Emirates: A new executive education programme is set to attract, retain, and train healthcare professionals, clinical educators, administrators, and scientists in the UAE.

This comes after the Dubai Academic Health Corporation (DAHC), the emirate's first academic health system, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oxford University's Saïd Business School, a top global business school.

Under the agreement, Saïd Business School will play an important role in enhancing leadership capabilities and identifying emerging leaders across DAHC. It will also focus on various research initiatives as part of a five-year plan.

Key areas include quality improvement, digital innovation and implementation, value creation in healthcare, and clinical governance.

Shedding light on the importance of strategic leadership development, professor Alawi Alsheikh Ali, chief academic officer of DAHC and provost of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), said: “We are partnering with one of the world’s top business schools to unlock our team's true potential. These strategic programs will serve as a catalyst, empowering our team to develop capacity and reach new heights as we embark on a remarkable journey to impact lives and shape the landscape of health in Dubai and beyond.”

The collaboration aims to foster in-house leadership capacity, undertake collaborative research projects, and explore innovative approaches by carefully curating curriculum bespoke to DAHC.

Dr Eleanor Murray, associate dean for executive education and senior fellow in management practice at Oxford Saïd, highlighted the many opportunities for the country and the region going forward.

He said: “Saïd Business School has a proud tradition of supporting excellence in leadership development. The opportunity to work collaboratively with DAHC with the ultimate aim to enhance the quality of healthcare delivery to the population of Dubai has generated much excitement — and we look forward to progressing with the journey.”