Background
The Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences(MLS) (formerly the Department of Medical Laboratory Technology) was opened in September 1996 of the Departments established under the then Faculty of Health Sciences,the current College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University in September 1996 under the then Faculty of Health Sciences. The department is currently under the College of Health and Medical Sciences as runs various programs. It is located in harar, the historic city in eastern Ethiopia at about 515 kms from Addis Ababa. It is one of the founding departments of the then Faculty of Health Sciences.
The department began offering training at diploma level from the beginning of September 1996 until 2003. During those times the department had trained a number of Medical Laboratory Professionals who were assigned by the Federal Ministry of Education of Ethiopia to meet the country’s demand of qualified laboratory professionals in strengthening the health laboratory services. To respond to the rapid change in the field of laboratory medicine, rising of emerging/re-emerging diseases and non-communicable diseases, the department revised its curriculum and commenced BSc in Medical Laboratory in 2003.
The school has been running three highly demanded undergraduate programs
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department
- Tropical and infectious Diseases, and Medical Parasitology Department
- MLS Undergraduate training and Clinical Lab Sciences Department
Considering the availability of highly trained and qualified academic staff and accessibility to training centers, hospitals and research institutions, both locally and nationally, the department of MLS carried out a needs assessment to understand postgraduate training need and launch different graduate level programs. Moreover, massification of public Universities, research institutes, regional public health research laboratories, private laboratories and various industries (beverage, food and others) in the country demanded highly qualified and competent laboratory professionals in a diverse fields of study. To this end, the School launched three postgraduate academic programs.
- Master of Science degree (MSc) in Medical Microbiology, in 2013
- Ph.D in Medical Microbiology, in 2016
- Master of Science degree (MSc) in Tropical and Infectious Diseases, in 2017
Currently, the School is running undergraduate (regular and nonregular programs) and three regular postgraduate programs, (MSc in Medical Microbiology and in Tropical and Infectious Diseases and Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology).
So far So good, the department has contributed a lot in producing an enormous number of medical laboratory professionals at various capacities to the country’s health laboratory service demand and professional career development. The staff has been actively involved in conducting problem solving research and published a number of research articles. In addition, they have been actively engaged in various community service activities such as the community based training program, the team training program and other field activities.
First established in 1996 , the department trained students at diploma level until 2003. Then, it began a BSc in Medical Laboratory in 2003 and launched three postgraduate programs such as Masters in Medical Microbiology (in 2013), Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology (2016) and Masters in Tropical and Infectious Diseases (2017).
The department formed a partnership with the AHRI. This link was created as part of strengthening the Ph.D program. Department Staff profile (including Honorary staffs):
- Associate Professor (with PhD) =5; Associate Professor (without PhD) =3; Assistant Professor (with PhD)=5; Assistant Professor (without PhD)=6; Lecturer=15; Assistant Lecturer =6
Students currently enrolled are about:
- 115 (Regular and post basic)
- 54 masters students and 11 PhD students
Mission
.To produce competent graduates of Laboratory medicine through quality education, academically rigorous and socially meaningful cutting edge researches, transfer of knowledge and technologies and community services engagement to improve the health of Ethiopian citizen
Vision
Strives to be the center of excellence in teaching, research and community service in laboratory medicine in Eastern Africa by 2030.
Core Values
The school of Medical Laboratory Sciences is committed to the following Haramaya University core values:
Academic freedom: A strong commitment to a free and democratic academic environment where individuals inquire, investigate and engage in relevant academic practices and development.
Perseverance: A commitment and dedication to perform assigned duties to the best of one’s knowledge and abilities.
Good governance: The practice of democratic, transparent, inclusive, responsible and accountable leadership and management and promotion of the principle of equal opportunity.
Respect for diversity: A culture of equity and fairness in all forms of practices; a conviction for the respect of all people without sexual, class, racial, ethnic, religious, and regional discriminations.
Professionalism: A commitment to a high standard of professional integrity and ethics.
Collaborative spirit: Culture of working cooperatively within the University and with other stakeholders; developing the “we” spirit and joint responsibility.
Fostering creativity/innovation: Develop a culture for generating new ideas, processes, services, technologies and entrepreneurial skill.
Respect for Nature and Environment: All endeavors of the university should be environmentally friendly.