Culture & Education | Wednesday 23 May, 2018 1:38 pm |

Al Jalila Foundation and Sanofi joined forces to develop and implement a scientific education program to encourage medical research and drive scientific innovation in the UAE. The joint effort involved the implementation of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training programs that will upskill and enhance expertise for healthcare professionals, investigators and nurses.  The program aims to cultivate a strong research based environment that can sustain the development of safe and effective treatments to address unmet patient needs, supported by sound scientific evidence, ethical principles, and clearly established protocols.

In the highly specialized field of clinical research, gaining adequate knowledge, attaining practical skills and developing the right scientific attitude are imperative. Equally important is the need to define the various levels of training required for different functional levels of clinical research professionals. The program involved customized workshops and online modules that will deep dive into a range of subjects including safety reporting, importance of evaluating high quality data and adopting risk assessment approaches to ensure effective clinical trial management.

“At Sanofi, we are pleased to partner with Al Jalila Foundation to further our commitment towards improving patient lives and contributing to the growth of healthy societies. Through this initiative we aim to empower the scientific community by equipping them with the highest standards of skills and expertise in clinical research, and also achieve our objective of furthering medical education and driving innovation. Our endeavor is to advance and encourage scientific thinking, which can drive the best results for maximum patient benefit,” said Jean-Paul Scheuer, Country Chair and General Manager for Sanofi Gulf.

Led by renowned experts from the Brookwood International Academy UK, the first part of the program focused on enhancing the core clinical research skills and GCP knowledge of investigators. The second part provided a basic training in good clinical practice for nurses and medical students with no previous GCP knowledge. The thirty workshop attendees were selected from various Dubai Healthcare City organizations such as Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital, Mediclinic City Hospital, DBAJ and Mohammed Bin Rashid University.

Her Excellency Dr Raja Easa Al Gurg, Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Member of the Board of Trustees, Al Jalila Foundation said, “We support programs that set standards of excellence, educate, train, and lead the emerging field of clinical research in the UAE. There are a number of researchers with a keen interest in clinical study and development of new therapies that can help patients. Our partnership with Sanofi for the GCP training workshops will provide HCPs and investigators with a suitable platform to update their skills, expand their knowledge base, and help them undertake projects towards ensuring productive clinical outcomes. Our partnership with Sanofi furthers our mission to encourage medical research and drive scientific innovation in the UAE. ”

Advances in the field of medicine are dependent on the quality of research that is conducted. Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is a process that incorporates established ethical and scientific quality standards for the design, conduct, recording and reporting of clinical research involving the participation of human subjects. Compliance with GCP provides public assurance that the rights, safety, and well-being of research subjects are protected and respected.