Abu Dhabi, October 2026: SEHA, a subsidiary of PureHealth, has advanced specialised paediatric care and clinical knowledge exchange through the 20th SEHA International Paediatric Conference (SIPC), co-hosted with Cincinnati Children’s, one of the leading hospitals in the US.
SIPC 2026 formed part of the clinical education and knowledge-exchange activities under the paediatric partnership between SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and Cincinnati Children’s. The collaboration combines specialist expertise, multidisciplinary case discussions, and workforce development to strengthen local capabilities for personalised paediatric care in Abu Dhabi. The conference brought together approximately 1,400 clinicians, researchers, and other healthcare professionals across the three days conference to examine how current evidence can inform everyday clinical decisions when caring for children with common, rare, and complex conditions.
Across the practical workshops and case-based sessions, the programme focused on improving the decisions that clinicians make when caring for children. Priorities included recognising warning signs earlier, identifying when urgent escalation or specialist referral is required, and applying current evidence when diagnostic or treatment choices are complex. These areas were explored through examples including paediatric haematology-oncology emergencies, electrocardiogram interpretation, epilepsy management, and developmental conditions.
Dr. Asma Al Nuaimi, Clinical Director of the Cincinnati Children’s Programme at SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, said: “The 20th SEHA International Paediatric Conference reflects the wider purpose of our partnership with Cincinnati Children’s: combining international expertise with local leadership to strengthen paediatric care in Abu Dhabi over the long term. Through multidisciplinary case discussions, clinical education, and workforce development, the collaboration is helping our teams build sustainable capability and manage more complex needs locally. This supports children in accessing specialised care closer to home while allowing families to remain connected to their communities and support networks.”
UAE-based teams contributed eight complex cases addressing metabolic, neurological, infectious, cardiac and immune-related conditions. Additionally, seven research abstracts explored a range of paediatric health topics, including inherited neurological disorders, diabetes and obesity management, antibiotic use in emergency departments, outcomes for infants born at 22 weeks’ gestation, elevated troponin levels in children, eosinophilic oesophagitis, and upper gastrointestinal imaging in newborns.
Other sessions considered how emerging developments, including gene therapy, artificial intelligence, digital health, and diagnostic biomarkers, should be assessed alongside established evidence, multidisciplinary input, and local care pathways. Specialists from Cincinnati Children’s joined UAE colleagues in comparing diagnostic reasoning and management approaches across different healthcare settings.
Dr. Noura Ali Al Hassani, Chair of the Scientific Committee, Division Lead and Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist at SEHA Tawam Hospital, said: “The Scientific Committee designed the programme around decisions clinicians encounter in practice across paediatric specialities. By pairing evidence updates with workshops and complex-case discussions, participants could consider how new knowledge applies in a practical clinical context rather than as theory alone. The eight complex cases and seven research abstracts presented by UAE-based teams were particularly valuable because they placed locally generated experience and research within a wider scientific discussion and enabled colleagues to learn from work produced within our healthcare system.’’
The 20th SIPC extended the partnership’s clinical education and knowledge-exchange reach to a broader professional audience. Beyond the event, SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Cincinnati Children’s bring international perspectives into dialogue with UAE-led clinical practice and research. Its longer-term value lies in translating this exchange into sustained improvements in clinical pathways and specialised services, helping more children and families access care within Abu Dhabi and the UAE, closer to their communities and support networks.
About PureHealth:
PureHealth is the largest healthcare group in the Middle East with an ecosystem that challenges lifespans and reimagines health spans. With 110+ hospitals, 316+ clinics, multiple diagnostic centres, health insurance solutions, pharmacies, health tech, procurement, investments, and more, its groundbreaking innovations are at the forefront of healthcare. The company is on a mission to unlock time for humankind. By advancing the science of longevity, PureHealth is introducing the healthcare of the future from the United Arab Emirates to the rest of the world.
PureHealth’s network comprises:
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- SEHA – One of the largest healthcare networks of hospitals and clinics in the UAE
- SEHA CLINICS – Delivering comprehensive community-based healthcare services
- Daman (The National Health Insurance Company) – The UAE’s leading health insurer
- The Medical Office – Overseeing Sheikh Khalifa Hospitals and healthcare facilities established under the initiatives of H.H. The President of the UAE
- Rafed – The UAE’s largest healthcare Group Purchasing Organisation
- PureLab – Managing and operating the largest network of laboratories in the region
- One Health – A network that provides end-to-end medical solutions to a base of over 300 healthcare service providers
- The Life Corner – Abu Dhabi’s first holistic pharmacy, serving the health and wellness establishment
- Ardent Health Services – The fourth largest privately held acute care hospital operator in the US
- Circle Health Group – The largest independent operators of hospitals in the UK
- Hellenic Healthcare Group (HHG) – the largest private healthcare provider in Greece and Cyprus
- PureCS – A leading cloud and technology services provider, specialising in IT management and consulting solutions, cybersecurity, cloud services and AI information systems
- Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) – The UAE’s largest healthcare complex, delivering integrated complex care
About SEHA:
SEHA is an independent, public joint stock company created to develop the curative activities of the public healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. The company operates a big number of the public hospitals and clinics of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. SEHA is a PureHealth asset, the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East.
SEHA is committed to continuously improving of customer care to recognised international standards and providing the community with world-class healthcare. SEHA operates 14 hospitals with over 2600 beds, 70 ambulatory care, family care, urgent care centres, 6 dialysis centres, and 4 blood banks. Its facilities accommodate 132,000 inpatients annually, conduct 52,000 surgeries, and treat more than 6.7 million outpatients.
SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East, with more than 20,000 doctors, nurses, ancillary care, and administrative personnel.
To find out more about SEHA’s specialised clinic or book an appointment, call 80050 or visit SEHA.ae. You can also book an appointment through the SEHA mobile app or WhatsApp 02 410 2200.
