Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best hospitals for exceptional clinical care, advanced technology and patient experience, Houston Methodist is one of the few leading U.S. health care systems to provide this expertise internationally through advisory services, education and training and patient care.

In an exclusive interview, Cathy Easter, president and CEO of Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services, highlighted Houston Methodist’s collaborations to advance many facets of health care within the Emirates.

“Houston Methodist is honored to be a strategic partner to the UAE. We opened our first regional office in Dubai in 2008, and since then, we expanded our operations to support the needs of our partners as they face the ever-growing demands of the changing health care sector,” said Easter.

Easter highlighted a new partnership between Houston Methodist and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center to support research focused on the impact of space flight on bone density. “Houston Methodist has a more than 50-year history collaborating with partners in space and aeronautics. As MBRSC advances its ambitious work in space science and technological innovation, we are honored to support this critical research,” she said.

Further highlighting its collaborative efforts, Houston Methodist recently partnered with Emirates Oncology Society to organize the Middle East’s first Transplant Oncology Conference in Abu Dhabi, which was endorsed and attended by H.E. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and several international, regional and local experts.

With an emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach, the symposium brought together gastroenterologists, immunologists, pathologists, radiologists, oncologists and transplant surgeons to explore this novel treatment that combines transplantation and oncology to boost survival rates of patients with unresectable liver cancers.  

For Easter, these programs reflect Houston Methodist’s core commitment to leading medicine for its international patients and collaborators. “In addition to patient care, Houston Methodist Global serves as a single point of contact for our partners looking to advance their organizations. Through our advisory services, we have worked with clients to develop some of the finest medical institutions in the world, including government health care systems, legacy medical centers, academically affiliated institutions, local clinics, private-equity projects and more. Furthermore, our education programs offer unique, customized development programs designed to enhance health care leaders’ knowledge, skills and performance,” added Easter.

Houston Methodist will participate in the annual Arab Health Conference taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre Jan. 29 through Feb. 1, 2024.

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