Dubai-9th December 2020: H.E Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, emphasized the significance of choosing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare as the topic for this term of the Award.  He said that this choice reflects His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision, as the driving force leading the Award’s adopting innovation in healthcare and scientific research.

His Excellency mentioned this in his speech at the ceremony held to announce and honour the winners of the 11th term of the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences. The ceremony was held virtually and witnessed the honoring of ten winners across the various categories of the award.

His Excellency also praised the fruitful cooperation between the Award and the Office of the National Program for Artificial Intelligence, affiliated to the Prime Minister’s office, especially His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy, as well as members of the joint scientific committees. He also conveyed the congratulations of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan to all the winners of this term, to join the galaxy of distinguished scientists who have been honored in its previous terms.

At the end of his speech, he thanked His Highness Sheikh Hamdan, the Patron of the Award, for his keenness, and continuous and unlimited support for the Award. He also thanked the members of the Board of Trustees, members of the General Secretariat of the award, the scientific committees, and all attendees.

During his speech, His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Ulama expressed his happiness to participate in this distinguished meeting to celebrate the achievements of the winners of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences. He also extended his appreciation to all the workers in the health sector headed by His Excellency Abdulrahman Muhammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Protection, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences.

He also stressed that the UAE has embodied a vision to invest in the most advanced Artificial Intelligence technologies and tools, and their applications in the various vital sectors, especially the Medical Sector, thereby promoting a healthy lifestyle for all the members of society.  

At the end of his speech he said “In the end, I can only express my sincere thanks, appreciation and gratitude to H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Patron of the Award for his continuous support and his vision to empower scientists and the sciences, and his relentless pursuit of innovations in this field. May Allah grant him success and grant us all the power to serve the interests of the people”. 

 

During the ceremony, a movie about Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences and its achievements over the past 20 years was screened. Patronized by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Award has contributed to innovative and creative initiatives in the advancement of medical and health sectors within the country and abroad. This was followed by an announcement of the winners of the 11th term of the awards across the different categories, and a presentation reviewing their achievements that have delivered a qualitative leap in healthcare services around the world.

 

The Grand Hamdan International Award was bestowed on Prof. Dr. Bradley Nelson, Head of Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich in recognition of his research on micro-robotics and nanorobotics, highlighting its applications in biology and medicine.

The Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services was awarded to the  Supreme National Committee for Volunteerism during Crises, in recognition of the committee’s achievements in developing an integrated and sustainable system for volunteer work in the UAE during crises, and in cooperation with all parties concerned with volunteer work in the country, including individuals and institutions.

 

 

In the Arab World Awards category, the Hamdan Awards for best Medical College, Institute, or Centre in the Arab World was given to the Dasman Diabetes Institute which has strived to address the diabetes epidemic in Kuwait through focused research, integrated prevention, training, and education.

 

Professor Khalid Matar Al-Otaibi was awarded the Hamdan Award for Honoring Distinguished Personalities from the Arab World. Prof. Al-Otaibi is a urologic surgeon, endoscopy consultant, and full Professor at Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University, Dammam. He was the first surgeon in the Middle East to perform laparoscopic surgery to remove kidney tumors. He also succeeded in performing rare surgeries, including the interventional kidney stone surgery.

Among the UAE awards, the Hamdan Award for outstanding Clinical Department in the public Sector in UAE was given to the Radiology department at Rashid hospital, which provides radiology services to the biggest hospital in Dubai embracing 24/7 emergency.

The winners of the Hamdan Award for Distinguished Medical Personalities in the UAE are:

Late Dr. Mahmoud Mohamed Fikri, who was the first Emirati to hold a high executive position in a global organization affiliated with the United Nations. He was the Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, a position that is the equivalent of Minister of Health for all 23 countries of the region,. 

Dr. Abdul Rahim Mustafawi, a prominent native persona in the medical community of UAE, whocurrently works with Al Jalila Children’s Hospital as a Consultant Pediatric Surgeon.

Dr. Khalil Qayed , Advisor to the Training and Development Center at the Ministry of Health and Prevention in the United Arab Emirates.

Two research papers won the Hamdan Award for the best research published in the Hamdan Medical Journal. The first of these authored by Dr. Abdulaziz Tlili and his team is entitled “Two new mutations, ESPN c.2257T>C and ESRRB c.10583 C>A, cause hearing loss in UAE families. The second research paper, by Dr. Haider Raza and team, is entitled” Streptozotocin-induced molecular and metabolic targets in pancreatic beta-cell toxicity”.

The ceremony concluded with a unique, distinctive and dazzling display of all the winners of the eleventh session on the façade of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, in honor of their achievements in the field of medicine and scientific research.