Welcome
Letter From The Editor
In this issue we are pleased to bring you the exciting news that Dubai Healthcare City will launch a world-class tertiary care teaching hospital. This story has been developing for several months, as faculty from HMI, health care leaders in Dubai, a team of architects from a top firm, and clinical and administrative experts from throughout the Harvard medical community have worked together to design every component of the University Hospital.
Programs & Events
HMSDC presents CME program
for mental health professionals
HMSDC presents CME program for mental health professionals
More than 200 primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals attended “Specialty Practi-Med: Mental Health,” a continuing medical education program held in November by the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) Institute for Postgraduate Education and Research, in collaboration with Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).
Timothy Petersen, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and Sheikh Saoud Abdulla Al Mualla, MD, head of psychiatry at Dubai’s Rashid Hospital, headed a multidisciplinary faculty drawn from institutions in the U.S., United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.
The program paid special attention to the diagnosis and treatment of two health problems that have seldom been at the top of the Gulf Region’s health care agenda: anxiety disorders and depression. Faculty experts led interactive case discussions aimed at helping attendees understand how to manage these problems in the context of different development stages (such as during adolescence or pregnancy) and in different treatment settings (such as in primary care practice versus specialty care). The course also addressed the cultural factors that can sometimes create barriers for both diagnosis and treatment.
Melanie Schlatter, PhD, of Dubai’s Human Relations Institute, presented on the management of depression during pregnancy and in the post-partum period. She said that the UAE has a shortage of board-certified mental health professionals, leaving many residents undiagnosed while allowing stigmas surrounding mental health to go unaddressed.
"Patients can fly under the radar because the provision is not there," said Schlatter. "There is a stigma attached to going to a psychiatrist or a psychologist wherever you go, but I think it could be worse here."
Robert L. Thurer, MD, Chief Academic Officer of HMSDC, said that programs like this are helping to raise awareness of important issues affecting the Gulf Region. “We hope that through our CME programs, we are not only facilitating the transfer of knowledge, but also providing local health care professionals with a forum where they can bring to light key questions that require closer attention,” said Thurer.
For information on educational offerings from HMSDC, please visit the HMSDC website.
Upcoming CME programs from HMSDC will focus on care of children
Last year more than 2,000 health care professionals attended one of the 13 continuing medical education programs delivered by the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) Institute for Postgraduate Education & Research. These programs covered a wide range of specialties, including mental health, gastroenterology, and respiratory disease. HMSDC also teamed with local institutions to create a series of programs on occupational medicine.
This spring HMSDC will deliver a pair of programs focused on the care of children. “Practi-Med: Pediatrics,” scheduled for April 4-5, will include lectures, case discussions, and interactive workshops on topics such as childhood nutrition, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and asthma, as well as developmental disorders such as autism. The course will be directed by Dr. Shahraban Abdulla, chief of the pediatrics department at Al Wasl Hospital and head of the pediatrics chapter of the Emirates Medical Association. Drs. Diego Botero, Ghaleb Daouk, and Janice Ware of Harvard Medical School and its affiliate the Children’s Hospital will also be on hand to present updates in their respective specialties.
On May 10th, HMSDC will present a day of discussions on the role of health care professionals in the protection of children and young people. Dr. Susan Bennett of the pediatrics department at the University of Ottawa will direct the program, which also features Dr. Celeste Wilson from Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital. Topics on the agenda include the identification and management of physical abuse and sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, and head injuries resulting from abuse.
Both of these programs will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai. For more information, or to register, please visit the HMSDC website at www.hmsdc.hms.harvard.edu.
Vamsi Mootha, MD
Dubai Harvard Foundation again gathers young Gulf scientists to investigate future of research in the region
The Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research—in cooperation with the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center Institute for Postgraduate Education & Research and Dubai Healthcare City—held its second symposium for up and coming scientists in the Gulf Region.
The Foundation was created in 2006 to support biomedical research and academic programs that will both advance new scientific knowledge and create a regional community of leaders in science and medicine in Dubai and the surrounding region.
The Foundation’s Executive Director, Dr. Robert L. Thurer, said, “The conference helped open the door for concerted scientific research in the region. Leading medical researchers from Harvard Medical School offered insights regarding health care 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.”
Vamsi Mootha, MD, a 2004 MacArthur Genius Award recipient and a member of the Harvard Medical School faculty, delivered the keynote address. Mohamed Sayegh, MD, Professor of Transplantation Medicine at HMS, also spoke.
The Foundation is raising $100 million to create a permanent endowment, which will generate funds to sustain medical education, create scholarship and fellowship programs, and develop research centers in life sciences. The Foundation’s research programs will be implemented through HMSDC, which will also develop collaborative scientific and medical research between regional laboratories and Harvard Medical School.
The Foundation’s first symposium for young investigators was held in January 2007. Please see this HMI WORLD article describing that event, and visit the Foundation’s website to read a detailed summary of the event’s proceedings.
