Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Supreme ‎Chairman of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic ‎Performance and Patron of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical ‎Sciences, honored the 14 winners of the 12th term of the Hamdan Medical Award (2021-2022). ‎The theme of this term focused on the topic of infectious diseases. The ceremony was held at the ‎Museum of the Future in Dubai, in the presence of sheikhs, ministers, and officials from the ‎health and medical sectors in the UAE.‎

 

H.E. Abdul Rahman Al Owais, the UAE Minister of Health and Chairman of the Board of ‎Trustees of the Hamdan Medical Award, welcomed all the attendees to the ceremony, noting ‎that this term`s ceremony greatly missed the presence of its Founder, the late Sheikh Hamdan bin ‎Rashid Al Maktoum. He paid tribute to the late Sheikh Hamdan’s big heart and generosity, ‎which have been inspiring models for the nation. “He formed a unique example in his devotion to ‎improve the life of millions as well as his appreciation for the significance of science and ‎knowledge. His belief in achieving and appreciating excellence has had the greatest impact in ‎inspiring new generations to continue the progress, keeping his legacy and impact alive”, noted ‎the Minister.‎

 

‎"Infectious Diseases was chosen to be the topic for this Awards term as a contribution to the ‎efforts aimed at supporting the health sector and enhancing its readiness in line with the UAE’s ‎vision and its objectives for the sector”, he added

He also confirmed that The UAE attaches great importance to its people and their health. The ‎health sector, therefore, will remain at the forefront of the nation’s priorities and an important ‎part of the UAE's vision for development.‎

 

At the end of his speech, he congratulated the winners of the 12th term Awards, and commended ‎their efforts in order to support medical sciences and develop their research paths, in ways that ‎contributed towards enhancing the quality and well-being of life.‎

He also thanked the Members of the Board of Trustees and the General Secretariat of the ‎Award, and the various participating committees that contributed to the success of this term.‎

 

During the ceremony,, a movie about the winners of the 12th term of the Award was also ‎screened. The movie reviewed their works which were reflected on achieving important ‎qualitative leaps in the introduction of healthcare services around the world.‎

 

Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, the Patron of the Award, honored the ‎winners by presenting them with their trophies. Co-winners of the Grand Hamdan International ‎Award, Prof. Ian Hector Frazer,  Professor at the Faculty of Medicine- University of ‎Queensland, and the founding CEO and Director of Research of the Translational Research ‎Institute, and the Late Dr. Jian Zhou, the Lion Principal Research Fellow, and Chair of the HPV ‎Structure Protein Laboratory at the Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research of the ‎University of Queensland Faculty of Medicine, represented by his son, were presented with their ‎Awards. ‎

 

Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid honored the two winners of the Hamdan Award for ‎Medical Research Excellence. On the topic of prevention, the awardee was Prof. F. Marc ‎LaForce, Clinical Professor of Medicine at NYU Langone School of Medicine, and Director of ‎the Meningitis Vaccine Project, in recognition of his role in providing a vaccine against the ‎meningococcal bacteria that causes meningitis to sub-Saharan Africa. The second awardee in this ‎category, in the topic of immunity, was Prof. Dr. David Ho, the Clyde ‘56 and Helen Wu ‎Professor of Medicine at Columbia University and the Founding Scientific Director of the Aaron ‎Diamond AIDS Research Center. Prof. Ho was recognized for his studies in unravelling the ‎dynamic nature of HIV replication in vivo and revolutionizing the basic understanding of this ‎horrific disease.‎

 

Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum also honored the winners of the Hamdan ‎Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services. These were Prof. William M. Novick, ‎who founded the International Children’s Heart Foundation, based in Memphis, and the Al ‎Basar International Foundation, KSA.‎

 

‎ In the Arab World category of Awards, the winner of the Hamdan Award for the Best Medical ‎College, Institute or Center in the Arab world, was the College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz ‎University, Saudi Arabia. The Hamdan Award for Distinguished Personalities from the Arab ‎World was presented to Prof. Fowzan Alkuraya, an authority in the area of Mendelian genetics.‎

 

In the UAE Awards, the Genetics Department, Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital was the ‎winner of the Hamdan Award for outstanding Clinical Department in the Public Sector in the ‎UAE.‎

 

Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid al Makoum honored four personalities as the winners of ‎the Hamdan Award for Honoring Individuals working in the Field of Medicine & Health. These ‎were Dr. Wael Al Mahmeed, Staff Physician in the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at ‎Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi,  Dr. Nawal Al Kaabi, Chair of the Clinical National Covid-19 ‎Committee, Late Dr. Ahmed Kazem and Late Muawiya Al-Shannar.‎

The Hamdan Award for Original Research Paper Published in the Hamdan Medical Journal was ‎awarded to the paper titled ‘Identification of a Novel OXCT1 Frameshift Mutation by ‎Whole Exome Sequencing and Evidence for Nonsense Mediated mRNA Decay.‎