Dr Mona Al Marzooqi navigates the wards of London’s world-renowned children’s hospital with assurance.
A specialist doctor in infectious disease, she is here to train with world leaders in the field at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
She is one of five Emirati doctors completing a two-year fellowship at the hospital and has left her own young family behind in Abu Dhabi to do this.
As she looks back on her first year, she recalls a moment, 15 years ago, when she was a third-year student at medical school, and one of the professors asked her to name a personal goal.
“I wasn’t that much of an A student. I said: I dream to be one of the doctors who will find a cure for HIV,” she told The National. The teacher and her fellow pupils dismissed the idea. “It looked like a faraway dream at the time,” she said.
But, today, she feels she is closer to achieving that goal. “I am training in infectious diseases among the world’s experts and pioneers in managing HIV. It was just a moment of realisation that, maybe, I’ve fulfilled the dream I had at that time. I’m happy for this,” she said.
The fellowship programme is linked to London's Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Diseases, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year.
Springboard
The centre has pioneered new research into gene therapy and childhood cancers, after a £60 million donation by Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, in 2014. It also treats hundreds of children a day for a range of serious diseases and heart conditions in its outpatient ward – with 17,000 appointments taken this year alone.
The centre also serves as a springboard for genomics research in the UAE. The Emirati Genome Programme, a project gathering the genetic data of Emiratis to support better prediction, prevention and treatment of genetic and chronic illnesses, was launched earlier this year.
“The vision that I see in the UAE is that we become a hub for genomics, at least for the region at the beginning. I really want to see a lot of discoveries like gene therapies that come out from the UAE for our kids back in the country,” said Dr Mohammed Al Ameri, a former researcher in genomics and childhood leukaemias at the Zayed Centre for Research, who is now a genome lead at the Abu Dhabi Health Authority.
The five Emiratis currently rotating at Great Ormond Street are experienced doctors, who hope to gain knowledge they can bring back to hospitals in the UAE.
Surgical skills
Paediatric surgeon Alya Alblooshi said being at Great Ormond Street has helped her improve her surgical skills and knowledge. “You're learning from the best. In terms of surgery, it's not about being able to perform a procedure, it's about being able to perform it with excellence,” she said.
But she was also inspired by the hospital's interdisciplinary teams, which she hopes to recreate when she returns to Abu Dhabi. “Every day I'm learning something new, and I'm trying to absorb it because when I go back home, I would want to establish a good paediatric urology unit,” she said.
“The nursing staff, the radiology staff, they're all working hand in hand to help the urology diagnostics and management. I would really want to go back and bring that back to the table.”
Although the UAE has many new hospitals and is attracting leading specialists, it still relies on overseas care for some procedures.
Doctor Nadia Al Sayed said she hoped the fellowship would help her manage care for patients before they go abroad for further treatment.
“In the UAE we [often] send our patients who need transplants abroad. I wanted to know what to do in an acute scenario, if a patient comes to me, how do I stabilise them? What do I need to investigate? I’ve learnt that as well,” she said.
Advanced genetics
As a specialist in lung disorders for children, she hopes to contribute to better care for cystic fibrosis in the UAE. The genetic condition affects a person’s lungs for their whole life.
“The team here (at Gosh) are absolutely amazing. They know before the baby's actually born if they've got cystic fibrosis or not. They're the first point of contact, they follow the patient for day zero until they transition to adult services. That something I really think the UAE would benefit from,” she said.
The transition towards providing such whole-of-life care should be easy in the UAE, she said. “We've got the resources, and we've got the newborn screening, so there's no reason why we can't do it. We just need somebody to join the dots together. I’m hoping that person can be me.”
Working with sick children is emotionally challenging, but doctors feel comforted by the knowledge that those who come to the hospital are there because treatment is possible. “It’s a happy place,” said Dr Alblooshi.
Dr Shaima Al Maeeni, a paediatric intensive care doctor from Abu Dhabi, who is doing a fellowship at Gosh, recalled a touching moment where she reconnected with a patient at the London hospital.
The four-year-old girl suffered from cardiomyopathy, a disorder that affects the heart muscle, and had come to Great Ormond Street for rehabilitation, after travelling to India for a heart transplant.
Dr Al Maeeni first met the girl when she was 18 months old, after she was admitted multiple times to the paediatric intensive care unit where she worked in Abu Dhabi. The girl's parents recognised Dr Al Maeeni when they saw her in the outpatient ward.
Untapped potential
“I felt sad, because I could see the whole family suffering,” she said. “ICU was hard for the family and for her, as well. But it was also rewarding when the mum recognised me and remembered that I treated her kid.”
As the UAE’s hospital sector grows, doctors say they will face immense competition for jobs when they return. “It's really competitive. Everybody wants to go there. We’ve got loads of brilliant doctors, nationals and non-nationals who are competing for the jobs there,” said Dr Al Sayed.
But Dr Al Maeeni thinks there will be a demand for local doctors from patients and their carers, particularly in her field.
“In paediatric intensive care I'm treating the sickest patients and trying to help the parents by approaching them with the other subspecialties, by doing multidisciplinary meetings, which can help them understand their kid's condition better,” she said.
“That's why it's important to have local intensive care doctors. It will be easier for the parents to understand the language, to break the barrier which is there [between patients and doctors]. It will be easier for them as well culture-wise.”
RESULTS
5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner Thabet Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Blue Diamond, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Shoja’A Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Heros De Lagarde, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Norway
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Canada
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Ireland v Denmark: The last two years
Denmark 1-1 Ireland
7/06/19, Euro 2020 qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
19/11/2018, Nations League
Ireland 0-0 Denmark
13/10/2018, Nations League
Ireland 1 Denmark 5
14/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
11/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)
Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)
Playing September 30
Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)
Results
2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.
4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.
5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.
Meg%202%3A%20The%20Trench
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBen%20Wheatley%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJason%20Statham%2C%20Jing%20Wu%2C%20Cliff%20Curtis%2C%20Page%20Kennedy%2C%20Cliff%20Curtis%2C%20Melissanthi%20Mahut%20and%20Shuya%20Sophia%20Cai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Francesco Totti's bio
Born September 27, 1976
Position Attacking midifelder
Clubs played for (1) - Roma
Total seasons 24
First season 1992/93
Last season 2016/17
Appearances 786
Goals 307
Titles (5) - Serie A 1; Italian Cup 2; Italian Supercup 2
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona 0
Slavia Prague 0
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Teaching in coronavirus times
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
6pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $40,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
6.35pm: Race of Future – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Global Storm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Azure Coast, Antonio Fresu, Pavel Vashchenko
7.45pm: Business Bay Challenge – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Storm Damage, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
20.20pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed (TB) $100,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Appreciated, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Singspiel Stakes – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O'Meara
9.30pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Meraas, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
