The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has announced the launch of a nationwide Clinical Genomic Medicine and Genetic Counselling Programme to support 100 Emirati physicians from multiple UAE healthcare facilities.
The first of its kind programme, which began in October, was launched by the DoH in partnership with Mass General Brigham’s International Center for Genetic Disease (iCGD), Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Khalifa University of Science and Technology.
Following the declaration of collaboration signed in June 2023, the programme is the first outcome of the DoH’s partnership with iCGD.
In alignment with a core component of the National Genome Strategy, the programme will leverage data from the Emirati Genome Programme to implement personalised care and improve patient outcomes.
Spanning six months, the programme will be delivered by experts in the field to equip doctors with the vital knowledge and skills to handle genetic and genomic issues in clinical settings.
The Clinical Genomic Medicine and Genetic Counselling Programme will provide necessary education on cancer treatment and diagnosis, metabolic disorders, system-based illnesses and newborn and population screening.
Additionally, it will harness state-of-the-art whole sequencing and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to create high-quality data.
So far, over 400,000 genetic samples have been collected as part of the programme, working towards the national target of one million.
Dr Noura Al Ghaithi, undersecretary at DoH, commented: “DoH is committed to empowering national competencies by ensuring that they have access to leading experts and sharing the necessary knowledge and skills in innovative fields, such as genomics, leveraging the Emirate’s advanced capabilities and its infrastructure.”
Dr Robert Higgins, president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and executive vice president at Mass General Brigham, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with the DoH to launch one of the largest genomic medicine training programmes, aiming to boost the capacity in genomics and genetics in the UAE.”
Most recently, the DoH has partnered with several organisations, including Burjeel Holdings, M42 and Microsoft, to advance the use of AI and digital technology in healthcare.