Makassar, Tuesday, November 4, 2025—The Faculty of Medicine at the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) officially launched a joint doctoral program in Medical and Health Sciences in collaboration with Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). The launch of this strategic program took place on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, and was held in conjunction with a Studium Generale event in Meeting Room 501 on the 5th floor of the UMI Faculty of Medicine.

This collaboration marks an important milestone for UMI in expanding its international academic network while strengthening the university’s mission to advance science grounded in Islamic values. The program is expected to produce scientists and medical practitioners who not only possess global competencies but also exhibit strong Islamic character and high integrity.

The Dean of UMI’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. dr. Nasrudin AM, Sp.OG(K)., Subsp.Obginos., MARS., M.Sc., FISQua., AIFO-K, emphasized that this joint doctoral program arose from a real need to develop faculty resources at UMI, particularly to meet institutional regulations that will require faculty members to hold doctoral degrees within the next five years.

“Initially, we planned to send five people this year and another five next year. But the enthusiasm turned out to be extraordinary, so 10 faculty members from the Faculty of Medicine joined the first phase right away,” said Dr. Nasrudin.

Although in the initial phase all participants were from the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Nasrudin explained that this program is open to other faculties within UMI’s health sciences cluster.

"Our colleagues from the Faculty of Public Health (FKM), Nursing, Nutrition, and Pharmacy are highly competent. They are ready to support the development of medical research. Moving forward, this interdisciplinary collaboration will be UMI’s strength in producing scientific innovations,” he said, emphasizing the importance of cross-faculty synergy.

UMI Rector Prof. Hambali Thalib stated that the collaboration between UMI and USIM is a tangible manifestation of the synergy between two Islamic universities that share a similar vision: to build a civilization of knowledge rooted in faith and with a global perspective.

“This is a long journey for two Islamic universities that share the same determination. We aim to produce resilient, capable, and world-class Islamic doctors,” said Prof. Hambali.

He added that this collaboration is expected to serve as an ideal model (best practice model) for the development of a doctoral program based on Islamic Science and Integration that is adaptable to the changing times. According to him, USIM is not merely a strategic partner but a fellow traveler alongside UMI in the mission to educate the Muslim community and strengthen the identity of Islamic universities on the international stage.

This joint UMI–USIM doctoral program is expected to be a concrete step toward the internationalization of Islamic higher education in Indonesia, producing a generation of academics who are professional and possess high integrity.