Dubai Deputy Ruler and Minister of Finance and Industry, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will present the awards in the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award For Medical Sciences at a ceremony to be held on November 6.
Dr Najib Al Khaja, the award's secretary-general, said about 1,000 prominent persons in the medical field will attend the ceremony.
"They will include four health ministers from the GCC countries, representatives of medical institutes and organisations from around the world, deans of medical colleges in the region, and hundreds of doctors and experts from the UAE and other countries," said Al Khaja. The total value of the award and the financial support provided during the ceremony will exceed Dh5 million.
The three-day Dubai First International Conference for Medical Sciences will be held on November 7 to 9 as a continuation of the activities associated with the award.
"The winners of the various categories will be invited as guests or lecturers at the conference," Al Khaja said.
Minister of Health Hamad Abdul Rahman Al Madfa has announced the international winners of the award. They include Dr Denton A Cooley, world-renowned U.S. cardiovascular surgeon, who won the Dh300,000 Grand Hamdan International Award in Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery.
Dr C. Ronald Khan from the U.S. and Dr Andrew James McMichael from the UK won the Dh300,000 Hamdan Award for Medical Research Excellence, with Genetics in Diabetes, and Recombinant Vaccines in Infectious Diseases respectively. Dr Anne Dejean, French, was the first co-winner in the Therapy in Leukemia category of this award, while Dr Pier Paolo Pandolfi de Rinaldis, Italian, was the second co-winner in the same category.
Abdul Satar Edhi of Pakistan was the first winner of the Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services, while the Red Crescent Society in the UAE was the second winner. Each winner will receive Dh40,000.
Dr Shabudin Rahimtoola of the U.S., a professor at the University of Southern California, won the Special Recognition Award for Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery.
Al Khaja said that the winners in the local categories will be announced only during the ceremony. These categories include the Dh50,000 Hamdan Award for Best Medical Research Conducted in the UAE Medical Journal, Dh 50,000 Hamdan Award for Best Medical Research Conducted Outside the UAE and Published in the Emirates Medical Journal, and the Dh1.5 million Hamdan Award to Support Medical Research in the UAE.
"Six individuals noted for their remarkable achievements in the UAE will be honoured. The Emirates Medical Association and its Emirates Medical Journal will be awarded Dh100,000," Al Khaja said.