Medical Research Forum with UAE

The online inaugural meeting of the Bar-Ilan University/Galilee Medical Center and Gulf Medical University departments of surgery, held on February 17, featured a talk by Dr. Terrah Paul Olsen of Emory University School of Medicine on the surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

In opening remarks, Prof. Manda Venkatramana, Dean of the Gulf Medical University College of Medicine, stated that only a few short months ago a collaboration agreement was signed with Bar-Ilan University that is already bearing fruit. He looks forward to continued cooperation in the areas of education and research, he said.

Prof. Karl Skorecki, Dean of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, noted that all too often, Memorandums of Agreement are signed with little getting off the ground. In this case, joint academic research has already been published thanks to the cooperation between BIU and GMU, and joint programs are planned. He added that BIU and GMU share a common vision, as both are exploring overlapping areas of interest in education, research, and innovation. This relationship is already blossoming, he said, and this meeting is only one example. The collaboration between Israel, UAE, and the USA is "strong global health at its best."

The event was moderated by Dr. Elliot Goodman, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, (New York) and Dr. Eli Kakiashvili of the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel. Dr. Goodman noted that while this is the fourth of a series of academic lectures, it is the first in cooperation with the Galilee Medical Center, an Azrieli Faculty of Medicine affiliate hospital, and the Gulf Medical University in Ajman, United Arab Emirates. It is part of a collaborative effort to advance medical education and research. Dr. Kakiashvili pointed out that these meetings only began a few months ago and that they are pleased to now welcome GMU. He invited suggestions to further expand the collaboration.

A short welcome message was also forthcoming from Prof. Eric Shinwell, Dean of Medical Education at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, who introduced the speaker. Prof. Paul Olsen’s talk focused on the indications for surgery and the possible approaches that are used to treat IBD, which includes two major conditions: Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.  They are serious chronic conditions that are mostly managed with a number of medications that keep the symptoms under control.  In the most severe cases, in certain circumstances, surgery is required. 

After the presentation by Dr. Terrah Paul Olson, a Q&A session ensued followed by Dr. Goodman’s closing remarks, which included mention of the next meeting in a month's time, on trauma treatment, a specialty of the Galilee Medical Center, as a result of their treatment of Syrian war casualties.