American University in Dubai (AUD) is to establish a school of medicine with an Ivy League US university to assist in the UAE's quest to become a “global leader” in health care.
The partnership with the prestigious University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine (Penn Medicine) aims to place AUD at the forefront of medicine in the region, help train the next generation of doctors locally and improve health care in the UAE and across the region.
Penn Medicine was founded in 1765 and was the first medical school in the US. The agreement signed on Tuesday at the Dubai campus launches the project to build the school under its guidance.
The American institution has been responsible for several medical breakthroughs such as the Nobel Prize-winning mRNA technology used in Covid-19 vaccines, and pioneering cancer treatment. It will now help guide the curriculum, faculty, admissions and more at the Dubai campus.
'Phenomenal' partnership
“We are really excited,” Dr Kyle Long, president of the American University in Dubai, told The National. “They are a phenomenal partner. They have the expertise and they have the global profile to help us to help the UAE achieve its ambitions to be a global leader in the health sciences space,” he said. He said the new school aims to set new standards in education.
Penn Medicine and AUD will develop a curriculum for a doctor of medicine degree programme that will follow the US postgraduate model under which students first have a graduate degree and then enter medical school, but it will also be tailored to the needs of the region. It has not been announced when the school will accept its first students but that is expected to be several years away.
It is expected that new buildings will be constructed for the school in or close to the existing campus, which is located in Al Sufouh, but nothing was formally announced on Tuesday.
“At this point we are ready to get going and move past the planning phase and really start to implement,” said Dr Long.
“We are trying to proceed as fast as possible to get students enrolled in a doctor of medicine programme because we really believe in what we're doing, and so we are going to be moving at the speed that our compliance and regulators allow,” he said.
Dr Long expected the future intake to mirror the make-up of the current student body, which has about 100 nationalities – about a third Emirati, a third foreign residents living in the UAE and the rest those who come to the UAE to study. When students do enter the medical school, years one and two will be typically taken on campus and the remaining two at hospitals.
The launch also aims to bolster the UAE’s strategy to boost the healthcare sector and help cement Dubai’s vision to establish the city as a global hub for medical tourism.
Building for the future
Dr Glen Gaulton, vice dean and director of the centre for global health at Penn Medicine, said the school would help the sector in the UAE and bring Penn’s experience – it operates in about 80 countries across the globe – to the Emirates. Dr Gaulton said it is important to increase the number of doctors trained in the country, given the rising population and reliance on overseas medics, and that the school aims to do this.
“Hopefully then they would stay for the residency programmes and hopefully stay longer term to build their whole lives and careers here,” Dr Gaulton told The National. “That breeds a continuance of excellence [and will have a] dramatic effect on improving health care.”
Dr Gaulton said Penn does “really distinctive things”, particularly through its pioneering use of new medical developments such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, simulation and more, and that these could be brought to the region. “Medicine is going to be practised incredibly differently 10 years from now,” he said.
There are eight universities in the UAE that offer undergraduate medical degree courses, according to Allocation Assist Middle East, which connects doctors with hospitals in the region.
The event on Tuesday was also attended by Dr J Larry Jameson, president of the University of Pennsylvania, and other representatives from both universities, government dignitaries, industry partners, doctors from leading healthcare institutions and academic leaders.
“Working with Penn is humbling and inspiring,” said Dr Long. “We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't think it was going to have a transformational impact.”
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Results
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
SPECS
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Brief scores:
Arsenal 4
Xhaka 25', Lacazette 55', Ramsey 79', Aubameyang 83'
Fulham 1
Kamara 69'
