Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and treatment, receives a donation of AED 10 million from Aster DM Healthcare, one of the leading healthcare conglomerates in the Middle East and India. The donation will help Al Jalila Foundation develop cutting-edge medical research to benefit the future health of the UAE.

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

“For many years, Dr Moopen has had a significant influence on the UAE’s medical landscape, building a business while also giving back to society. I would like to take this opportunity to personally congratulate Dr Moopen for making such a positive difference to the UAE. We share a vision – to see our children grow up in a future devoid of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity or mental illness. The Al Jalila Foundation’s medical research endowment fund provides the basis for such a future and we thank Dr Moopen and Aster DM Healthcare for this major contribution to support the advancement of medical research in the UAE.”

Dr Azad Moopen, Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare said:

“We are extremely proud to be able to support the incredible work of Al Jalila Foundation. They are giving the next generation of medical professionals the opportunity to explore the medical sciences and discover solutions that will drastically improve the healthcare industry in the region. Aster DM Healthcare is honoured to be a part of Al Jalila Foundation’s scientific & philanthropic initiative in the area of healthcare to fulfil the vision of H H Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President & Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”

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

“Aster DM Healthcare is a pioneer in high quality healthcare and has been a long-standing support to the healthcare industry in the UAE for the last 25 years. We are honoured by this significant donation from Dr Moopen who believes, like us, that medical research provides the vital engine for a sustainable future in the UAE for generations to come.”

Al Jalila Foundation’s investments in medical research and education aim to nurture a future generation of highly-qualified medical professionals through postgraduate scholarships, research seed grants and international fellowships. The Al Jalila Foundation Research Centre, the UAE’s first independent multi-disciplinary medical research centre, will bring together local and international scientists to address the region’s most pressing health challenges: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and mental health. The state-of-the-art centre is scheduled to open in 2016 at Dubai Healthcare City.

Prospective donors and participants are invited to get more information by contacting Al Jalila Foundation on info@aljalilafoundation.ae or 800-ALJALILA.

Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research, has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education covering a number of initiatives that achieve both organisation’s objectives; to inspire students to pursue careers in medicine; encourage scientific innovation in schools; and promote inclusive education across schools in the UAE by educating the teachers of students with special needs.

The MoU was signed by His Excellency Marwan Al Sawaleh, Undersecretary, Ministry of Education, and Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, and attended by a number of officials from both organisations.

Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, commented:

“The UAE’s Vision 2021 seeks to create a competitive economy driven by knowledge and innovation, and education is paramount to this. We are thrilled to be partnering with the UAE’s main educational body to achieve our shared vision for an inclusive education system that gives every child the necessary foundation for a bright future. With the support of the Ministry of Education, we look forward to expanding our Ta’alouf teachers training across the UAE.”

His Excellency Marwan Ahmad Al Sawaleh, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Education, said:

“We are pleased to build a strategic partnership with Al Jalila Foundation, a national organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research. This agreement focuses on the development of student skills and creativity in scientific innovation and research – a core element of our education development plan. It provides us with the opportunity to build on the foundation’s existing achievements and also benefit from its extensive experience in education and research initiatives, which are all compatible with our vision to develop the UAE’s next generation of scientists”.

He added:

“This is the start of a long and fruitful relationship, which will benefit both students and teachers in the UAE.”

The partnership will support initiatives like Ta’alouf, Al Jalila Foundation’s flagship six-month training course which equips the teachers and principals with the skills needed to support their students with special needs, and is run in partnership with Zayed University. In June 2015 the foundation celebrated the graduation of the first 63 teachers and principals to successfully complete the course, with more courses set to run later in the year. The programme has played an important role in enhancing the education of children with disabilities and enabling them to become productive members in their community

The Ministry of Education will also work with Al Jalila Foundation to inspire Emirati students to pursue careers in medicine through events like Destination Medicine, a student conference featuring talks from medical professionals and interactive workshops. This year the event was attended by more than 330 Emirati students aged 11-13 from 21 schools across the UAE who learnt about first aid, sports medicine, nursing, and medical robotics.

Both Al Jalila Foundation and the Ministry of Education will work together to support the UAE’s aim to build a knowledge-based, highly productive and competitive economy, that is developed with accessible and high-quality education and healthcare. The partnership will play an important role in furthering both organisations’ strategic objectives and enable them to work over the long-term to support each other.

Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research, today celebrated the graduation of 63 teachers and 66 parents from its flagship programme Ta’alouf (‘harmony’ in Arabic), which provides carers of children with special needs with life-changing skills to help them lead more productive and happier lives.

The ceremony was inaugurated by Her Excellency Dr Raja Easa Saleh Al Gurg, Member of the Board of Trustees and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation. Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation; Professor Reyadh Al Mehaideb, Vice President of Zayed University; Professor Abdullah Alshamsi, Vice Chancellor of The British University in Dubai (BUiD); and Professor Eman Gaad, Dean of Faculty of Education and the Head of the Doctoral Programme at BUiD, also joined the proceedings that took place at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre in Dubai Healthcare City.

Her Excellency Dr Raja Al Gurg commented on the programme:

“Every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them the chance. At the heart of Ta’alouf is social inclusion and we will continue to champion it in our classrooms, our playgrounds and our communities. ”

The milestone graduation ceremony marked the first cohort of teachers and principals, hailing from 22 private and government schools in Dubai, to have successfully completed the six-month training course. The teacher training programme was established in partnership with Zayed University and supported by the Ministry of Education and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.

The ceremony also celebrated the fifth and sixth cohort of parents to complete the Ta’alouf parents training programme, bringing the total number of graduated parents to 266 since inception in October 2013. The six-week course has been taught in both English and Arabic to participants from 19 different nationalities across the UAE. So far Al Jalila Foundation has invested more than AED 3 million in its Ta’alouf programme, which has benefited a huge cross-section of the special needs community, including 266 families living with Autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental delays. It was the first time that the course was delivered outside of Dubai – in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah – to accommodate a larger number of parents in the UAE.

Dr Abdulkareem added:

“At Al Jalila Foundation, we are committed to delivering the most effective educational programme for carers of children with special needs. The number of participants who we have been able to reach out to hasincreased five-fold since the programme started in 2013. We are proud to have had the opportunity to empower these parents and teachers by providing them with life-changing skills to ensure a continuum of care between the child’s home and school.”

Professor Reyadhsaid:

“Through our work with Al Jalila Foundation in the Ta’alouf programme, Zayed University looks forward to making lasting and significant contributions in all areas that serve individual learning experiences, and broaden and enrich educational practices catering to student’s needs.”

Professor Emanadded:

“We are very pleased to see even more parents graduate from the training as we have applied a modified programme to address different disabilities, and reached out to parents in other emirates. The great feedback we received from the trainees has inspired us to do more in this field, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Al Jalila Foundation.”

Vice Principal of Anisa Al Ansaria School, Fathela Al Sayyed Hussein, and Ashraf Mohammed Shahin, father of four-year-old Ruqaya who has Autism, gave heartfelt testimonials of their experience. Both parent and teacherpraised Al Jalila Foundation for giving them the opportunity to attend the Ta’alouf training course and explained how it had enriched their understanding of special needs and international best practices.

Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research, welcomes Emirati medical students to apply for postgraduate medical scholarships for the third year. AED 4 million has been allocated for the 2015/16 scholarships programme, which is open to all Emirati students who wish to pursue postgraduate studies in medical and health sciences in the United Arab Emirates.

Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, commented:

“We are pleased to once again extend financial support to aspiring Emirati healthcare professionals to help them specialise and further build the skills and credentials needed to contribute to the wellbeing of the nation. This year we look forward to receiving applications covering an even wider range of specialties that will help broaden the UAE’s medical capabilities, so that it can continue to offer its citizens world-class healthcare in line with UAE Vision 2021. Not only will our scholarships help to develop capabilities, they will build capacity, continuity and sustainability in the UAE’s healthcare sector.”

Since its inception Al Jalila Foundation has awarded 19 scholarships for postgraduate studies in nursing, dentistry and public health at institutions across the UAE. Two of the first scholarship recipients to be funded by Al Jalila Foundation will graduate from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Dubai later this year.

The application deadline for Al Jalila Foundation postgraduate medical scholarships for the 2015/2016 academic year is 31 July 2015, and successful applicants will be announced in September 2015. For more information e-mail at scholarships@aljalilafoundation.ae.