Bringing together 120 professionals, Dubai Health Launches Youth Council to Engage Young Emiratis in Shaping the Future of Healthcare


Calendar icon 07 Sep 2026
Corporate
Youth Retreat

Dubai Health has launched the Dubai Health Youth Council, creating a platform for young Emirati professionals to share their perspectives, bring forward new ideas, support Dubai Health’s strategic priorities and play an active role in shaping the future of healthcare. 

Marking the start of the Council’s work, Dubai Health brought together 120 young Emiratis for its first youth retreat, titled “The Ball is in Your Court”. The retreat gave participants from different areas and specialties across Dubai Health the opportunity to share their aspirations, and help shape the Council’s future agenda. Working together, participants explored opportunities to contribute to Dubai Health’s priorities and healthcare development.

Inspired by padel, a sport built around quick thinking, teamwork and responding to what comes your way, “The Ball is in Your Court” encouraged participants to take ownership of their ideas and consider how they could turn them into practical initiatives.


Empowering young Emirati talent 

His Excellency Dr. Amer Sharif, CEO of Dubai Health,
said: “Our youth have an important role to play in shaping the future of healthcare. They are partners in decision-making and in driving development and innovation. The launch of the Dubai Health Youth Council reflects our commitment to empowering young Emirati talent, giving them the space to share their perspectives and turn ideas into action. Our first retreat brought this to life, bringing professionals from across our system to explore how they can contribute to Dubai Health’s priorities and the future of health”.

He added: “Guided by the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, ‘Our youth are the secret to UAE's development,’ we look forward to seeing the Council grow into an incubator of creativity, fostering ideas, building leadership capabilities and encouraging collaboration to advance health for humanity”.

Nine Youth Council members
The inaugural Dubai Health Youth Council comprises nine young Emirati professionals representing different areas of Dubai Health’s integrated academic health system.
Their backgrounds span medicine, nursing, clinical administration, engineering, strategy, project management, institutional performance, philanthropy and partnerships, and design thinking. This diversity will bring different viewpoints to the Council’s work and encourage collaboration across Care, Learning, Discovery and Giving. 

The Council is chaired by Mariyam Essa Alblooshi, Neurosurgery Resident, and includes Ahmad Marwan Al Zarooni, Senior Manager, Fundraising & Business Development at Al Jalila Foundation; Hamda Ghalib Almahri, Senior Project Manager at MBRU; Mohammed Maher Ahli, Project Manager in the Office of the Chief Clinical Officer; Maitha Ibrahim Bani Hammad, Engineer in the Project Management and Operations Office; Mohammad Fuad Bukhash, Project Coordinator at the Project Management Office; Mohammed Saleh Alabdouli, Cardiology Nurse; Khalifa Abdullah Al Muhairi, Dermatology Resident; and Maryam Mohammad Alhathboor, Project Coordinator at the Project Management Office.

Members were selected based on criteria including their academic backgrounds, contributions and initiatives within the workplace and community, leadership capabilities, ability to participate in constructive dialogue and work collaboratively, in addition to meeting the nomination requirements approved by the Federal Youth Authority.

Established in alignment with the Federal Youth Authority’s vision to enable young Emiratis to serve their nation and shape the future, the Council will create opportunities to engage with leadership and contribute to impactful initiatives.

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Dubai Health’s Youth Programs Aim to Empower a New Generation of Healthcare Changemakers

Dubai Health has launched its youth programs to inspire the next generation of healthcare changemakers. Engaging students from school age to university level, the ‘Dream-It, Dubai-it’ and Summer Training program reflect Dubai Health’s commitment to youth development, aligning with the National Youth Agenda 2031 and the UAE’s wider commitment to youth empowerment.

The programs were launched at Emirates Towers, in the presence of His Excellency Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai, His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Eter, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Projects, Chairman of the UAE Government Media Office, and Director General of The Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; His Excellency Saeed Al Nazari, CEO of The Development Office, Dr. Amer Sharif, CEO of Dubai Health and President of Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), and other senior executives from Dubai Health. 

Inspired by the Dubai-It initiative, Dubai Health’s ‘Dream it, Dubai-it’ program welcomes children aged 10 to 13 into a two-week summer experience of medical robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, virtual reality, creative workshops, and site visits that inspire them to create solutions that can shape the future of health.  This summer, 50 children representing 10 nationalities will take part.

Dr. Amer Sharif, said, “Guided by our leadership’s vision to empower youth to become changemakers, Dubai Health is committed to providing impactful initiatives that open new avenues for learning and hands-on experience, enabling young people to develop their skills and gain first-hand insight into our integrated academic health system”.

He added, “By providing them with opportunities to explore various disciplines and emerging technologies, we continue to contribute to developing a new generation of talent capable of driving innovation and advancing health for humanity”.

The Summer Training program is a four-week immersive experience designed for students from Grade 11 and above, including those enrolled at university. It provides participants with hands-on exposure across Dubai Health's facilities and departments, fostering professional, interpersonal, and communication skills through supervised projects and direct engagement with healthcare operations.

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