The program was conducted in partnership with the UAE University Science and Innovation Park and Future of Work Lab

Abu Dhabi 30 August 2020:   Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the UAE’s largest health care provider, recently concluded a COVID-19 accelerator program in partnership with the UAE University Science and Innovation Park and Future of Work Lab. The program enabled healthcare professionals and innovators to identify challenges most prominent during pandemics and explore innovative solutions for continuous provision of effective healthcare. 

The accelerator program was hosted over a span of four weeks in the form of virtual sessions. During the interactive workshops, participants, including five teams of SEHA specialists, entrepreneurs and UAE University students and researchers, developed pioneering concepts to address challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and to better prepare the nation for future healthcare needs of this scale. The sessions were in the form of open dialogue, designed to support the development of creative ideas and nurture the appropriate environment for rapid implementation. 

Dr. Ali Al Obaidli, Chief Medical Officer, SEHA Kidney Care, SKC and Chair, COVID-19 Clinical Trials and Therapeutics Research, SEHA, said: “In line with its commitment to transforming the UAE’s healthcare ecosystem, SEHA is dedicated to elevating medical research, education and training. We are always on the lookout to partner with local and international academic institutions, particularly the UAE University for its position as one of the most prestigious universities in the country and its focus on research. This accelerator program is yet another product of mutual commitment from both SEHA and the UAE University to elevate the health sector’s capabilities and efforts in building the healthcare offering of the future.”

“The healthcare sector is one of the most important industries in an economy – one that requires continuous research and education to keep up-to-date with developments and educate and train those on the frontlines to ensure that the community always has access to best in class healthcare,” continued Dr. Al Obaidli.

The UAE University Science and Innovation Park provides students with opportunities to develop new ideas, prototypes, knowledge and skills, encouraging them towards entrepreneurship and contributing to the growth of Abu Dhabi as a knowledge-based economy. 

Prof. Nihal Chabrak, Director of the Business Incubators Program at UAE University’s Science and Innovation Park, said: “We are pleased to have partnered with SEHA to continue making strides in medical research and innovation, with the UAE’s community’s interest at the center of our collective mission. During our collaboration, we learnt from one another and leveraged each other’s strengths, as the UAE University dedicates its skills and expertise to medical research and in support of SEHA’s ambition.”

To activate the accelerator program, SEHA partnered with Future of Work Lab, which is an EU-based talent accelerator that operates internationally with a focus on healthcare and higher education. Designing multi-disciplinary action-learning experiences, Future of Work Lab is committed to assisting professionals and university students explore emerging technologies and future trends, understand the drivers of exponential change and practice the skills required for the future. 
Ugo Bot - Co-Founder of, Future of Work Lab, said: “Our partnership with SEHA and the UAE University Science and Innovation Park allowed us to accelerate five solutions with regards to COVID-19 challenges as a collaborative effort involving healthcare professionals, university students and technology providers, support the growth of the HealthTech ecosystem in the UAE, and build the participants’ human centered innovation skills.”

COVID-19 Challenges

Through their daily monitoring of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UAE, SEHA and the UAE University Science and Innovation Park revealed five key challenges that healthcare professionals faced – whether medical, nursing, technical or administrative personnel. These include the continuation of care for those with chronic diseases, tracking and managing COVID-19 patients, caring for those infected with the virus through a reliable treatment plan, increasing the capabilities of hospitals to accommodate COVID-19 patients while protecting the safety of medical staff, and protecting the mental health of COVID-19 patients and frontline workers.

For the first challenge identified; the continuation of care for patients with chronic diseases – SEHA and the UAE University Science and Innovation Park studied solutions that ensure the continuation of care to senior citizens and residents, children with diabetes, patients with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and tumors, and pregnant women through the utilization of modern technologies to diagnose diseases, provide medical consultations and advise and deliver prescriptions to homes.

As for the second challenge; the process of tracking and managing COVID-19 patients, SEHA and the UAE University Science and Innovation Park explored an automated, digital solution that uses artificial intelligence technology to complete patient vital tests and temperature checks and then categorize patients to different streams accordingly, e.g. require further testing, required to home quarantine, required for smart tracking, etc. to ensure lack of human contact.
SEHA and UAE University Science and Innovation Park aim to rectify the third challenge – caring for those infected with the virus through a reliable treatment plan, by redesigning the COVID-19 patient journey from early detection to full recovery. This will involve innovating solutions with the utilization of artificial intelligence, advanced communication applications, remote patient monitoring and acute monitoring to quickly identify deteriorating cases, in addition to supporting clinical research on asymptomatic cases to better understand the disease pattern and develop a risk classification matrix.  

The fourth challenge identified by the Accelerator Program workshop is increasing the capabilities of hospitals to accommodate COVID-19 patients while protecting the safety of medical staff. Solutions discussed include safety around wearing and taking off personal protective equipment, building modular, flexible, affordable and scalable units, adding beds in negative pressure rooms, and using advanced technology to sterilize and disinfect hospitals, amongst others.
During their discussion on the fifth challenge – protecting the mental health of COVID-19 patients and frontline healthcare professionals, SEHA and the UAE University Science and Innovation Park look to the utility of artificial intelligence solutions to provide mental health care remotely and provide the necessary psychological support for those with depression, anxiety or fear as a result of various situations that result from the pandemic.