2025
University Representative: Medha Sridhar Rao (President of QUB Scrubs 2024/25 and Co-President of QUB Scrubs 2025/26)
Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has a dental school and medical school however, due to separate timetables and teaching campuses, the two schools often don’t organise events together.
This year’s objective was to connect the dental students and medical students via OMFS, the main subject that brings both sets of students together.
2 OMFS events of 2024/25:
Insight into OMFS with Mr Muzzammil Nusrath as part of the QUB Scrubs Speciality Champions Scheme
Behind the Scalpel: a networking night focused on highlighting all specialties to medical and dental students which concluded with a “Battle of the Specialties”
Winter 2024
QUB Scrubs Specialty Champions Scheme
QUB Scrubs (Surgical Society – www.qubscrubs.org) runs the “Specialty Champions Scheme” where two people organise a specialty specific week involving a talk from a surgeon and MCQs on the Instagram. Alongside these, the pair create a webpage to inform students about local opportunities available in the specialty.
This year, our specialty champions were Dr Fiona Guan (DCT 3) and Medha Sridhar Rao (medical student and President of QUB Scrubs). Our specialty week was held in January with Mr Muzzammil Nusrath as our consultant speaker. Mr Nusrath is a OMFS consultant in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and Sheffield Children’s Hospital in Sheffield. His talk about his work in Sheffield and South Yorkshire alongside his humanitarian work in parts of Asia and Africa were thoroughly enjoyed by the QUB dental and medical students. OMFS trainees from NI were also in attendance.
Our MCQs focussed on common OMFS conditions that dental and medical students would need to identify, manage and escalate.
OMFS-Themed SSC
Another local opportunity available at QUB is the OMFS-themed Student Selected Component (SSC). This SSC is run by Mr Amir Ketabchi, an OMFS consultant at the Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry/Londonderry and an Honorary Lecturer in Surgery at QUB and the Ulster University Magee. The SSC allows students to gain an insight into OMFS, which is not a part of the medical curriculum, by giving access to clinics and theatre sessions along with teaching about conditions like facial deformities. This is a 3-week SSC taking place in January of Year 3.
Summer 2025:
QUB Scrubs introduced the “Dental Representative” position on the committee to bring together dental and medical students especially for OMFS-themed talks and practical events. Hanni Wong (Year 3 QUB Dental Student) was voted as the inaugural Dental Representative.
We have had many dental students take part in suturing workshops and the DCTs in the School of Dentistry and the Ulster Hospital Dundonald have taught suturing as the demonstrators at these workshops. Dental students have also been volunteering for external opportunities through QUB Scrubs e.g. being volunteers in a locally run CCRiSP course.
Autumn 2025:
QUB Scrubs held the annual “Behind the Scalpel” event in the Lanyon Building at QUB with over 10 specialties being represented. The format of this event is like a Freshers’ Fair where students can go around the room to meet consultants and trainees whilst taking part in practical skills sessions and gaining an insight into the day-in-the-life of a professional working in that respective specialty.
The “Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery” table was led by Mr Ketabchi and his specialty trainees, Mr Hassanzade and Mr Johnston. The dental and medical students throughly enjoyed talking to the OMFS team as many students did not have OMFS placements and they were excited to discover the breadth of OMFS practice.
All the attending specialities took part in a “Battle of the Specialties” where Mr Ketabchi gave a short lecture about OMFS. OMFS emerged as one of the three winners of the “Battle of the Specialties,” showing the students’ curiosity and enthusiasm for OMFS at QUB.
Closing Words
Overall, in 2025, OMFS has seen an increase in exposure at QUB through QUB Scrubs and our Dental Representative alongside acting as a conduit to connect the dental and medical students by building interest through “seed” OMFS events.
I look forward to another highly successful year for OMFS in 2026 at QUB with the grassroots growing into more interest and events for students over the upcoming months.
