Tufts University's Friedman School and Ras Al Khaimah Education Company (EDRAK) appoint board to oversee collaboration on health and education in the Gulf

The Board was constituted following a bilateral agreement signed between EDRAK and the Friedman School establishing a presence in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), in the United Arab Emirates. Ras Al Khaimah is developing a new Campus (planned to open in August 2008) that will offer cutting-edge academic education as well as services relating to health, nutrition and wellness. This initiative supports EDRAK's goal of positioning Ras Al Khaimah as a new education hub of the region.

"H.H. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, has deep commitments to Education and Healthcare. This initiative is a true reflection of his vision and as such, we are continually looking for global relationships and global providers to lend history and capacity to the emirate, and eventually the UAE and the region," Dr Dajani, Chief Executive of Investment & Development Office, Government of Ras Al Khaimah (IDO) and also Managing Director of EDRAK said. "Tufts is a premier global institution, and we expect their presence in Ras Al Khaimah will appeal to residents across the region and as far as South Asia."

The six-member board appointed Dr Izzat Dajani who holds an MPA from Harvard University as Board Chairman, while Dr Eileen Kennedy, Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and who holds PhD from Harvard University was appointed as Vice Chair.

The collaboration will lead to the establishment of an Enhanced Health and Wellness Centre in RAK, as well as certificate training courses in nutrition science and policy. Development of a partial distance-learning Master of Arts degree in Nutrition will commence later this year with a goal admission date of 2008. The educational content and delivery will be kept to the same high standards as at Tufts in the US.

"In all our international dealings, we have never seen the level and speed of commitment that we have seen here in Ras Al Khaimah from HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, and the Investment and Development Office," Dr. Kennedy said.

In addition to the Chair and Vice Chair appointments, the board will be comprised of Essam Al Tamimi, LLM (Harvard) who is Founder and Senior Partner of Al Tamimi & Company in Dubai, Dr Edward Saltzman of Tufts New England Medical School and the Friedman School, Dr Patrick Webb, Dean for Academic Affairs at the Friedman School, who was also named Board Secretary, and Rina Spence, President of SpenceCare International.

"The exceptional dedication, experience and intellect characterized by this Board will serve us well as we seek to reach our targets of excellence and leadership in enhancing education and health in the region", added Dr Dajani.

Various issues pertaining to campus development, board logistics, and budget were discussed at the Board meeting. Strategies for positioning the RAK-Friedman School collaboration as a premier center of higher excellent in education also featured prominently in the deliberations.

Established in 1981, the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University is the only self-governing graduate and professional school of nutrition in North America. Its mission is to improve the nutritional well-being of people worldwide through the creation of new knowledge, the application and dissemination of evidence-based information and the education and training of future leaders in the field.

This mission is fulfilled by bringing together experts from the areas of clinical nutrition, social and public policy, and biomedicine. Faculty at the school include anthropologists, biomedical scientists, economists, epidemiologists, nutritionists, physicians, political scientists and psychologists who focus on a myriad of issues with the common thread of nutrition and its role in fostering the growth and development of human populations.