Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Heidelberg University Hospital, an internationally renowned clinical and research institution in Heidelberg, Germany, signed an agreement to enhance mutual collaborations in clinical, translational, and basic research.
The agreement was signed by Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health for the State of Qatar; Dr Annette Grüters-Kieslich, Chief Medical Director and Chair of the Board of Heidelberg University Hospital; and Irmtraut Gürkan, Administrative Director and Vice-Chair of the Board at Heidelberg University Hospital.
The Minister of Public Health expressed her strong support for the deepening relations between HMC and Heidelberg University Hospital, which will see further development of collaborative programmes in medicine, especially in the fields of cancer research, technology transfer, and training.
The purpose of the agreement is to promote opportunities for clinical and basic research collaborations, and to advance healthcare delivery in Qatar. We are very pleased to be entering into this important agreement with the Heidelberg University Hospital, as we work together to explore new ways to deliver better patient care.’
Senior leaders from medical and university institutions in Qatar and Germany witnessed the signing of the agreement, which took place during the opening ceremony of the first Doha–Heidelberg Research Conference recently. Professor Grüters-Kieslich, who also gave the keynote address at the opening of the conference, said that HMC has been an important partner for Heidelberg University Hospital and that the agreement paves the way for a new level in their ‘relationship’.
Hamad already has a long-standing relationship with Heidelberg University Hospital and this agreement will see advanced opportunities for joint collaboration, particularly for cancer research and training that will benefit a wide range of institutions in Qatar, according to Dr Saad Al Kaabi, Conference Organising Committee Chair, and Chairman of the International Medical Affairs Office at HMC.
The success of this first research conference between our two organisations has seen many clinicians, researchers, and academics come together to share knowledge and experience which will help inspire future collaboration opportunities.’
Experts in the fields of gastro-intestinal (GI) cancer, neuro-oncology, and hematological malignancies as well as paediatric cancers and genomic medicine in newborns presented their research results during the two-day conference.
The National Centre for Tumor Diseases (NCT) of the Heidelberg University Hospital is an international leader in cancer medicine and has a strong academic focus on improving cancer care through intensive clinical research.
For more information about the HMC-Heidelberg University Hospital collaboration, visit the HMC website at hamad.qa.