Meet the man behind Abu Dhabi's state-of-the-art digital autopsies


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Emirati Dr Nayef Al Janaahi is the only forensic radiologist in the UAE. In fact, he is one of only a handful around the world.

He is also the only person in the country qualified to conduct a new kind of autopsy called post mortem imaging.

The procedure takes about 15 minutes and can determine the cause of death of a person without a scalpel.

The forensic physician does an external examination, but adding virtual autopsies enables you to visualise the internal organs without interfering with the body and give you a more accurate cause of death
Dr Nayef Al Janaahi

Dr Al Janaahi helped to set up the department at the Baniyas Central Mortuary in 2020 and has so far scanned more than 1,000 bodies.

“This isn’t a replacement for traditional autopsies, but a much-needed addition,” he says.

“The forensic physician does an external examination, but adding virtual autopsies enables you to visualise the internal organs without interfering with the body and gives you a more accurate cause of death,” he said.

The body of every Abu Dhabi resident whose death has not occurred in hospital goes to the central morgue.

After an external examination, Dr Al Janaahi scans the body using a CT scanner that shows the internal organs and tissues of the body.

The images help him identify possible causes of death and an initial report is issued.

Previously, external examinations may have had to limit causes of death to “injuries sustained” owing to a lack of information. Now, with post mortem imaging, Dr Al Janaahi is able to add more details. For example, after accidents he can give details of the force of the impact and where and when it occurred.

“This technology has helped improve our findings,” he says.

Virtual autopsies also help identify victims in mass disasters where many people are killed, such as in a plane crash.

In road traffic accidents, they can sometimes identify where the passengers were seated at the time of impact.

“We play a key role in helping to identify victims in mass fatalities which would speed up the process of disaster victim identification as per Interpol protocols,” says Dr Al Janaahi.

In cases where a child has died, imaging techniques are necessary before an autopsy to exclude signs of child abuse, such as fractures.

“Virtual autopsy has high sensitivity in detecting fractures and can help in determining and analysing these fractures to give possible scenarios of the pattern and mechanism of injury and its contribution to the death,” says Dr Al Janaahi.

The UAE is among a group of countries that have adopted the virtual autopsy technique, along with the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia and Japan.

Although the technique has made a great impact in forensic medicine death investigation, it has its limitations, such as when the cause of death is drug abuse.

When the cause of death is suspicious, further investigations are needed, such as a traditional autopsy along with toxicology and histology, says Dr Al Janaahi.

The technology was first introduced in the UAE at the beginning of the pandemic and has helped curb infection rates by keeping doctors at a safe distance from the bodies of victims.

“Virtual autopsy has modernised the medical investigation of bodies while ensuring the health and safety of medical staff and contacts of the deceased, while maintaining respect and privacy towards the bodies of deceased individuals,” says Dr Al Janaahi.

The biog

Age: 46

Number of Children: Four

Hobby: Reading history books

Loves: Sports

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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Founder: Hussam Hammo

Based: Amman, Jordan

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Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
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HIJRA

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Director: Shahad Ameen

Rating: 3/5

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Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
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Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
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You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

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Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed

Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed

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Manchester United 0

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The biog

Name: Sari Al Zubaidi

Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati

Age: 42

Marital status: single

Favourite drink: drip coffee V60

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Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude 

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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)

Date started: August 2021

Founder: Nour Sabri

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace

Size: Two employees

Funding stage: Seed investment

Initial investment: $200,000

Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East) 

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Updated: February 15, 2022, 9:59 AM`