Dubai, UAE, 24 April 2014 – Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research, today hosted Destination Medicine, an interactive student conference to inspire 400 Emirati students to pursue a career in medicine.

• Student conference welcomes keynote speaker, Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, leading international heart surgeon
• Destination Medicine brings together students from 20 private and government schools; 15 medical facilities across DHCC specialities welcome students

Emirati students from grade nine to 12 from both private and government schools had the opportunity to meet keynote speaker and award-winning international heart surgeon, Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub. Sir Magdi, who has established the largest heart and lung transplantation programme in the world where more than 2,500 transplant operations have been performed, shared his inspirational journey with the students.

The conference took place at the Mohamed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre, in Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), a health and wellness destination that brings together a wealth of services in healthcare, medical education and research, and was attended by representatives of UAE schools and universities, as well as DHCC business partners and officials from Al Jalila Foundation and DHCC.

As part of the mentoring programme, students toured 15 DHCC medical facilities covering a range of specialities; students interacted with healthcare professionals – through workshops and activities – to gain insight into the demands of the medical profession.

Her Excellency Raja Easa Al Gurg, Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Member of the Board of Trustees of Al Jalila Foundation, said:

“Our visionary leadership continues to pave the way for young Emiratis, not only to study medicine at world-leading organisations, but also to thrive in the sector with the support of local guidance and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Destination Medicine has helped expose the students first-hand to the world of medicine. We hope that it has inspired them to become doctors and have the chance to save lives and give back to their community.”

Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub commented:

“With ambition and determination, the UAE is on the path to be a leader in medical innovation. The opportunities that the UAE has provided its youth are impressive, and I hope that this experience will instil in them a spirit of discovery in medicine. I commend Al Jalila Foundation’s efforts in supporting the local medical talent though grants and scholarships; enabling young minds to transform the future of healthcare in the UAE.”

Addressing Emirati students at the event, Sir Magdi added:

“You are the future of healthcare!”

Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer of Al Jalila Foundation stated:

“Al Jalila Foundation aims to inspire the UAE’s future doctors. Through our post-graduate medical scholarships, the development of the Al Jalila Foundation Research Centre and our fellowship and research grants, we hope to develop a generation of home-grown medical professionals who will lead the nation’s healthcare sector for years to come.”

Marwan Abedin, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Healthcare City, and member of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation, said,

“To build a sustainable healthcare industry, we require a national workforce – one that is aligned with the regional healthcare challenges and works to address these. In context, welcoming students to an environment like Dubai Healthcare City, which represents healthcare, medical education and research, is an opportunity to encourage young minds to think about a wide choice of career options in medicine.”

Al Jalila Foundation has started receiving applications for its post-graduate medical scholarships programme for the 2014/2015 academic year. The application deadline is 15 August 2014. For more information visit www.aljalilafoundation.ae or e-mail scholarships@aljalilafoundation.ae.

HE Raja Al Gurg:

“The UAE community is mindful of the importance of developing advanced medical research capabilities and the impact of that on the UAE 2021 Vision”

Al Jalila Foundation’s “United in Health” campaign has attracted more than 70,000community supporters over a period of six days, demonstrating an outstanding level of awareness amongst the UAE community of the importance of medical research to the UAE’s sustainable future. The unique “I Love UAE” structure in the Bloomingdale’s Atrium atThe Dubai Mall was covered with thousands of tokens pledging support to the nation’s health and prosperityand supporting medical research.

Her Excellency Raja EasaSaleh Al Gurg, Member of the Board of Trustees and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation, said:

“We are delighted to see this great community support, from locals and residents alike, to the UAE on its 42nd National Day, which has taken on more meaning now with the announcement of the Expo 2020 win, a victory for our visionary leadership and this country. As the world now turns to our nation’s achievements for inspiration, we are proud to be playing a role in building a healthier and more prosperous nation in line with UAE Vision 2021. A significant part of what we do is educating youngsters to instil a culture of medical research at a grass roots level, which is in line with Al Jalila Foundation’s long-term vision.”

Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said:

“The support was overwhelming and we were extremely excited to see children and adults from all over descend on our I Love UAE atrium. The campaign has raised over AED2 million to support our medical research projects. The level of support we received from individuals, corporates and educational institutions is an indication of how much the community believes in the ability of advanced medical research to build a healthier and more sustainable nation.We extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of the campaign, and special thanks to GEMS Education, and Amity University Dubai for their generous support in raising awareness among the youth and extending the reach of our message to over 100,000 students.”

The Varkey GEMS Foundation engaged more than 7000 students from 13 GEMS Education schools in the campaign with a number of them visiting the stand throughout the week. The GEMS schools that went to the stall to tie their messages include The Kindergarten Starters, which sent a delegation of students to pledge on behalf of 5,500 students, GEMS New Millennium School – Al Khail, Our Own English High School – Al Warqa’a and Cambridge International School.

Students from Amity University Dubaivolunteered their timeto sell tokens in the university as well as on the stand.

The ‘United in Health’ campaign was organisedin association with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and sponsored by Dubai Healthcare City and Paris Gallery. Support sponsors include The Dubai Mall, Watani, Ahmed Seddiqi& Sons and Hills Advertising.