399 research papers from 46 countries presented at 2014 HBMSU Congress

H.E Dr. Amin Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Medical
Practice and License Sector, Ministry of Health, UAE

With the theme "Leading Transformation to Sustainable Excellence," the annual 2014 Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) Congress held three parallel conferences to discuss quality, healthcare, and smart learning in the UAE. The key topics fall in line with UAE Government’s Vision 2021, which aims to make the country at par with the most developed nations in the world. Keynote speakers, scholars, and regional and international experts attended the event to discuss how to address emerging challenges and utilize opportunities to achieve sustainable excellence across various economic sectors.

H.E Dr. Amin Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Practice and License Sector, Ministry of Health, UAE, led the "5th e-Health and Environment Conference in the Middle East" under the theme "Transformation for Better Healthcare and Environment." He delivered an opening speech titled "The UAE National Strategy for Improvements in Health Care Services".

Titled "6th Conference on eLearning Excellence in the Middle East," the second technical discussion was held under the theme "Leadership, Design and Technology for 21st Century Learning." During the conference, Prof. Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Mosa, President of the Saudi e-University (SeU), KSA, shared SeU’s experience in adopting compact learning methods in the context of its online programs.

The third conference, meanwhile, was titled "7th Quality Conference in the Middle East." Under the theme "Towards a Sustainable Excellence: Leading a Successful Transformation," Charles Aubrey, Chairman, Asia Pacific Quality Organization, delivered a keynote speech.

The three conferences tackled 399 research papers and analytical studies before prominent academics, decision-makers, high-level government officials, experts, and representatives of international organizations. A total of 173 research papers were submitted for discussion in the 6th Conference on eLearning Excellence in the Middle East; 120, in the 7th Quality Conference in the Middle East; and 106, in the 5th e-Health and Environment Conference in the Middle East.

Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor, said: "The Middle East and North Africa regions are in urgent need to achieve sustainable excellence amid efforts to accelerate organizational, environmental, health and societal transformation towards a better future for all at all levels. The annual 2014 HBMSU Congress sheds light on the best practices and modern policies that can play a vital role in cultivating a culture of excellence in the region. The strategic measures will enable the academe, research community, business sector, and society to address challenges, utilize opportunities, and promote the dynamics of transformation to excellence, growth, and sustainability in all areas of quality, health, and environment. They will also enhance learning amid rapid technological developments to build a better future for the coming generations."

The annual 2014 HBMSU Congress hosted three policy and strategy roundtables on the topic ‘Transformation to Sustainable Excellence’ as well. The "7th Quality Conference in the Middle East’ roundtable titled ‘Making the Leap from Quality Control to Sustainable Excellence" was led by H.E. Dr. Ahmad Thougan Hindawi, Former Minister of Industry and Trade of Jordan, Chairman of Hindawi Excellence Group.

Dr. Milad Sebaaly, President, Middle East e-Learning Association (MEEA), headed the "6th Conference on eLearning Excellence in the Middle East" roundtable, which focused on "Cloud Campus" which is now gaining momentum as a vital tool to support government efforts to adopt a smart learning concept amid the knowledge society’s growing demands. Dr. Kenneth Seymens, MedicaIQ, delivered an opening remark during the "5th e-Health and Environment Conference in the Middle East" roundtable under the theme "Real World Experiences of Digital Health."