Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation concludes 2025 Medical Awards cycle with official ceremony
Under the patronage of Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum, Supreme President of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, the Foundation concluded its 2025 Medical Awards cycle with an official honouring ceremony held at the Etihad Museum in Dubai.
The ceremony recognised outstanding institutions, specialists, and researchers for their contributions to medical research, healthcare innovation, and professional excellence, and was attended by senior healthcare leaders, policymakers, academics, and researchers from the UAE and abroad.
In his address, Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum highlighted the medical sector as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development and a key driver of quality of life and human empowerment. He emphasised that honouring distinguished achievers reflects the Foundation’s commitment to scientific research, innovation, and professional integrity, while continuing the scientific and humanitarian legacy of the late Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
He noted that the Medical Awards embody Sheikh Hamdan’s vision of supporting research excellence, advancing diagnostic and treatment practices, and strengthening healthcare services and public health awareness.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, H.E. Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Undersecretary Assistant of the Public Health Sector, said the awards reaffirm the UAE’s commitment to advancing scientific research, strengthening knowledge partnerships, and embedding a culture of excellence as a sustainable institutional approach.
Meanwhile, H.E. Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, described the ceremony as the culmination of a rigorous scientific evaluation and peer-review process. He said the winning submissions demonstrated high research quality, applied impact, and innovation, contributing to stronger healthcare systems and improved societal outcomes.
Al Qatami added that the Medical Awards highlight elite healthcare competencies and reflect the UAE leadership’s commitment to supporting healthcare development in line with national goals for a knowledge-driven, health-conscious society capable of meeting the demands of sustainable development.
Award recipients and winning studies
A total of 10 institutions, specialists, and researchers were honoured across regional and national award categories in the 2025 Medical Awards cycle. These included the Arab Award for Research in Healthcare, the Arab Award in Genetics, the Best Research in the Healthcare Award, the Innovation in Healthcare Award, and the Hamdan Award for Distinguished Personalities in the Healthcare Sector.
The Arab Award in Genetics was presented to Prof. Majed bin Abdullah Al Fadhel, Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Chairman of the Genetics and Precision Medicine Department at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, and Deputy Executive Director of King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre (KAIMRC).
The Arab Award for Research in Healthcare was granted to two studies. The first, titled “Long-read sequencing enhances the discovery of pathogenic and novel variants in patients with rare diseases,” was submitted by a collaborative research team from the Dubai Health Genomic Medicine Center, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, and the Dubai Police Genome Centre.
The second winning study, “The role of dapagliflozin in relieving cellular stress and inflammation through modulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway,” was produced by a multidisciplinary team from the University of Sharjah, Mayo Clinic (USA), United Arab Emirates University, Emirates Health Services, Armed Forces College of Medicine (Egypt), and Mansoura University (Egypt).
Within the UAE awards category, the Hamdan Award for Distinguished Personalities in the Healthcare Sector was presented to Dr. Arif Abdulla Alnooryani, Executive Director and Head of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Heart Center at Al Qassimi Hospital, and Dr. Wadeia Muhammad Sharif, Director of the Medical Education and Research Department at Dubai Health Authority.
The Best Research in the Healthcare Award recognised three studies, including research on physical activity as a preventive measure for eye diseases by Gulf Medical University and Johns Hopkins University, a randomised clinical trial on type 2 diabetes interventions conducted by The Life Corner Pharmacies – PureHealth and Seha Clinics – PureHealth, and a study from University College London on hemostasis techniques in neurosurgery.
The Innovation in Healthcare Award was granted to Al Jalila Children’s Hospital – Dubai Health for its programme “Not Even One Day: A Radical Transformation Journey in Access to Autism Services.” An additional Innovation Award was presented to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi for launching the UAE’s first comprehensive Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) programme for Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, completing more than 100 AI-enabled smart implants using advanced brain-sensing technologies.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, award recipients affirmed that the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation Medical Awards play a vital role in fostering a culture of research and innovation, supporting the UAE’s ambition to become a global hub for medical and scientific excellence.
