Dubai: Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum, Supreme President of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, honoured the winners of the 2025 Medical Awards during an official ceremony held at Etihad Museum in Dubai, attended by senior healthcare leaders, policymakers, academics and researchers from the UAE and abroad.

In his address, Sheikh Rashid said the medical sector is a fundamental pillar of sustainable development and a key driver of quality of life and human empowerment. He noted that recognising outstanding achievers reflects the Foundation’s commitment to excellence rooted in scientific research, innovation and professional integrity, and continues the scientific and humanitarian legacy of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum in advancing healthcare and public health awareness.

Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Under-Secretary Assistant of the Public Health Sector, said the awards celebrate excellence and innovation while reinforcing commitment to scientific research, knowledge partnerships and a sustainable culture of excellence.

Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, said the ceremony marked the culmination of a rigorous scientific evaluation and peer-review process. He noted that the winning works demonstrated high research quality and applied impact, highlighting leading models in medical research, healthcare innovation and professional practice that strengthen healthcare systems and societal outcomes.

A total of 10 institutions, specialists and researchers were honoured across regional and national categories. These included the Arab Award for Research in Healthcare, the Arab Award in Genetics, Best Research in the Healthcare Award, Innovation in Healthcare Award and the Hamdan Award for Distinguished Personalities in the Healthcare Sector.

The Arab Award in Genetics was presented to Majed bin Abdullah Al Fadhel, Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences and Chairman of the Genetics and Precision Medicine Department at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh.

The Arab Award for Research in Healthcare was granted to two studies, one on long-read sequencing in rare diseases by teams from Dubai Health Genomic Medicine Center, Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences and Dubai Police Genome Centre, and another on dapagliflozin and cellular stress prepared by teams from the University of Sharjah, Mayo Clinic, United Arab Emirates University, Emirates Health Services, the Armed Forces College of Medicine in Egypt and Mansoura University.

At the national level, the Hamdan Award for Distinguished Personalities in the Healthcare Sector was awarded to Arif Abdulla Alnooryani of Al Qassimi Hospital and Wadeia Muhammad Sharif of Dubai Health Authority.

The Best Research in the Healthcare Award recognised three studies from Gulf Medical University and Johns Hopkins University, The Life Corner Pharmacies and Seha Clinics – PureHealth, and University College London. The Innovation in Healthcare Award was presented to Al Jalila Children’s Hospital for its autism services transformation programme and to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi for the UAE’s first comprehensive deep brain stimulation programme for Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, winners affirmed that the Medical Awards serve as a catalyst for research and innovation, supporting the UAE’s vision of becoming a global hub for medical and scientific excellence.