President Summers presented HH Sheikh Mohammed with a book published 100 years ago by the faculty of Harvard Medical School to honor the benefactors of the Medical School and to commemorate the building of the School’s campus in Boston. The Medical School benefactors paved the way for the School to become one of the world’s top centers for biomedical research. President Summers drew an analogy to Sheikh Mohammed and the Foundation’s Founder Members and their commitment to building a world class center in the region. “The Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research is creating sustainable change in the Gulf Region by bringing together skilled scientists focused on addressing the region’s pressing medical challenges,” said Summers. “I am confident that the partnership between Harvard and Dubai, and the region’s participation in the Foundation’s efforts, will foster a fertile environment for academic progress and scientific discovery,” Summers concluded.

At a luncheon for Founder Members and other invited guests held at the Madinat Jumeirah the same day, HE Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, the UAE Minister of Health, praised the efforts by Harvard and the UAE to create a sustainable community of physicians, scientists, and students and to make healthcare of the highest international standard available to the people of this region. “The goal is to build the Gulf Region’s prominence as an international center for scientific inquiry and discovery,” the minister noted. The luncheon, part of a two-day celebration to observe the official launch of the Foundation, was attended by regional leaders in business and academia from the region. Dean Joseph Martin together with heads of research from Harvard also attended the luncheon.

“It is our hope that research funded through the Foundation will help to drive scientific inquiry and discovery in the Middle East, and lead to innovations that will address the region’s most pressing health problems,” Dr. Martin said, pointing out that the Foundation has launched a major fundraising effort with the goal of creating an endowment fund to support its programs. HH Sheikh Mohammed has pledged $13.6 million to the Foundation and HRH Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud has pledged an additional $5 million. Membership in the Foundation offers philanthropists the opportunity to drive biomedical research in a number of critical disease areas, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disease.