Department of Community Medicine

The Department of Community Medicine is one of the foundation departments of the College of Medical Sciences, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, within the Faculty of Clinical Sciences. It is accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). Since the MBBS programme began in 2016/2017, the department has been teaching undergraduate medical students.
Community Medicine looks beyond the individual patient to the health of families and whole populations. We train doctors to understand the social, economic and environmental conditions that shape health, and to prevent disease, promote wellbeing and respond to the needs of the communities they serve. Our graduates are prepared to practise as community-oriented doctors, whether in hospitals, primary health care facilities or public health programmes.

Our Objectives
• To lead in teaching, research and service in Community Medicine
• To discover, test and disseminate solutions to community health threats and problems
• To strengthen the training of community-oriented doctors
• To translate community health research into effective practice and sound policy

Our Vision
To attain eminence as an academic institution through undergraduate and postgraduate training, basic and clinical research, clinical practice and service, public health and prevention, and responsiveness to the community.

Our Mission
To provide excellence in medical education and public health research, and to improve the lives of the people of Bauchi State and Nigeria at large.

Training and service sites
The department uses the Urban Maternity Clinic in Bauchi metropolis as its urban posting site. Its rural posting sites are the district Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities at Dambam, Liman Katagum and Kafin Madaki. These sites give medical students and postgraduate trainees hands-on experience of health care delivery in both urban and rural settings.

Service delivery
With Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) now in place, the department is positioned to play an active role in service delivery at these facilities. It trains resident doctors and runs clinics for tuberculosis and HIV care (DOTS and ART),occupational health, immunization, child welfare, and maternal and child health, among other services. Training and service go together, so our trainees learn by caring for the communities around them.

Research and policy
The department carries out public health and clinical research aimed at finding, testing and sharing practical solutions to community health problems. We work to turn that evidence into effective practice and sound health policy for Bauchi State and Nigeria at large.

Academic Staff

 Technical and Administrative Staff

Abbreviations Used