ABU DHABI (Feb. 18, 2016) —Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, has signed an agreement with Universal Hospital, Abu Dhabi, to design program services as Universal Hospital looks to establish a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) program within the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
As a follow-up to their Memorandum of Understanding signed last November, representatives from the Philadelphia-based NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center visited the Abu Dhabi facility over three days.
“Fox Chase Cancer Center is a world-class institution for cancer care and we are excited to be leading the effort to bring that level of care to other areas of the world,” said Richard I. Fisher, MD, President, CEO, and Robert C. Young Chair in Cancer Research at Fox Chase Cancer Center—Temple Health; and Senior Associate Dean at Temple University School of Medicine.
The new program will aim to provide medical services locally and regionally. Universal Hospital also looks forward to establishing exchange programs and customized physician programs at Fox Chase’s affiliated hospitals in the United States.
“Advanced cancer treatment needs to be available for everyone in the UAE. We hope to fill this gap by establishing a dedicated BMT center in Abu Dhabi with Fox Chase that will eventually expand into a full cancer center,” said Shabeer Nellikode, MD, DM, DCM, Managing Director of Universal Hospital.
Other delegates from the United States who visited the Universal Hospital Wellness Towers in February included:
- Verdi J. DiSesa, MD, MBA (Chief Operating Officer, Temple University Health System; Senior Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University; Professor of Surgery, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University)
- Henry C. Fung, MD, FACP, FRCPE (Vice-Chair, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center; Director, Fox Chase-Temple University Hospital BMT Program; Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, PA)
- Lewis F. Gould, Jr. (Chairman, Board of Directors, Fox Chase Cancer Center; Partner, Duane Morris, LLC)
- Kurt A. Schwinghammer, PhD (Chief Business Development Officer, TUHS Office of International Health; VP, Research and Development Alliances, Fox Chase Cancer Center)
- David S. Weinberg, MD, MSc (Chief Medical Officer, TUHS Office of International Health, Temple University Health System; Chairman and Professor, Department of Medicine, Fox Chase Cancer Center)
About Universal Health:
Universal Hospital is a private multi-specialty health care facility established in Abu Dhabi in 2013. The Hospital is ISO 9001: 2008, ISO 14001: 2004, OHSAS 18001: 2007 certified, Daman VIP-accredited, and Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and Health Center approved. It is equipped with a Pharmacy, 24-hours Emergency and ambulance services, a fully equipped Laboratory and Radiology Department with 128-slice CT scan, 1.5 Tesla MRI, Dual Plane Cath Lab, Digital Fluoroscopy, Digital Mammography with Stereotactic Biopsy, Dialysis Unit, and advanced delivery suites among other services. Universal Hospital also operates Clinics across Dubai (Gulf Medical Center, Deira) and Baniyas (Universal Hospital Clinics - Baniyas).