OTTAWA – The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Royal College) Accredited Program status has been awarded to three residency training programs at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU): Surgical Foundations, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.

Royal College Canada International (RCCI)—a non-profit and independent subsidiary of the Royal College responsible for international engagements—and IAU, one of Saudi Arabia’s most advanced clinical learning institutions, are pleased to announce this important milestone.

The newly accredited programs join IAU’s Neurology and Psychiatry programs, which achieved the same status in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

“Congratulations to IAU on reaching this significant milestone,” says Craig Ceppetelli, chief operating officer of RCCI. “This accomplishment reflects IAU’s unwavering commitment to advancing postgraduate medical education (PGME) and maintaining the highest standards in residency education and patient care. We are proud to collaborate with such an innovative institution and look forward to continuing our partnership to drive educational excellence and strengthen local health systems.”

The five programs meet the Royal College’s highest PGME standards, reflecting best practices in clinical training, curriculum design and resident assessment. All specialty and subspecialty programs accredited by the Royal College are subject to the same privileges and obligations, whether they are in Canada or abroad.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Royal College [and RCCI] for their invaluable support in the successful accreditation of our programs, a testament to our commitment to academic excellence,” says Professor Fahad Ahmed AL-Harbi, president of IAU.

IAU first achieved Royal College Accredited Institution status in 2017, marking a foundational step toward program accreditation. Since the partnership began in 2014, RCCI and IAU have engaged in ongoing collaboration—including faculty development initiatives and joint workshops—focused on meeting local training needs and building lasting educational capacity to strengthen health care systems and outcomes across the region.