SEHA marks 20th paediatric conference with Cincinnati Children's

SEHA's 20th international paediatric conference drew 1,400 clinicians to Abu Dhabi to share clinical knowledge and complex case experience.

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A bright, well-lit medical simulation room shows a realistic mannequin on an operating table, surrounded by various medical monitors, an IV pole, an ultrasound machine, and other hospital equipment.

SEHA, the PureHealth subsidiary, has hosted its 20th SEHA International Paediatric Conference (SIPC) in Abu Dhabi, co-convening the three-day event with Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Approximately 1,400 clinicians, researchers, and healthcare professionals attended, working through case-based sessions, practical workshops, and research presentations designed to inform everyday clinical decision-making for children with common, rare, and complex conditions.

The conference forms part of a standing partnership between SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Cincinnati Children's. That collaboration focuses on specialist education, multidisciplinary case discussion, and workforce development, with the stated aim of building durable local capability for personalised paediatric care rather than maintaining dependence on overseas referral.

Clinical content and UAE-led research

UAE-based teams contributed eight complex cases spanning metabolic, neurological, infectious, cardiac, and immune-related conditions. Seven research abstracts were also presented, covering inherited neurological disorders, diabetes and obesity management, antibiotic prescribing in emergency departments, outcomes for infants born at 22 weeks' gestation, elevated troponin levels in children, eosinophilic oesophagitis, and upper gastrointestinal imaging in newborns.

Programme sessions examined how emerging technologies, including gene therapy, artificial intelligence, digital health tools, and diagnostic biomarkers, should be evaluated alongside established evidence and local care pathways. Specialists from Cincinnati Children's joined UAE colleagues in comparing diagnostic reasoning across different healthcare systems.

Dr Asma Al Nuaimi, Clinical Director of the Cincinnati Children's Programme at SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, said the partnership's purpose was to combine "international expertise with local leadership to strengthen paediatric care in Abu Dhabi over the long term," adding that multidisciplinary collaboration was helping teams manage more complex needs within the UAE.

Market context and regional ambitions

Abu Dhabi has invested steadily in elevating the clinical depth of its healthcare system, reducing the volume of patients who travel abroad for specialist paediatric care. SEHA's long-running partnership model with a top-ranked US children's hospital reflects a broader Gulf Cooperation Council trend: anchoring international clinical expertise within locally operated facilities rather than building standalone research institutes from scratch.

Similar knowledge-transfer arrangements have become common across the region, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar pursuing comparable affiliations with Western academic medical centres.

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