Press Release
Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research (DHFMR) Announces Grants for Two Teams of Collaborative Researchers from Middle East Region
Two Research Fellowship Awards Also Announced
Dubai: March 13, 2009 – The Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research (DHFMR) announces its second annual grants for two research teams under its Collaborative Research Center Program. In addition, the DHFMR has made two Research Fellowship Awards to postdoctoral researchers from the Middle East region.
Under the Collaborative Research Center Program, DHFMR funds researchers who have demonstrated exceptional ability to generate innovative approaches to medical, biomedical or translational research, relevant to the Middle East region. Effective from January 2009, the grants enable recipients to build on established collaborations between research laboratories at Harvard Medical School and Middle East based counterparts with the goal of ultimately moving their research towards breakthrough and discovery.
In addition, two Research Fellowship Awards have been granted to postdoctoral researchers from the Middle East region currently in the early stages of their research career. The recipients will work for up to three years under the guidance and mentorship of Harvard Medical School faculty.
All research award applications undergo a peer review process by an ad hoc Review Committee which makes its recommendation to the DHFMR Scientific Advisory Committee, comprised of members based at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and academic medical centers in the Middle East. Acting on the advice of both committees, the DHFMR Board of Trustees, chaired by the Dean of Harvard Medical School, approves the recommendations and notifies the successful award recipients.
The DHFMR Collaborative Research Center Awards are open to research programs, laboratories and centers at HMS and in the Middle East; the Research Fellowships are available to qualified postdoctoral researchers from the Middle East Region who demonstrate promise and potential as innovative researchers. The criteria and eligibility requirements for the 2009 award cycle along with an application form will be posted on the DHFMR website www.dhfmr.hms.harvard.edu in the spring of 2009.
Dr. Muhadditha Al Hashimi, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and Deputy CEO, Tatweer, said: “In its endeavour to create an international hub for healthcare research and education, Dubai Healthcare City has once again reiterated its commitment to stimulate individual and group research. This new initiative will further enhance the quality of medical services in the region to match international standards while contributing to the professional growth of practitioners.
Dr. Ayesha Abdullah, CEO, Dubai Healthcare City, said: “As we are keen to contribute to excellence in research, academic and medical services in the region, we are committed to recognizing the efforts of the health care community. We are confident these awards will turn the spotlight on Dubai as a place for nurturing innovation and scientific discovery.”
The first research initiative, the Collaborative Research Network on Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PIDs),is headed by Dr. Raif Geha, Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, and Chief, Division of Immunology, Children’s Hospital, Boston, and his colleague Dr. Luigi Notarangelo, also a member of the Department of Pediatrics. They will work with collaborators located at five regional research sites, including members of the faculty of medicine at UAE University (Dr. Basel Al-Ramadi and Dr. Suleiman Al-Hammadi), Kuwait University (Dr. Waleed Al-Herz), King Saud University, Riyadh (Dr. Abdullah Alangari), American University of Beirut and Ege University Medical School, Turkey. The collaboration draws on the strengths of the participating centers to establish a sustainable regional network with the potential to identify novel genes that cause PIDs.
The second research initiative, Discovery of Genetic Causes for Human Congenital Malformations, is a collaboration headed by Dr. Christine E. Seidman, Professor of Genetics and Medicine at Harvard Medical School, at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, in association with HMS Chair of Genetics, Dr. Richard Maas. The program also brings together several research sites located around the region, including the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center (Dr. Fowzan Alkuraya), faculty of medicine at American University of Beirut (Dr. Fadi Bitar) and the Weill Cornell Medical College, Doha, Qatar (Dr. Ahmad Teebi). The group aims to discover genetic variations that cause birth defects and to define the prevalence of these genetic variations in the Middle Eastern populations.
Recipients of the two Research Fellowship Awards are Dr. Maha Al-Mozaini of the Department of Molecular Virology, KFSHRC, and Dr. Manal Alaamery of Boston College. Dr. Al Mozaini will investigate post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), while Dr. Alaamery will work to identify the genes that control the development of the human cerebral cortex. Selected for their remarkable commitment to science and outstanding track record, both will work with Harvard Medical School laboratories and continue their research within the Middle East region after completing their three-year program.
The Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research was established to help stimulate scientific inquiry and discovery in the Middle East, and lead innovations to address the region’s most pressing challenges in the healthcare sector. The Foundation’s objective is to support cutting edge collaborative research, as well as establish sustainable research centers and education program to spur innovations in medical practice.
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About Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research
The Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research is a result of the formal collaboration between Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), with support from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and a group of private philanthropists. The Foundation supports biomedical research and academic programs that will advance new scientific knowledge and create a community of leaders in science and medicine in the Middle East and the Gulf Region, by developing a sustainable regional infrastructure and providing funding for pioneering research and new technologies.
The Foundation has a permanent endowment, which generates funds to sustain medical education, create scholarship and fellowship programs, and develop research centers in life sciences. 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 disorders affecting children, among others. Founder Members are also members of the Foundation Council and take their place alongside a small number of likeminded individuals who want to develop with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid a vision of world class healthcare and research.
For further information, please contact:
Hala Shazia Bhat
Senior Executive - Operations (HMSDC)
HMSDC
Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC)
Dubai Healthcare City, P.O.Box: 505002, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 (4) 362 2794 | Direct: +971 (4) 362 2872 | Mobile: +971 (50) 259 0639
Fax: +971 (4) 362 4778
Toll Free: 800 HEALTH (432584)
halashazia.bhat@hmsdc.dhcc.ae
www.hmsdc.hms.harvard.edu
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