Gulf Medical University celebrates 20th anniversary
2 decades of excellence in education, healthcare and research
Ajman, November 6: The Gulf Medical University (GMU), the biggest private medical university in the Middle East region, celebrated its 20 years of excellence in education, healthcare and research with seven colleges and 26 accredited programmes. The university celebrated its 20th anniversary on November 5.
Participating in the programme, GMU founder and president of Board of Trustees Dr Thumbay Moideen said that the completion of 20 years marked an important milestone in its pursuit of growth and success. “From humble beginning as the region’s first private medical University, today, two decades since its inception, GMU is standing tall as the region’s only private academic health system, delivering futuristic medical education besides playing an important role in providing state-of-the-art healthcare and promoting innovative research. The evolution of GMU as one of the most popular destinations of advanced medical education, healthcare and research in the region, is the result of dedication and hard work, not to mention GMU’s philosophy of constant innovation and above all, the grace of the almighty. We have received excellent support from the government throughout this journey,” he said.
GMU Chancellor Prof. Hossam Hamdy said that GMU has built a unique model in the form of the Gulf Medical University Academic Health System (GMUAHS), showing the world that the future of medical education is ‘systems’ linking education, healthcare and research. “We now have 7 colleges and 26 accredited programmes, with many new programmes expected to receive accreditation soon.” he said, adding admissions for the academic year 2018-19 are now open for various courses.
Thumbay Group Healthcare Division vice president Akbar Moideen Thumbay, Vice Provost and Deans of the colleges of the University as well as other staff and students participated in the event.
GMU enjoys a robust collaboration with a number of prestigious universities around the world such as the University of Arizona, Virginia Commonwealth University, Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee - USA, University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy in Connecticut, German Heidelberg University, American University in Cairo, University of Ghana, Medical University of Lublin, Tokyo Medical & Dental University, etc., as well as research institutes such as the Gustave Rossi Cancer Research Institute – France. GMU uses the latest technologies like Virtual Patient Learning (VPL), its own simulation programme, in teaching and training students across all majors, to ensure their workplace readiness once they graduate from the GMU.
Research is an important strategic direction of GMUAHS. The Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine leads research in the field of cancer biology and immunology, with international collaboration with France, Poland and Korea. In terms of advancing healthcare in the UAE and globally, GMU has launched three medical researches: Cancer Immunology and experimental oncology; tumor genetic instability and immunogenicity; and biomarkers and functional genomics.
GMU attracts students from new countries each year, and the University’s student community is approximately 2000-strong today, hailing from more than 80 countries. The student population is growing every year. GMU has been ranked among the top 50 medical universities in the Middle East by US News, bagged gold at the prestigious Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Awards, 2018. GMU also secured top positions in e-learning regionally and globally at the Wharton QS-Stars Reimagine Education Conference & Awards 2018 in the USA, in addition to obtaining 5 stars in teaching and community engagement by QS. The University also received the prestigious Dubai Quality Appreciation Award this year, for the 2017 assessment cycle.
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
