Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has announced the opening of a Mena regional office for Association of Academic Health Centres International (AAHCI) in Doha.
AAHCI is a member-based global body that works to enhance healthcare research, education and clinical services.
HMC’s managing director and AAHCI regional ambassador, Dr Hanan al-Kuwari, explained that the regional office will facilitate a step change in the way healthcare is delivered in the Middle East through pioneering new, innovative models designed to help narrow the gap between best practice and current practice.
She added that it will also strengthen HMC’s and Qatar’s ties to health, research and educational institutions across the region and the world.
“AAHCI membership is supporting our goal to translate clinical research into practice. By bringing together the best and brightest minds in the region to share experiences, leading practices and lessons learned, we are enriching our own academic health system and further advancing our commitment of providing each and every one of our patients with the best possible care,” said Dr al-Kuwari.
In 2011, Qatar launched its Academic Health System (AHS). As a member of the world’s first nation-wide academic health system, HMC is collaborating with seven other leading institutions in Qatar to unite clinical care, education and research. The eight partners working collaboratively in the AHS include HMC, Sidra Medical and Research Centre, Weil Cornel Medical College-Qatar, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, the Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar University and University of Calgary-Qatar.
Professor Edward Hillhouse, chief of Scientific, Faculty & Academic Affairs at HMC, and joint AAHCI regional ambassador, said the AAHCI Mena regional office will join together the region’s leading experts in medicine, research and higher education and support productive collaborations that promote the identification, adoption and application of innovation and best practice.
“HMC’s reputation for excellence in delivering on the health, education and research mission will allow us to champion the AAHCI model and concept in the Mena region. Together, we will establish the framework necessary to think and act as a cohesive organisation dedicated to ensuring patients receive care that meets or exceeds international standards,” Hillhouse added.
Dr Steven Wartman, president and chief executive officer of AAHCI, added that he is confident the Mena regional office will enable AAHCI members to connect more effectively with each other and assist in the further development of academic health science centres or systems in the region.
Dr Hanan al-Kuwari
