Global medical and healthcare industry supports Dubai's aspirations to become centre of excellence

Over 1,200 medical experts and delegates from around the world praised the world-class infrastructure of Dubai and supported the plans for the upcoming Dubai Healthcare City, which is being seen as a fast developing global medical and healthcare hub.

The three-day Practi-Med Dubai Programme was the first in the series of lifelong medical education programmes that was held as a result of the joint venture between the Dubai Healthcare City and Harvard Medical International that was announced at the end of June this year.

In the closing session on 'The Future of Healthcare in Dubai' Crone pointed out that Harvard Medical International joined hands with DHCC because it believed that Dubai - with its world-class infrastructure and lifestyle - could deliver on its promise of becoming a world centre for medical research, education and delivery.

The closing session of the event featured an address by Marcelle M. Wahba, U.S. Ambassador to the UAE, Presenter: Dr Andrew E. Barrer, Executive Director of Harvard Medical International Dubai Team and Practi-Med designer Dr Harvey J. Makadon, Vice-President for Health Systems, Harvard Medical International; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and B.I. Deaconess Medical Centre.

As on previous days, the final day's programme too, was divided into two tracks.

Morning sessions
The morning session's Track A was devoted to Clinical Applications of The Human Genome Project; while Track B focussed on Advances in Patient Safety & Quality.

The morning session's Track A began with a lecture on The New Genetics: Implications For Medicine And Health. Dr Mahmoud Taleb Al Ali, Assistant Director, Pathology Services, DOHMS; Consultant Geneticist, Head of Genetics Department, and Assistant Professor, FMHS-Al Ain Hospital, Dubai, was in the chair while the presenter was Dr James M. Cunningham, Associate Professor of Medicine (Microbiology and Molecular Genetics), Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

This was followed by a lecture on The Genetics of Neurological Disease in the Gulf Region: New Discoveries and Research Collaborations. This was chaired by Dr Waseem Fathalla, Consultant Pediatric Neurologist, Sheikh Khalifa Hospital, Abu Dhabi; and presented by Dr Christopher Walsh, Bullard Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and B.I. Deaconess Medical Centre.

The final lecture on New Understanding Of Genetics And Cancer, was again chaired by Dr Mahmoud Taleb Al Ali and presented by Dr James M. Cunningham.

Track B with the theme of Advances in Patient Safety & Quality featured a lecture on the Concepts of Patient Safety It was co-chaired by Adel Saeed Al Shamsi and Dr Ali Ahmed Bin Shaker, Medical Director, Rashid Hospital. The presenter was Dr Tejal Gandhi, Director of Patient Safety, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

The next lecture on Creating a Hospital Patient Safety Program: Putting Patient Safety Into Action had the same co-chair and presenter. This was followed by a lecture on Be PIH Hip!: Standardizing the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension to Improve Patient Safety. It too had the same co-chair, but was presented by Dr Raymond O. Powrie, Associate Professor of Medicine, Brown University and Women & Infants' Hospital.

The final lecture in Track B was on Looking to the Future: A Model for Quality Management at DHCC Al Shamsi and Dr Bin Shaker again co-chaired it. Dr Makadon presented it.

Afternoon sessions
The afternoon's Track A session was devoted to Neurology with the first lecture on Advances In Neuroscience. It was co-chaired by Dr Yousef Abdul Razzaq, Vice-Dean, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Consultant Pediatrician, FMHS-Al Ain Hospital, Dubai; and Dr Waseem Fathalla. The presente was Dr Joseph B. Martin.

The second lecture was on The Genetics of Mental Retardation: Human Brain Development and Evolution with the same co-chairs, but with Dr Christopher Walsh, Bullard Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School and B.I. Deaconess Medical Centre, as presenter.

The afternoon's Track B session on Advances in Healthcare Management started with a lecture on Building Healthcare Systems For The Future. It was chaired by Dr Essa Kazim, Medical Director, Consultant and Head of Urology, Dubai Hospital; and presented by Dr Andrew E. Barrer. Dr Mehul Mehta, Vice-President and Director, Harvard Medical International led the Case Discussion on The DHCC Model.

The next lecture on Financing New Health Care Systems was again chaired by Dr Essa Kazim; and presented by Dr Peter Ballinger, Director, Investment Development for Europe and Eurasia, Overseas Private Investment Corporation.