Today's Edition
Mays Ibrahim (ABU DHABI)
Through cutting-edge research, collaborative partnerships, and innovative programmes, Khalifa University (KU) is driving advancements in medical technologies, treatments, and healthcare delivery. In a recent interview with Aletihad, Prof. Habiba Al Safar, Dean of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) at KU, shed light on the university’s pivotal role in propelling Abu Dhabi, and the UAE, into the forefront of global healthcare excellence.
Driving Healthcare AdvancementsAl Safar noted that the KU Center for Biotechnology (KU-BTC), at the CMHS aims to fully utilise its “state-of-the-art” resources and expertise towards high quality research aimed at establishing a healthier and more robust community, not only in the UAE, but also across the region and globally.
In addition to hosting conferences such as the Healthy Aging Symposium, KU also organised the 3rd UAE Anatomy and Cellular Biology Conference, as well as a Khalifa University-SEHA Workshop, during which the 2024 Clinical Research Certificate Programme was launched. The certificates are vital for advancing health through knowledge exchange and collaboration among experts in the field. The training programme, which has enrolled over 150 SEHA medical residents and fellows, equips participants with essential skills for conducting high-quality clinical research studies, she said.
“Recently, seven of our MD students from the second cohort of the CMHS class of 2024 successfully matched with residency programmes in leading healthcare institutions in the US,” Al Safar said, highlighting the competitiveness of KU’s medical education. She added that a diverse range of healthcare and life sciences research projects, including a startup from the CMHS at KU, were featured at the 49th edition of Arab Health 2024.
“The recent innovative research in medicine and life sciences, and biotechnology highlights the advancements in the UAE’s established and growing healthcare ecosystem that is set to transform patient care and diagnostics. Some of the products that Khalifa University bring to the market also testify to our commitment to encourage healthcare startups and promote avenues that assist healthy aging,” she said.
A Nexus of Knowledge
and ExpertiseKU CMHS is the only graduate programme in the country modelled after the North American system, with 266 PubMed papers. The college has also received the UAE’s first dual US accreditation for its Simulation Center.
Its Balsam community-based programme claimed the QS Reimagine Education “Gold” award in 2023, and it hosts the region’s first Body Museum by Body Worlds, which explores how disease and aging affect the human body, according to Al Safar.
She also noted that the KU-BTC is the first non-diagnostic research laboratory in the UAE to be accredited by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, for fulfilling a criterion of Approved Practice Setting (APS).
Fostering Healthcare InnovationThe Dean of KU CMHS stressed that research institutions and universities in Abu Dhabi play a crucial role in healthcare innovation by conducting groundbreaking research, training future healthcare professionals, and collaborating with industry partners.
She said that scientists at KU have successfully completed a significant local genome study that contributes to nationwide efforts to build a high-quality, comprehensive reference genome for the UAE population.
Al Safar affirmed KU’s commitment to addressing the need for research and development (R&D) training within the evolving healthcare landscape, in collaboration with SEHA (Abu Dhabi Health Services Company) and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.
In a broader effort to foster healthcare innovation, KU has partnered with Mubadala Investment Company and KELIX bio, a leading firm in specialty pharmaceuticals and complex generic medicines. Al Safar noted that this collaboration aims to advance biopharmaceutical technologies with the potential to positively impact healthcare in emerging markets.
