Bahir Dar, Ethiopia —College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) at Bahir Dar University hosted an external curriculum review workshop for its newly launched PhD in Laboratory Medicine program, bringing together senior academics and experts to scrutinize and refine one of the region's newest and most specialized doctoral offerings.

The program trains candidates across six specialized tracks: Medical Bacteriology, Medical Virology, Medical Mycology, Medical Immunology, Medical Parasitology, and Medical Entomology.

To ensure the curriculum meets national and international standards, the invited external reviewers from three leading institutions: the University of Gondar, Addis Ababa University, and the Amhara Public Health Institute. Their combined expertise in academia, clinical diagnostics, and public health practice gave the review a rigor and breadth rarely assembled in one room.

Over the course of the workshop, reviewers examined course structures, learning outcomes, laboratory and research components, and the practical relevance of each track to Ethiopia's evolving health landscape. Discussions centered on aligning the program more closely with current laboratory medicine practice, strengthening research training, and ensuring graduates are equipped to lead diagnostic and laboratories nationally and beyond.

Faculty and organizers described the exercise as a critical step in the program's continuous improvement, reflecting the college's commitment to producing highly skilled laboratory medicine specialists capable of driving diagnostics, disease surveillance, and health research forward in Ethiopia and the region.

As a newly established program, this early-stage external review is a foundational step, ensuring the curriculum starts on solid footing before its first cohorts progress through the tracks. The recommendations gathered from the workshop will feed into a refined curriculum, reinforcing the college’s role in advancing specialized health science education and services and its contribution to strengthening the country's laboratory medicine workforce.