Mohammed bin Rashid attends MBRSG graduation ceremony

DUBAI, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today attended the graduation ceremony of the 7th and 8th batch of graduates of the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) Master’s programmes. His Highness Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, also attended the graduation ceremony.

The ceremony saw 285 students graduate from MBRSG’s Master’s programmes in various disciplines including administration, innovation and public policy. A total of 86 candidates from the Ministry of Interior graduated from the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) programme.

Commenting on the occasion His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said: “We constantly seek to invest in our human resources in a bid to empower them and engage them in our efforts to find innovative solutions to future challenges. The future belongs to those who pursue science and knowledge and master the skills necessary to excel and accomplish their goals.”

His Highness added that the UAE is home to outstanding academic institutions that are capable of producing world-leading, globally competitive scientific breakthroughs and providing governments in the UAE and the region with pragmatic, forward-thinking solutions.

“We will continue to support our scientific and academic institutes and invest in our Emirati people – our most valuable asset and our best bet for building a bright future for generations to come,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

During the opening ceremony, Abdulla Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Director-General of the Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR), Chairman of MBRSG’s Board of Trustees, said: “The UAE is confidently moving forward towards the future and has registered a host of inspiring achievements in record time. It has become a role model for progress and development, setting an example for many countries around the world. We owe this success to the meticulous and calculated plans that were set, with a clear vision of the challenges ahead and a commitment to finding practical solutions for them.

“These achievements would not have been possible without the concept of ‘Public administration’, which has enabled governments to create harmonious and innovative work systems. We, at the MBRSG, are proud to be part of the UAE’s success and to be able to introduce the latest innovative ideas, administrative systems and public policies to the UAE Government and the private sector.”

Al Falasi congratulated the graduating classes and said that they embody the UAE’s commitment to excellence and its relentless efforts to empower leaders.

Dr. Ali bin Sebaa Al Marri, MBRSG’s Executive President, said: “The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government is proud to be celebrating the graduation of the 7th and 8th graduating classes of 2020 and 2021. This is one of our most important contributions to advancing administrative systems in the government and the private sector.”

“We congratulate the graduates on their accomplishment and wish them continued success in becoming ambassadors of their institutions. We urge them to impart their newly acquired skills, knowledge, and experiences onto their colleagues, where they can work together to achieve more success across the country,” Al Marri said.

The graduating class consisted of 285 students, 180 of whom were enrolled in the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) programme, 41 in the Master of Innovation Management (MIM), 37 in the Master of Public Administration (MPA), and 27 in the Master in Public Policy (MPP).

Graduates included UAE citizens, Arab nationals and foreign expatriates. The diverse mix of backgrounds enriches the MBRSG academic experience, creating an exceptional system that brings together diverse experiences tailored to government institutions and the private sector in the UAE, region and the world.

Source: Emirates News Agency

HealthPlus Middle East Fertility Conference held in Dubai concludes today

DUBAI, The 3rd HealthPlus Middle East Fertility Conference, organised by HealthPlus Fertility, part of United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical) and a Mubadala Health partner, has concluded today Saturday 11th September, 2021.

The 3-day hybrid conference was held at JW Marriot Hotel in Dubai under the theme “Fertility Without Borders” bringing together over 2500 participants virtually from across the globe and another 250 who attended in-person.

During the conference, physicians praised the level of healthcare provided at fertility centres in the UAE, adhering to quality measures and applying best practices in the field.

Participants were pleased with the informative engaging educational sessions throughout the 3 days, which helps in keeping the medical community informed about the latest in the field of infertility.

“The conference has allowed us to achieve our set goals of exchanging knowledge about the latest technologies in fertility, IVF, ICSI, stem cells and genetics; while attracting many experts from inside and outside the UAE,” said Dr. Bohaira Elgeyoushi, Conference President, and Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (IVF) Consultant at HealthPlus Fertility Center in Dubai. “On behalf of HealthPlus Fertility, we thank and appreciate the participation of Dr. Maryam Matar, founder and president of the Sheikh Zayed Center for Genetic Research and the Emirates Genetic Diseases Association, for her support and for presenting a very informative lecture on epigenetics.”

During her lecture about epigenetics and genetic changes due to the influence of environmental factors (nutrition, microbiome, sleep, cellular systems, etc.), Dr. Maryam Matar spoke about how they can be passed on to future generations and cause genetic disorders; and how the latest advanced genetic testing can help eliminate reproductive problems and improve clinical outcomes for the safety of the mother and child in the short and long term. “Science has proven to everyone that reproductive health begins from the grandmother’s generation and even before the mother’s birth, and continues for generations. Performing genetic testing is considered a gift to the family,’ She added.

The conference attracted a large number of participants throughout the three days, while the last day witnessed back-to-back sessions, lectures, scientific debates and multiple hands-on workshops.

Dr. Wael Ismail Madkour, Medical Director and Fertility & Reproductive Endocrinology Consultant at HealthPlus Fertility Center in Dubai led one of the morning sessions titled “Fetal Health”.

He said, “this was one of the important sessions where futuristic look into embryology was discussed. We also had a lecture presented by Dr. Luis Navarro, Molecular Biology Specialist from Spain, who talked to us about a scientific study “Embrace” showcasing how genes affect the health and may cause tumors. Within the same session, Dr. Sara Bisari, Genetics Lab Manager at HealthPlus Fertility Center in Abu Dhabi presented a paper about “Prioritising Embryos in Preparation for their Transfer to the Womb” with all the mechanisms and timings that control the process.”

Dr. Irfan Aslam, IVF Lab Director at HealthPlus Fertility Center, Abu Dhabi chaired two debate sessions in which a number of embryologists from leading IVF centers in UAE participated. The first debate was about genetic testing of embryos, while the second was a debate showing the differences between frozen embryo transfer and fresh embryo transfer.

“The first debate focused on whether to genetically test or not the embryo from the embryologist point of view,” Dr. Irfan said. “The second debate was about fresh embryos versus frozen embryos. The discussion revealed that there are no differences of clinical pregnancy rates between frozen embryos and fresh embryos in cases where high-quality embryos were transferred. However, there are certain conditions in which fresh embryos cannot be transferred directly in the same cycle and should be frozen. Therefore, it is not advisable to adopt either a “freeze all strategy” or a “fresh embryo transfer”, as clinical indications should dictate the use of fresh or frozen embryo transfer.”

Mr. Ahmed Sulieman, IVF Lab Director at HealthPlus Fertility Centre in Dubai conducted a 4-hour hands-on workshop during the conference.

Ahmed said that “the introduction of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) 30 years ago was groundbreaking technology in the invitro fertilisation (IVF) field. However, it still continues to improve due to multiple reasons including the quality of the spermatozoa which has been pointed out as critical, and the presence of high percentages of DNA-damaged spermatozoa in patients indicated for ICSI. In this workshop, we discussed the most updated technologies and approaches for sperm selection to ensure the highest quality of the spermatozoa used in ICSI and specifically, in terms of genetic integrity which aims to increase the pregnancy outcome in this cohort of patients.”

Source: Emirates News Agency