The second edition of the Moonshot Initiative will be hosted by VPS Healthcare in collaboration with Al Bayt Mitwahid (ABM), in Abu Dhabi on 29 November 2019. The initiative is a first-of-its-kind programme that gathers world-renowned industry leading scientists, policy makers, and health experts. The one-day event will discuss the topic “Clinical Care: An Example of Pediatric Cancers.” In addition, Al Bayt Mitwahid will provide Emirati students from Abu Dhabi-based universities with the chance to network and explore collaborative opportunities with respected healthcare scientists. 

The Moonshot Initiative aims to create platforms to develop enterprising scientists, innovative entrepreneurs and educators to help address the challenges facing society today and in the future, and enhance Abu Dhabi and UAE’s position amongst the top tier of global knowledge economies.

The event will also shed light on how radical innovation can help drive progress and address the uneven distribution of healthcare resources. It aims to encourage and motivate public and private technology entrepreneurs and key players to work in line to transform the UAE into a knowledge-based economy.

The key panel discussion will be led by former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper, UNICEF Chief of Health, Hamad Abdullah Al Mehyas, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, The National Health Insurance Company – Daman, Dr. Stefan Peterson, Nobel Laureate Dr. Ferid Murad, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Deputy Director Dr. Solomon Zwedu and VPS Healthcare Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, will deliberate on how to meet the growing costs of treatment, and what should be done to ‘leapfrog’ a generation of change to build health systems of the future.

They will be joined by an expert panel of discussion leaders that include physicians and scientists from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery, MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Mayo Clinic and University of California San Diego, NYU-Abu Dhabi, and Tawam Hospital, among others.

Speaking about the event, H.E. Saif Ali Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Al Bayt Mitwahid Association stated: “Healthcare and innovation are areas of focus that we at Al Bayt Mitwahid boundlessly dedicate ourselves to. It’s an honour to aid in the facilitation of this extremely momentous initiative that connects some of the world’s brightest minds in healthcare innovation. This initiative gives our talented Emirati students, the healthcare experts of tomorrow, the opportunity to grow and become the future foundations of the UAE medical sector.”

His Excellency added: “The Moonshot Initiative provides an unparalleled and unprecedented platform that helps bridge the gap between industry experts in the private and public sectors. As a collective, we strive to help connect thought-leaders and change-makers to bring about advancement in healthcare for the communities we serve.

It was a pleasure to work in cohesion with our partner VPS Healthcare. Together we continue to make strides towards developing solutions that will place the UAE amongst the top knowledge economies in the world.”

Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Chairman and Managing Director of VPS commented that “it is our pleasure to partner with Al Bayt Mitwahid to continue such a prestigious and important initiative in the region. The Moonshot initiative is becoming a key fixture in the UAE healthcare and research industry calendar, and will undoubtedly take the sector to new frontiers. At VPS, we are committed to taking an active role in the UAE government’s efforts to develop world-class medical research projects through public-private collaborations. Through the Moonshot initiative, it gives us an opportunity to shape the future of healthcare research and innovation in the

UAE while promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing that ensures the sustainability of the healthcare sector.”

The Moonshot Initiative will also provide an exclusive opportunity for students from various educational institutions across the UAE to engage with the speakers and gain first-hand knowledge about their subjects.

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