U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Trade Delegation Visits Abu Dhabi Global Health Week

Share

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
(From L to R): Danny Sebright, President, U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council; Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic, President and CEO and Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair of Cleveland Clinic and U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Co-Chair; U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E. Martina Strong; H.E. Mansoor Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; H.E. Dr. Noura Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; H.E. Dr. Fayeza Saif Al Yafei, Executive Director of Healthcare Quality Sector, Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; and Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Health Life Sciences Sector, Department of Health – Abu Dhabi

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted three workshops with U.A.E. and U.S. healthcare leaders on Monday April 14th, Tuesday, April 15th, and Wednesday April 16th, and a high level meeting with Department of Health-Abu Dhabi leadership on Wednesday April 16th during the second annual Abu Dhabi Global Health Week (ADGHW) conference. These discussions provided an opportunity for U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council members and delegates on its U.S. Department of Commerce-certified trade mission to engage with officials from the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE), M42, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, The Medical Office, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), and the U.S. Mission to the U.A.E.

On Wednesday 16 April, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council convened a high level discussion with H.E. Mansoor Al Mansoori, Chairman of the DoH, H.E. Dr. Noura Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the DoH, H.E. Dr. Fayeza Saif Al Yafei, Executive Director of the Healthcare Quality Sector for the DoH, Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Health Life Sciences Sector of the DoH, and Khuloud bin Rafeea, Division Director of Drugs and Medical Products Division for the DoH. U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E. Martina Strong made welcome remarks at this workshop, which also included Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic, President and CEO and Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair of Cleveland Clinic and U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Board of Directors Co-Chair. 

Ambassador Strong opened the session by underscoring the enduring and robust bilateral healthcare and life science collaboration between the United States and the U.A.E. Ambassador Strong expressed her commitment to further strengthen this relationship, highlighting the ambition shown by U.S. companies as the U.A.E. drives innovation in its healthcare and life sciences ecosystem.

H.E. Mansoor Al Mansoori, Chairman of the DoH, emphasized Abu Dhabi’s commitment to building, testing, and scaling innovative healthcare solutions and intelligent systems through the integration of AI and advanced technology. H.E. Mansoori underscored Abu Dhabi’s position as a global launch pad for healthcare innovation and invited U.S. companies to establish, pilot, and expand their solutions within the Emirate. H.E. Al Mansoori also took time to listen to delegates from the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s health trade mission to better understand their offerings and explore new avenues of cooperation.

H.E. Dr. Fayeza Saif Al Rafei, Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, and Khuloud bin Rafeea subsequently spoke with attendees regarding the DoH’s vision to support partnerships with U.S. companies across the healthcare and life sciences sector. They emphasized the DoH’s priority to fast track innovation, and spoke about the unified procurement process as a means to contribute to the growing research and development ecosystem.

DoH leadership highlighted the recent Health, Endurance, Longevity, and Medicine (HELM) Cluster that was launched during ADGHW. A partnership between Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), and the DoH, the HELM Cluster is a $25.5 billion initiative aimed at strengthening Abu Dhabi’s life sciences ecosystem. This initiative aims to do so by boosting pharmaceutical manufacturing, building an AI-driven life sciences ecosystem, attracting leading global healthcare companies, and driving breakthroughs in preventive care, treatment effectiveness, and longevity.

(From L to R):  Danny Sebright, President, U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council; Albarah Al Khani, Senior Vice President of Operations, M42; Dr. Mariam Al Mazrouei, Advisor for the Emirates Drug Establishment; and Khuloud bin Rafeea, Division Director of Drugs and Medical Products Division, Department of Health – Abu Dhabi

On Wednesday April 16th, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council also held a workshop about partnerships in the Abu Dhabi life science sector. This workshop featured Dr. Mariam Al Mazrouei, Advisor for the EDE, Albarah Al Khani, Senior Vice President of Operations for M42, and Khuloud bin Rafeea, Division Director of Drug and Medical Products Division at the DoH. Panelists provided U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council members and attendees valuable insights into developments in life science research and manufacturing in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Mariam Al Mazrouei outlined EDE’s philosophy and plans for regulatory compliance of pharmaceutical production and distribution. The EDE aims to support the U.A.E.’s drug security and ensure the availability, quality, and effectiveness and safety of medical and pharmaceutical products to positively impact public health. Pointing to the U.A.E.’s strategic geographic location and collaborative trade agreements globally, Dr. Al Mazrouei argued that the U.A.E. is uniquely positioned to be a leader in life science manufacturing and exports. She stressed the EDE’s willingness to engage with industry, noting that the EDE is not just keen to share draft regulations with industry but engage with industry before it drafts regulations.

Albarah Al Khani stated that M42’s goal in the life sciences is to push for innovation, and he praised the U.A.E.’s regulators for supporting this objective. Mr. Al Khani asserted that the future of health is in predictive, precision, and preventative medicine. He noted that M42 is working to humanize healthcare through AI and advanced technologies, such as DOC42. Moreover, he expounded on M42’s Omics Center of Excellence, which has supported the Emirate Genome Program by sequencing over 800,000 genomes, and aims to sequence 1,000,000 local Emiratis. This will enable the U.A.E. to personalize health care, and reduce inherited disease through predictive medical care. Mr. Al Khani encouraged collaboration in areas of knowledge transfer and scaling genomic research in Abu Dhabi.

Khuloud bin Rafeea elaborated on Abu Dhabi’s ambitions to become a global and regional hub of life science manufacturing. She stressed that the DoH supports the expansion of genomic research and incentivizes clinical trials. In her position at the DoH, Khuloud aims to work with U.S. institutions to collaborate on genomic research and attract international talent to bolster Abu Dhabi’s work force.

(From L to R): Marc Petre, Chief Operating Officer, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi; H.E. Dr. Fayeza Saif Al Yafei, Executive Director of Healthcare Quality Sector, Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; Dr. Ravi Trehan, Dean of Research, SSMC; Dr. Aref Al Shehhi, CEO, The Medical Office; and Danny Sebright, President, U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council

On 15 April 2025, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council held a workshop focused on building partnerships in healthcare provision and international patient care. Panelists for this workshop included H.E. Dr. Fayeza Saif Al Yafei, Executive Director of Healthcare Quality Sector for the DoH, Dr. Aref Al Shehhi, CEO of The Medical Office, Marc Petre, Chief Operating Officer for CCAD, and Dr. Ravi Trehan, Dean of Research for SSMC.

H.E. Dr. Fayeza Saif Al Yafei provided insights into the current priorities for the DoH in the coming year. The DoH’s strategy prioritizes five areas: 1) supporting women and children’s health; 2) primary models of care; 3) monitoring quality of care; 4) empowering people of determination; and 5) supporting a robust compliance and regulatory system.  H.E. Dr. Fayeza said that the DoH is furthermore focused on establishing Centers of Excellence (COE) in pediatrics, longevity, and genomics research, and views these COEs as opportunities for future collaboration with U.S. partners. Highlighting a model for bilateral partnerships, H.E. Dr. Fayeza pointed to the Centre of Excellence for Burn Treatment at SSMC in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense. Her Excellency explained the DoH’s desire to implement international best practices, forge new bilateral partnerships, and deepen existing partnerships in the U.S. to fill knowledge gaps in the growing healthcare ecosystem in Abu Dhabi. The DoH continues to strengthen medical research in Abu Dhabi through public-private partnerships. 

Dr. Aref Al Shehhi discussed The Medical Office’s ongoing work in the Northern Emirates. As a division of PureHealth, The Medical Office oversees a network of advanced general and specialist hospitals across the U.A.E., including four hospitals in the Northern Emirates. Dr. Aref stated that The Medical Office hopes to explore partnerships with U.S. companies in areas of cardiovascular care, neurological research, and oncology as well as in education, technology, and research. Dr. Aref stressed the cultural complexities that should be considered when U.S. companies partner with different Emirates in the U.A.E. As each Emirate has different needs and has different gaps to fill, Dr. Aref stressed that successful partnerships have clearly defined lengths of partnership, and need open and direct lines of communication.

Marc Petre discussed CCAD’s achievements since its opening in 2015, highlighting its role in bringing world-class U.S. medical practices and knowledge to the U.A.E. CCAD has also established a comprehensive Stroke Center of Excellence and a robust oncology and radiology therapy center, positioning itself at the forefront of complex care delivery in Abu Dhabi. Mr. Petre emphasized the importance of CCAD’s multinational tumor board, which leverages telemedicine to draw on global expertise and deliver the highest standard of cancer care. Furthermore, CCAD is advancing the Arab world’s presence in healthcare research through strategic initiatives and international collaboration. Mr. Petre praised Abu Dhabi’s healthcare and life sciences sector for fostering innovation, supporting the integration of AI and advanced technologies through its genomic sequencing program .

Dr. Ravi Trehan emphasized the U.A.E.’s commitment to building a strong healthcare system, noting that the country allocates approximately 6% of its GDP to healthcare development. As the largest hospital in the U.A.E., SSMC is one of the fastest growing facilities for medical tourism and specializes in complex care cases. Founded in 2019, Dr. Trehan said that SSMC is hoping to partner with U.S. institutions in areas of longevity research, cell and gene therapy, and continued referrals to the U.S. for complex tumor operations. 

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s healthcare trade delegation to Abu Dhabi Global Health Week kicked off on April 14th with a country brief by the U.S. Mission to the U.A.E. This was followed by an Abu Dhabi Global Health Week Kickoff reception co-hosted by the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council and AmCham Abu Dhabi. The delegation now departs for a day of meetings with healthcare authorities in Ras Al Khaimah.

For more information about the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s healthcare and life science programming, please contact Adam Karadsheh at akaradsheh@usuaebusiness.org. To read the 2025 edition of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s report on U.A.E. Healthcare and Life Sciences Sector, please see here.