Future-proofing Emirati talent at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital

Five medical pioneers from Abu Dhabi have received training at the famous children's hospital to bring cutting-edge treatments home to the Emirates

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.

Dr Mona Al Marzooqi is in London to train with world leading medics at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Victoria Pertusa / The National

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.

Dr Mohamed Al Ameri, a former researcher in genomics at the Zayed Centre, is now a genome lead at the Abu Dhabi Health Authority. Victoria Pertusa / The National

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.

Paediatric surgeon Alya Alblooshi at the Zayed Centre For Research Into Rare Disease In Children. Victoria Pertusa / The National

“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.

Dr Nadia Al Sayed hopes to contribute to better care for cystic fibrosis in the UAE. Victoria Pertusa / The National

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.

Shaima Al Maeeni, a paediatric intensive care doctor from Abu Dhabi, is doing a fellowship at Gosh. Victoria Pertusa / The National

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.

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  Sheikh Mohamed at the Zayed Centre in 2021 with the former UK health minister Sajid Javid, right, and former UK education minister Nadhim Zahawi, left. All photos: Ministry of Presidential Affairs

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  Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed during the visit to the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children.

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  Sheikh Mohamed speaks with Mohamed Al Ameri, researcher and PhD candidate.

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  Sheikh Mohamed visits the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, located in London.

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  Sheikh Mohamed speaks with a family member of a patient at the centre.

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  Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Hamdan hold a meeting with Mr Javid, the former UK health secretary, at the centre.

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  Sheikh Hamdan attends a meeting with the former UK health secretary at the centre.

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  Sheikh Mohamed toured the centre, meeting researchers, professors and doctors working on pioneering research and life-saving treatments.

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  Sheikh Mohamed visiting the centre in 2021, which will celebrate its fourth anniversary in October.

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  Sheikh Mohamed was briefed on the centre’s specialist facilities that have enabled it to play a vital role in the global response to Covid-19.

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  Sheikh Mohamed tours the centre.

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  Sheikh Mohamed speaks with family members of a patient at the centre.

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.”