Historic visit to the UAE

At the initiative of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine Dean, Prof. Karl Skorecki, a delegation that included representatives from the faculty and from one of the hospitals affiliated with it - Galilee Medical Center, recently returned from a visit at Gulf Medical University in the United Arab Emirates.

Prof. Samer Srouji, Head of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Musculoskeletal Bioengineering Laboratory at the Galilee Medical Center, and faculty member of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, led the delegation of doctors who specialize in the fields of dentistry, on their visit to the main campus of GMU in Ajman, half an hour north of Dubai.

During the visit, they met with the Chancellor of GMU Prof. Hossam Hamdy, a renowned and respected pediatric surgeon who is considered the father of medicine in the Gulf region, and with Prof. Hesham Fathi Marei, Dean of the College of Dentistry and Doctor of Education for Health. The delegation toured the university and the adjoining hospital, both of which are equipped with the most cutting-edge technology.

Medical lectures were given by faculty members from both universities, and fruitful discussions were held regarding future cooperation in 3D bioprinting -one of Prof. Srouji's fields of expertise, joint research grants, shared projects in tissue engineering and clinical dentistry, as well as faculty exchanges. Prof. Srouji and Prof. Marei are already conducting joint research: a survey related to COVID-19 among doctors and dentists that will be soon published in medical journals; as well as working on another article that is currently in the preparation stages.

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar Ilan University and the Galilee Medical Center are working with GMU on a concrete action plan for the next six months, and a formal agreement between the two universities will be signed soon.