From left to right: Dr. Robert K. Crone, Dr. George E. Thibault, His Excellency Mohammed Al Gergawi, and Saeed Al Muntafiq at the May launch of the HMSDC.

HMI and Dubai Healthcare City launch Harvard Medical School Dubai Center

Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) has taken a monumental step towards becoming a regional center of excellence for health care delivery, medical education, and research. On May 31st, Dr. Robert K. Crone, president and CEO of Harvard Medical International (HMI), and Dr. George E. Thibault, Harvard Medical School professor of medicine, joined His Excellency Mohammed Al Gergawi, chairman of the board of the Dubai Development and Investment Authority, and Saeed Al Muntafiq, chairman of the board of DHCC, to break ground on the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC). Scheduled for completion in 2005, the Center will house the Institute for Postgraduate Education and Research. The Center will be managed by HMI, which has a strategic relationship with DHCC to develop the quality management infrastructure and education programs for the entire site.

“As a locus of political and economic stability and innovation, Dubai is in a position to serve the region’s needs for high-quality health care, and to be a model for institution-building in the region,” said Crone. “The leadership of DHCC is committed to the principle of accessibility for all, to professional and academic development, and to international recognition for quality of care as well as patient privacy, rights, and satisfaction.”

Saeed Al Muntafiq: “The main focus of DHCC’s support is to provide leadership that will complement and strengthen clinical services at DHCC and, ultimately, benefit patients.”

Al Muntafiq believes that the HMSDC is a key element of DHCC’s efforts to make Dubai a regional leader in medical education. “The physicians and researchers who train in this program will form the core faculty who will lead health care and research initiatives in the Gulf Region,” he said. “The main focus of DHCC’s support is to provide leadership that will complement and strengthen clinical services at DHCC and, ultimately, benefit patients.”

A mission with meaning
The design and mission of the HMSDC is closely tied to the core objectives of Dubai Healthcare City. In addition to enriching the medical services provided within DHCC and providing an infrastructure to support lifelong learning, the leadership of DHCC also see the HMSDC as a vessel through which the Middle East can begin to reclaim its status as a center of scientific discovery—recognized not just regionally, but globally as well. “It is hoped that research funded though the HMSDC will help to drive a resurgence in scientific and medical excellence in the Arab world—a centuries old tradition that has faded in recent years,” said Crone.

Dr. Joseph B. Martin, dean of Harvard Medical School, certainly can attest to the critical relationship between research programs and clinical services—the success of one influences and supports the other. “The leadership at DHCC recognize that creating a robust research environment will be critical to attracting the best minds in the region to Dubai, and thereby continually enriching the services offered at DHCC for the well-being of families.”

The HMSDC is only one of three bold initiatives introduced at DHCC in May. The partners have also launched the Harvard Medical School Foundation for Dubai. The Foundation has been established to support the training and research programs of the HMSDC, as well as collaborative research programs around the world. Managed by the Harvard Management Company, the Foundation will be the mechanism through which HMI and DHCC attract philanthropy as well as private and governmental funding for DHCC’s development.

The third major entity announced is a strategic collaboration known as the Center for Healthcare Planning and Quality (CPQ), which will oversee health care quality management, medical education, training, and credentialing within DHCC, with the underlying goal of continuous improvement across every aspect of the medical complex. Moving forward, the CPQ will also offer its services in health systems development, medical education, and professional development to organizations throughout the Gulf Region. “At the core of the HMI-DHCC collaboration is a commitment to quality,” said Crone. “To that end, we have made instituting global best practices the major objective of the CPQ, which in turn will enable the health care providers who are part of DHCC to attract patients to their services, as well as top health care professionals to their ranks.”

Education as the root of continued progress
HMI and DHCC have already established a postgraduate training program to foster the development of a cadre of physician-specialists who will contribute to the advancement of medicine and health in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and the broader Gulf Region. The first clinical fellowships will begin in July, 2004 in Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals in the Boston area. Ultimately, when the appropriate infrastructure is established and clinical and academic expertise is in place, the program will be based in DHCC at the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center.

Thibault, who serves on the HMI Board of Directors and directs the Academy at Harvard Medical School, explained that educational innovations will be built into the HMSDC programs. “An interesting element of this endeavor is the participation of leading educators from Europe, Asia, and the U.S., who are excited about the opportunity to use their experiences to help create a wholly new infrastructure that benefits from the lessons of past initiatives and reform efforts,” he said. “This leadership group makes up the Education Committee and is working to shape the programs so that they accommodate current trends in medicine while also meeting the highest international standards of education excellence.”

Continuing medical education and postgraduate medical education courses will be a regular component of DHCC and HMI’s activities, helping to bring a constant supply of updated knowledge and practices to the entire region. These programs will build upon the success of the first Practi-Med Dubai, which in December 2003 attracted more than 1,200 health care professionals to hear about advances in clinical practice from a faculty drawn in large part from Harvard Medical School.

A growing community moves forward
DHCC has invited leading academic medical institutions and preeminent health care organizations to participate in Dubai Healthcare City, including Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic, among many others. “We have communicated with many health care organizations that share our values and believe that DHCC represents an enormous mutual opportunity,” said Al Muntafiq. “We are eager to welcome partners who are committed to creating patient-centered care, making this care accessible to all, without compromise, and creating and nurturing a community of professionals”

Joseph B. Martin, here pictured at Practi-Med Dubai 2003: “DHCC has generated interest among health care professionals both within and outside of the Gulf Region, simply by building their mission around the real needs of the people in the region.”

This commitment on the part of the DHCC leadership is what excites Martin the most about the project. “Dubai Healthcare City has generated interest among health care professionals both within and outside of the Gulf Region, simply by building their mission around the real needs of the people in the region,” he said.

One of the challenges facing DHCC and HMI is developing a strong health care infrastructure that not only serves its purpose in the near term, but that is agile enough to meet health care needs as they evolve over time. “Dubai Healthcare City represents an opportunity to leverage Dubai’s successful growth and development along with the region’s professional capital,” said Dr. Mehul Mehta, HMI vice president of business development. “It is a unique opportunity to create, from the ground up, a lasting health care infrastructure that is enriched by the experiences of international health care providers, yet unhindered by legacy systems and practices.”

The total site comprises 435 acres, including disease prevention and wellness facilities. DHCC’s services and facilities will be available to the UAE, the whole of the Middle East, and surrounding regions. Health care providers that become DHCC tenants will be required to meet international building and quality standards, including accreditation within 36 months of start-up. The licensing and quality management processes and decision-making have been delegated by DHCC to autonomous boards with international representation.

“From the beginning, our focus has been on ensuring that quality is one of the pillars of DHCC,” said Mehta. “What this quality infrastructure provides is not only a way to measure progress, but also a mechanism to guide continuous improvement and chart a course to providing care of the highest quality.”