Hamdan Medical Award held a Press Conference at cultural and scientific Association, Al Mamzer, Dubai, to announce officially the winners of the 7th term of the Award 2011-2012 and the details of the Award Ceremony on 10th of December 2012 which will be held in conjunction with the 7th Dubai International Conference for medical sciences from 10 to 12 Dec. on Neonatal Medicine, Fetal Medicine, Nutrition in Infants and Inborn Errors of Metabolism.

 

During the press conference, H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, adviser to the UAE President, was announced as the Distinct Personality of the Year in the medical field. H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan is a winner of Hamdan Award for Honoring Individuals Working in the Field of Medicine and Health in recognition of H.H. effective role in the humanitarian works and in supporting Scientific Research.

 

 

 

The Press Conference was attended by a galaxy of the consuls and ambassadors of the countries of the winners and the officials of UAE Ministry of Health, Dubai Health Authority and the Award.

 

Mirza Al Sayegh, a member of the Board of Trustees of Hamdan Medical Award conveyed a message from the Patron of the Award H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid AL Maktoum Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and President of Dubai Health Authority. In the message, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan referred to the young workers in the medical field in UAE who have to take advantage of the 7th Dubai International Conference for Medical Sciences which will be attended by a galaxy of doctors and specialists from all over the world, and the winners of Hamdan Medical Award, the pioneers of Fetal and Neonatal Medicine all over the world. Good channels of communication have to be established with those scientists, through the Award, in order to exchange experiences and keep in touch with the latest discoveries in that fields of medicine.

 

On behalf of H.E. Abdul Rahman Al Owais, UAE Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Acting Minister of Health and the Chairman of the Award’s Board of Trustees, Mirza Al Sayegh delivered a speech in which he extended his thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance, President of Dubai Health Authority, and the Patron of the Award for his limitless support over the years to insure a strong foundation that will support and improve the medical services all over the country. Also, he appreciated His follow up to all the Award’s activities to achieve the highest scientific standards, within United Arab Emirates and abroad.

 

He said: "The United Arab Emirates have accomplished a huge development in the medical and scientific fields, in parallel with the wise policy whose priority is the establishment of a healthy society pursued by our government in all sectors derived from the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice president of UAE, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, The Members of the Supreme Council and the Rulers of the Emirates.

 

 

 

"Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences have proved over the past years its representation of a great value for all institutions working in the medical field, also for researchers in the field of medical science, especially due to the scientific committees work on studying the best candidates. The award reached a high scientific prestige locally, regionally and internationally due to its transparency. The 7th Term theme, Neonatal Medicine, was selected to match with the general concern of the United Arab Emirates Government which always aims to provide the best medical services in that important medical specialty", he added.

 

"We congratulate the winners of The 7th Term of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences. The approval of the winners by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is based on their culmination of hard work and their distinctiveness in scientific field and to encourage them to keep it up for a great services to be provided for the humanity", he added.

 

He also extended his sincere thanks to the Members of the Board of Trustees and the Members of the Scientific Committees on the sincere efforts that resulted in the successful choices of the winners in all categories. He thanked the attendees, particularly the media people who are the partner of the Award in developing and improving the society, especially the provided health services.

 

Then, prof. Najib Al Khaja, Secretary General, Hamdan Medical Award, delivered a speech in which he extended his thanks to H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his unwavering support to the Award and the staff and referred to the press conference as an event culminates a two-year hard work effort in the Award.

 

"As a realization of the Award’s core belief in supporting Continuing Medical Education Programs, we have signed a memorandum of cooperation between the Award and the French University of Montpellier, which is one of the most prestigious European universities, giving the Award the right to organize a number of accredited scientific programs and to give accredited medical diplomas related to these programs in a number of medical specialties, including clinical scientific research methods, intensive care and anesthesia, which was actually carried out through the graduation of the first batch. The effective implementation of the agreement will contribute to expanding the training of more doctors and specialists in the region and the world, according to the latest global standards. The Secretariat has also launched the Award’s e-newsletter to open channels of communication and to exchange views and ideas among various medical sectors and institutions. This is going to be a monthly newsletter distributed to all professionals in the health sector. The continuous efforts by the Award in supporting medical research papers are resulted in finalizing around 67 research papers. Thus, the Award has become the largest supporter of scientific research in the United Arab Emirates. We would also like to point out that in that term, more than 60 new projects have been presented, and they are being reviewed by the supervising scientific committee in order to select the best of them for the Award’s financial support", he said.

 

"It is worthy to mention to the remarkable achievements by the Award’s Centre for Arab Genomic Studies, which has managed to expand its Catalogue for Transmission Genetics in Arabs (CTGA) to become the largest database of Genetic Disorders in the Arab world, and one of the most essential resources of Genetic Disorders worldwide. This year, CAGS has issued its most recent book series on Genetic Disorders in the Arab World, which addressed the State of Qatar. The Award’s medical journal has also been updated and launched under the new name of "Hamdan Medical Journal", in appreciation and recognition of the support of the Patron of the Award, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum", Al Khaja added.

 

"We are in the process of upgrading the website of the Award to be launched by the end of this year. Also, the General Secretariat is to sign significant agreements with international entities, to be announced in a timely manner, which will have positive results on the medical sector", he added.

 

"I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees for their relentless follow-up and guidance, and to the staff of the General Secretariat and its various committees, especially the Scientific Committee which has worked diligently and impartially over two years to select the winners", Al Khaja said.

 

Then, Prof. Najib Al Khaja reviewed the winners of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences in its seventh term 2011-2012.

 

 

 

Concerning the International Awards, Prof. Jeffrey Whitsett, Director, Division of Pulmonary Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, USA, is the winner of Grand Hamdan International Award on Neonatal Medicine.

 

Prof. Sir Nicholas Wald, Professor of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, UK, is the winner of Hamdan Award for Medical Research Excellence on Fetal Medicine.

 

Professor Rebecca A Simmons, Professor of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA, is the winner of Hamdan Award for Medical Research Excellence on Nutrition in Infants.

 

Professor Ronald J A Wanders, Laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, is the winner of Hamdan Award for Medical Research Excellence on Inborn Errors of Metabolism.

 

As for Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services, the 1st winner is Women & Health Alliance (WAHA) International, France.

 

The 2nd winner is Al Sabeel Association for Physically Disabled Children, Algeria, and the 3rd winner is Dr. Shershad Syed, Pakistan.

 

As for the Arab World Awards, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait, and Prince Salman Center for Disability Research, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are the winners of Hamdan Award for Medical, College/Institute or Centre in the Arab World.

 

The 1st winner of Hamdan Award for Distinguished Personalities in the Arab World is Dr. Abdullah Abdulazziz M Al Rabeeah, KSA Minister of Health. The 2nd winner is Dr. Anna Rajab, Oman Ministry of Health.

 

Finally, concerning the UAE Awards, Department of Oncology, Tawam Hospital – Al Ain is the 1st winner of Hamdan Award for Outstanding Clinical Department in the Public Sector in the UAE.

 

The 2nd winner is Cardiac Cath Lab Department, Al Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, UAE, and the 3rd winner is Department of Neonatal Care at Latifa Hospital, Dubai.

 

A research paper entitled "Effect of Dehydration in the Presence and Absence of the Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Losartan on Blood Constituents in the Camel" is the winner of Hamdan Award for Original Research Paper Published in the Journal of Medical Sciences by Dr. Mahmoud Hag Ali et al, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, UAE University, Al-Ain.

 

Also, Prof. Al Khaja said that the rest of the names of the winners of Hamdan Award for Outstanding Medical Personalities in the United Arab Emirates will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on the 10th of December at Rashid Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre.