- ‘Preparing for Future Health Challenges’ event convenes healthcare leaders, public sector representatives, and academics to explore the future of precision medicine and public health policy.
- The event featured panel discussions and networking sessions, inspiring around 100 students and professionals to engage in shaping the future of healthcare.
Dubai-UAE, 3 June 2024: The University of Birmingham Dubai (UoBD) on Thursday launched its Civic Scholarship, a new initiative designed to empower the next generation of civic leaders and healthcare professionals in the UAE.
The scholarship programme will support the development of highly capable individuals with the skills and knowledge to become effective civic leaders. Its launch underlines the university’s commitment to supporting the UAE’s strategic direction to build resilience and enhance preparedness for future challenges in vital areas such as healthcare.
The scholarship will initially be offered to five students joining the university’s cluster of health programmes at the Dubai campus in September 2024, and will cover up to 60 percent of the tuition fees, with a view to expanding the scholarship to other programmes in the future.
Professor Yusra Mouzughi, Provost, University of Birmingham Dubai, said: “We are delighted to launch the Civic Scholarship, marking an expansion of our work to foster future pioneers by drawing on the university’s 120+ years of heritage and experience. This initiative is designed to empower aspiring civic leaders and highlights the university’s position as a leading knowledge partner and a key source of talent for the UAE’s critical sectors. The scholarship reinforces our commitment to supporting national development goals through harnessing top talent and strengthening the local workforce to help address global challenges.
The Civic Scholarship was unveiled at the ‘Preparing for Future Health Challenges’ event on Thursday, which took place at the university’s state-of-the-art campus in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC).
Convening a distinguished group of around 100 healthcare leaders, government representatives, academics, aspiring healthcare trailblazers and students, the event explored the future of precision medicine and examined public health policy models to chalk a roadmap towards enhanced preparedness.
The event featured two panel sessions: the Innovation Panel and the Policy Panel. The first looked at groundbreaking advancements in genomics and precision medicine, while the second explored strategies for safeguarding public health against future epidemics, hearing from leading voices in public health policy.
Dr Marc Haber, Associate Professor of Population Genetics at the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham Dubai, moderated the Innovation Panel. Panellists included Major Dr Mohamed Almarri, Director of the Genome Center, Dubai Police; Dr Mohammed Uddin, Associate Professor of Human Genetics, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences; Dr. Hinda Daggag, Director of Healthcare, PwC Middle East; and Dr Ahmad Abou Tayoun, Director of Al Jalila Genomics Center and Associate Professor of Genetics at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital and Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Dr Khalifa Elmusharaf, Associate Professor and Director of the Public Health Programme at the University of Birmingham Dubai, moderated the Policy Panel. Panellists includedDr. Mahra Khalifa AlHosani, Section Head Preparedness and Response in Communicable Disease Sector, Abu Dhabi Public Health Center; Dr Imane Boudellioua, Senior Researcher at the Biotechnology Research Center, Technology Innovation Institute, Abu Dhabi; and Dr Ahmed Al Hammadi, President of the Emirates Infectious Diseases Society.
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University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham and Dubai, including researchers and teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
