The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Medicine) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding elevating mutual cooperation in education, research and innovation programmes.
In line with the Department’s efforts to boost innovation in Abu Dhabi, both parties plan to collaborate to support the development of the life sciences research ecosystem with a focus on expanding translational research capabilities to further enable new discoveries to develop into fresh approaches to treat disease.
Together, DoH and Penn Medicine will work towards expanding research capacity and developing new programmes that expand innovation capacity and related infrastructure, including establishing a regional precision medicine innovation hub.
These efforts will support Abu Dhabi’s aim to make a global impact, while boosting the healthcare sector’s role in its contribution to the larger economy.
Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, DoH Undersecretary, said, “Under the directives of the UAE’s wise leadership, Abu Dhabi continues to host partnerships with leading international bodies to further cement the Emirate’s position as a hub for innovation and life sciences.
“Our collaboration with Penn Medicine reflects our belief in cooperation across all sectors – including healthcare and academia, to provide a holistic ecosystem for various stakeholders to translate their creative ideas into real-life solutions. We look forward to witnessing the fruitful results this MoU will yield in innovation, healthcare technology and artificial intelligence (AI).”
Glen Gaulton, PhD, Vice Dean and Director of the Centre for Global Health at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, commented, “Penn Medicine has become a global leader in precision medicine and innovation that has resulted in more than 20 new drugs and therapies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in the past five years.”
“We look forward to applying the experience and expertise of Penn Medicine to develop an ecosystem and international partner model that will help support Abu Dhabi in working toward its vision to become a true innovator in the biomedical sciences and a regional leader that will make a global impact.”
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centres, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
