Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry


Transcultural Psychiatry and International Studies

Sultanate of Oman

In 2001, West Virginia University helped the Sultanate of Oman develop a four-year medical school and develop a three-year undergraduate pre-medical school. The schools comprise the Oman Medical College or OMC. The undergraduate campus is located in Muscat, Oman and the medical school campus is located in Sohar, Oman.

In 2005, Dr. Fidler helped develop the OMC Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry. Each year, a group of students from OMC visit the School of Medicine at West Virginia University. In 2006, the first WVU medical student, Phillip Granchi, visited OMC for a fourth-year clinical psychiatric elective.

Now that the OMC Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry is self-sufficient, Dr. Fidler visits annually to present guest lectures and continues to visit the Bedouin People, the Moqbali Tribe, enjoying their amazing generosity as they teach him about their traditional Bedouin culture.

* Click any image to Enlarge.

Bedouin men race camels in pairs at a wedding, crossing finish line together to signify the bride and groom accomplishing life together		Sultan Quboos Mosque in Muscat, Oman
Medical students in from of Oman Medical College in Sohar, Oman		Dr. Fidler and WVU medical student Phil Granchi at a Bedouin wedding in Sohar, Oman - 2006
Small bags worn around the neck of traditional Omani men and women to cure illness, given to them by Omani shaman		Dr. Fidler with members of the Moqbali Tribe (who adopted him)
Girls from the Moqbali Tribe - young enough to be allowed in photographs in contrast to older girls and women		Boys from the Moqbali Tribe, after they disrobed from their traditional disdashas to play a bit of soccer
A traditional Omani mountain village in 2005		Cafeteria at Oman Medical College (OMC)
Traditional Falaja for water, irrigation canals which were built to carry clean, pure water long distances from the mountain Wadi (an oasis in the dry, desert mountains)		Traditional Bedouin mountain homes and buildings, carefully preserved for tourism
Melissa and Phil Granchi pose with children from the Moqbali family in Sohar		A young camel in the Omani desert
WVU professors Dr. Brown, Dr. Fidler, and Dr. Culberson with OMC students in Sohar		WVU flag joins the Sultanate of Oman flag and OMC flag over the school in Sohar