5 UAE students head to Washington for medical programme

Abu Dhabi's Khalifa University Five Bio-medical Engineering students from Abu Dhabi's Khalifa University, including two Emirati students, have flown to Washington, DC , to participate in the Children's National Medical Centre's annual Student Innovators Programme, a programme sponsored by the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation.
The students were selected alongside 23 others from universities around the world, and will have access to world-class pediatric healthcare facilities and educational opportunities at the Sheikh Zayed Institute. The programme provides exposure for students to innovative treatments and research devices under development at the Institute. This is the second consecutive year that students from the United Arab Emirates have been selected to participate in the international programme.
Eiman Hammoudi (UAE), Shatha Alwahhabi (UAE), Zainab Moazzam (Pakistan), Enas Osman (Sudan) and Noaf Al Wahab (Iraq) will spend two months at Washington, D.C.'s leading pediatric hospital, The Children's National Medical Centre, which is home to the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, founded in September 2009 thanks to a generous gift of US$150 million from the government of Abu Dhabi.
The Student Innovators Programme is also funded by a donation from the government of Abu Dhabi and is an extension of the shared vision to significantly and measurably advance medical innovation to create healthier and safer surgical outcomes for children worldwide.
Last year's programme saw two students from the UAE - also from Khalifa University - join 13 other students from around the world. By hosting the students from Khalifa University, the Institute hopes to build even greater knowledge sharing and transfer between The Children's National Medical Centre and the UAE.
Dr Peter Kim, Vice-President of the Sheikh Zayed Institute, said, "During their two-month stay here in Washington, we want the students to not only gain further insight into the innovation behind pediatric healthcare, but for them to take back skills and knowledge that will help to build the spirit of vision and creativity when devising solutions for challenges that they might come across in their chosen fields. With these students, we share a commitment to improving the lives of children everywhere by integrating the power of bio-medical engineering, healthcare, science and technology to make treatments more precise for children. We are confident that these innovators will help contribute to the vision and goals of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, and we look forward to enriching this experience for them throughout the summer." Dr. Bayan Sharif, Khalifa University's Dean of the College of Engineering, said, "We are very pleased that our students are attending this programme. Khalifa University is dedicated to providing the best education opportunities available to our students, which means involvement in programmes like this one. Our students will certainly make the most out of this programme, and come back with wonderful memories, increased knowledge of their field and vitally important contacts with peers and academics from around the world." Emirati Bio-medical Engineering student, Shatha Alwahhabi, said, "All of us are very excited about the programme, we want to look at ways to improve the lives of children in the UAE, and the wider region. The way The Children's National Medical Center approaches this is through innovation in technology and thought-processes. We are hoping that we can take back new ideas and techniques that will help many adults and children here in the UAE."
Source: WAM