NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), in collaboration with Tamkeen, celebrated the completion of the UAE Healthy Future Study’s (UAEHFS) first phase of recruiting nearly 15,000 participants in the UAE’s first-ever prospective cohort study of its kind that seeks to determine how the health of UAE nationals are affected by their lifestyle, environment, and genes, specifically looking at risk factors for obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

The UAEHFS has been recruiting participants since 2016 and received approval from the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, Dubai Health Authority, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention to conduct genetic analyses of UAEHFS participants and link them to medical records.

This collaborative study has paved the way for an unprecedented level of cooperation between healthcare organisations, and academic institutions in the UAE. These pioneering efforts have led to a raft of new measurable achievements, including 47 articles in peer-reviewed international journals over the past seven years. The study has further contributed to significant advances to the national capacity in public health and thus made significant contributions in establishing regulations and research in this area – including contributions to the COVID-19 pandemic and the establishment of the Emirati Genome Programme, which serves as a flagship national initiative.

The event was attended by dignitaries including Matar Al Nuaimi, the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), Omniyat Al Hajri, ADPHC Executive Director of the Community Health Sector, and Major General Buti Al Shamsi from Abu Dhabi Police, and John Tate, CEO of Tamkeen, to mark the conclusion of Phase One and the inauguration of Phase Two.

Phase Two of the study aims to carry out a robust analysis of the total baseline data to identify additional physiological, genetic, and microbiome biomarkers and risk factors for diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and relevant non-communicable disorders. Recall and collect data from 5,000 participants who joined the study from 2014-2018, and collect more non-invasive clinical phenotype data including brain and abdominal imaging (MRI), echocardiography (ECG), stress test, 24-hour glucose, blood pressure, and physical activity monitoring.

NYUAD Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann said, “The UAE Healthy Future Study brings together some of the best scientists and physicians across major academic and healthcare institutions in the country, in line with the UAE’s innovation strategy. This strong collaboration has made it possible for researchers and policymakers to lay the groundwork for a healthier society for generations to come. We are grateful for the support of our strategic partners, including the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, Dubai Health Authority, and the Ministry of Health and Prevention, and we thank all of our partner organisations and academic institutions for their major contributions.”

Senior Vice Provost of Research and Managing Director of the NYUAD Research Institute Sehamuddin Galadari added, “We are proud to celebrate the completion of Phase One of the study, which focused on collaboration, recruitment, and capacity building. This has seen us help establish NYUAD as a centre of excellence for population health research in the region, while its innovation and impact are being recognised nationally and internationally."

Centre Director and Principal Investigator of the UAEHFS and leading international clinical epidemiologist Professor Raghib Ali OBE, was joined at the event by Senior Vice Provost of Research Sehamuddin Galadari and Co-Director of Public Health Research Centre Youssef Idaghdour in sharing key insights and highlighting achievements from Phase One of the study. Westermann and Tate outlined the involvement of NYUAD and Tamkeen in the project and thanked the study’s partners. Youssef Idaghdour delivered a presentation titled Genetics of Complex Diseases in the UAE.

Organised and funded by NYUAD, in association with its Abu Dhabi partner, Tamkeen, UAEHFS is being conducted in collaboration with: the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), SEHA – The Abu Dhabi Health Services company (including Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Al Ain Regional Blood Bank and the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank), Zayed Military Hospital, United Arab Emirates University, Zayed University, Khalifa University, EBTIC, Higher Colleges of Technology, Healthpoint, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Capital Health Screening Centre, Oasis Hospital, Latifa Hospital, and NYU Langone School of Medicine.