Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research hosts symposium for young scientists

This session aimed to further explore and contribute in the area of research activities and health sciences.

The symposium, a joint initiative by the Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research (DHFMR) and Harvard Medical School Dubai Center Institute for Postgraduate Education and Research in collaboration with Dubai Healthcare City, a member of Tatweer, was held on 9 December 2007 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai.

Ahmad Sharaf, Tatweer Senior Vice President Healthcare and Energy and Member of the Board of Trustees Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research, said, 'Medical research saves lives. DHFMR is committed to promoting health care research and today's seminar has brought young scientists together who can learn from and share knowledge and best practice. I am confident that this forum will create a greater dynamic for research in the region that will be of immense benefit to medical practitioners and the wider community'.

Dr. Muhadditha Al Hashimi, CEO of Dubai Healthcare City, said: 'As the leading centre in the Middle East for excellence in medical services, education, and life science research and development, we organise industry specific conferences to contribute to the development of healthcare delivery and research in the region.

'This conference served to highlight the Foundation's role in encouraging and nurturing young scientists and guiding them in their research activities. It also offered an opportunity to understand the Foundation's objectives in enabling a new generation of researchers to identify areas of research that will benefit the medical community in the region.'

Dr. Robert L. Thurer, M.D. Executive Director, Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research, and Chief Academic Officer, Harvard Medical School Dubai Center said: 'The conference helped open the door for concerted scientific research in the region. Leading medical researchers from Harvard Medical School offered insights regarding healthcare research. Their perspectives helped the young scientists in the region determine how their careers might impact the development of new treatment for geographically specific diseases.'

Mohamed H. Sayegh, M.D. attended the conference as one of the distinguished speakers. Dr. Sayegh is the Director of the Transplantation Research Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital in Boston, MA; the Warren E. Grupe and John P. Merrill Chair in Transplantation Medicine; Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School; and Research Director, Nephrology Division at the Children's Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Vamsi Mootha, a 2004 MacArthur Genius Award recipient, delivered the keynote address. Dr. Mootha is Assistant Professor of Systems Biology at the Harvard Medical School; Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Center for Human Genetic Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and an Associate Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

The Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research was established in collaboration between Harvard Medical International and Dubai Healthcare City, a member of Tatweer, to support a new generation of scientists and healthcare professionals involved in innovative medical research.

DHFMR provides promising young scientists with valuable opportunities for research in the Gulf, and assists in translating the outcomes of their study into advances in clinical medicine.