Research Profile - College of Medicine and Health Science - United ...

Department of Surgery
Continuing Medical Education
Prof. Branicki chaired the Organizing Committee
for a highly successful International Conference
– Recent Advances in Clinical Oncology
Conference which took place in February 2007,
Prof. Tjernstrom, Prof. Safi, Prof.Younge and Dr.
Torab, Chair of the Sponsorship Committee, also
being involved in the organization of the
Conference and its program. This was held in Al
Ain United Arab Emirates, from February 19-22,
2007. The meeting was organized by the
Oncology Research Group, an initiative of the
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the
United Arab Emirates University. The Group
comprises those with a particular interest in
Oncology and membership includes basic
scientists and clinical faculty at the Faculty of
Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) and
clinicians from Tawam Hospital in affiliation
with Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Invited Faculty included eminent overseas
speakers, many of whom are in the forefront
internationally of their respective fields of
interest. Those emanating from North America
included clinicians from Johns Hopkins Hospital
(Baltimore), MD Anderson Cancer Center
(Houston), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center (New York), Case Western Reserve
University (Cleveland), the Mayo Clinic
(Rochester), and the University of Toronto
(Canada). Invited Faculty from the UK came
from the University of London (St Bartholomew’s
Hospital and University College), Cardiff
University and the University of Newcastle
(Northern Institute of Cancer Research).
Speakers from continental Europe came from
Belgium (University of Leuven), France (Hospital
Center of Le Havre), Germany (University of
Heidelberg, University of Leipzig), Italy
(University of Turin), and Spain (University of
Navarra). Invited Faculty also traveled from
Japan (Keio University), Korea (Pohang
University of Science and Technology) and
Australia (University of Queensland). In all,
presentations were made by 31 International
Overseas Faculty from Australia, Belgium,
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan,
Korea, the UK, the USA and regionally from
Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Sixteen UAE based
speakers participated by invitation from Abu
Dhabi (two), Dubai (three), Al Ain (eleven), all
being Faculty members at FMHS. This was the
largest group of Invited Internationally
distinguished clinicians with Oncology interests
ever to gather in the UAE. The meeting attracted
1000 delegates from around the world.
The Conference was deemed a great success.
Financial assistance to host the meeting came
from a variety of sources, substantial support
came from the Faculty of Medicine and Health
Sciences, UAE University, Tawam Hospital in
affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine, and
the General Authority for Health for Health
Services for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. We are
most grateful for the help of many of our
colleagues in the Oncology Research Group,
UAE University and Tawam/Johns Hopkins
Medicine. Abstracts of Invited Faculty
presentations, free papers and posters were
published in a special supplement of the
Emirates Medical Journal [EMJ 2007; Vol 25(1
suppl.)] with the support of the Sheikh Hamdan
Foundation. The Proceedings of the meeting
(Eds: Prof. Branicki, Dr. Saad Aswad, Dr. Fawaz
Torab, Prof. Abdu Adem) were published in a
volume of the Annals of the NewYork Academy
of Sciences (Vol 1138) in September 2008 more
than 40 chapters (403pp) being included.
The Trauma Group is actively involved in
planning an international Conference entitled
‘Trauma Management, Critical Care and
Prevention. The above conference will take
place at the Intercontinental Hotel and Resort
at Al-Ain on 17-19 February 2009. The
Conference is an initiative of the Trauma Group
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