UAE President receives head of Emirates Oncology Society in Abu Dhabi

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed on Tuesday met Humaid Al Shamsi, president of the Emirates Oncology Society, at Qasr Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi.

Mr Al Shamsi, who is also the chief executive of the Burjeel Cancer Institute, is the first Emirati physician to be named visiting professor at Harvard Medical School and visiting scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Wam reported.

Sheikh Mohamed congratulated Mr Al Shamsi and wished him further success, saying that empowering exceptional national talents is a central priority for the UAE.

Mr Al Shamsi thanked Sheikh Mohamed for the continued support of national talent across all fields, particularly scientific research.

The meeting was attended by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, and other officials and members of civil society.

“Equity must be the cornerstone of cancer control,” said Mr Al Shamsi in a June research paper titled Cancer Control in the United Arab Emirates.

“If we don't address disparities now, outcomes will worsen and costs will rise. We have the tools, talent and vision – now, we need co-ordinated execution to become a global leader in equitable, high-quality cancer care.”

The paper, co-written by leading UAE-based oncologists and global experts, called for an urgent and comprehensive national strategy to address a rising number of cases, inequities in care and insufficient use of preventive services.

The latest figures released by the Ministry of Health and Prevention earlier this year showed 7,487 new incidents of cancer were found in 2023, up from 4,633 in 2019 and 5,830 in 2021.

President receives McGill University delegation

Sheikh Mohamed also welcomed a visiting delegation from Canada's McGill University, which included several senior officials, with the visit underscoring the importance of strengthening partnerships between UAE educational institutions and leading global universities, Wam reported.

Members of the delegation expressed their appreciation for the President's continued support of the McGill–UAE Fellowships programme, launched in 2015, which helps Emiratis to pursue advanced studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at McGill’s Faculties of Science and Engineering.