The world’s first business school dedicated exclusively to health brings purpose-built interdisciplinary executive education, postgraduate management degrees, customised capability-building programmes, collaborative research and innovation, and long-term organisational partnerships to help shape the future health economy in the UAE and the wider region
Dubai, UAE – October 2026: The Global Business School for Health (GBSH), part of University College London (UCL) which celebrates its bicentenary this year, is bringing the world’s first business school dedicated exclusively to health to Dubai.
The launch was announced at a special industry event hosted in Dubai Healthcare City, in the presence of H.E. Aisha Miran, Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA); H.E. Malek Sultan Al Malek, Chairman of Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA); H.E. Hadi Badri, CEO of the Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC) within the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET); Gemma Stevenson, UK Consul General for Dubai and the Northern Emirates; Issam Galadari, CEO of DHCA; and Dr. Amer Sharif, CEO of Dubai Health and President of Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU). Also in attendance were Carl Fry, Head of Technology and Advanced Manufacturing, Trade, and Investment at the British Embassy UAE; Dr. Wafi Dawood, CEO of Strategic Development Sector at KHDA; Dr. Saeed Kharbash, CEO of Policy Research Programs Sector at KHDA; Dr. Maryam Al Yammahi, Acting Director of the Innovation and Scientific Research Support Department at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research; Allae Almanini, COO at DHCA; and Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Senior Vice President of Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Park – part of TECOM Group.
In close collaboration with the Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA), the governing body of Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), UCL Global Business School for Health, Dubai will contribute to the UAE’s established healthcare, education, research, and innovation landscape, while creating new opportunities for specialised learning, capability development, and collaboration across the UAE and wider region.
UCL Global Business School for Health, Dubai is closely aligned with the objectives of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, and Dubai’s Education 33 (E33) strategy, which aims to establish Dubai as one of the world’s top 10 cities for students with over 70 higher education institutions envisaged by 2033, while supporting national priorities around healthy life expectancy, preventative healthcare, medical tourism, precision medicine, AI, and life sciences.
With a diversified focus across healthcare, life sciences, AI, economics, policy, innovation, and leadership, UCL GBSH Dubai brings the legacy and global research strength of one of the world’s leading universities. UCL is ranked joint #8 globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027, with a 200-year history of academic excellence, research, and innovation as well as 33 Nobel Prize laureates among its former staff and students. It will extend that global impact to the region, creating a long-term platform for interdisciplinary executive education, postgraduate management degrees, customised capability-building programmes, collaborative research and innovation, and long-term organisational partnerships specifically designed to address the increasingly complex challenges facing health systems and organisations.
Allae Almanini, Chief Operating Officer at Dubai Healthcare City Authority, said: “UCL Global Business School for Health brings distinctive academic expertise into our ecosystem, strengthening the knowledge and capabilities that support the continued advancement of healthcare delivery, while creating new opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration. The partnership also supports DHCC’s objective, as mandated by our establishment law, to contribute to encouraging medical education, while developing the specialised talent and capabilities needed for Dubai’s evolving health sector. UCL GBSH’s presence will further reinforce Dubai Healthcare City as a destination for healthcare, education, research and innovation.”
Dr. Wafi Dawood, CEO of Strategic Development Sector at Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said: “We are delighted to welcome UCL Global Business School for Health to Dubai, further strengthening the emirate’s position as a global destination for world-class education and talent. The arrival of a globally renowned institution with such a distinctive focus on health, leadership, innovation, and interdisciplinary learning reflects the ambitions of Dubai’s Education 33 Strategy to provide learners with access to high-quality, future-focused education and equip them with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world. UCL GBSH will create opportunities for learners from the UAE and around the world to learn from leading global expertise while contributing to the development of the knowledge, skills, and capabilities that will shape the future of Dubai’s health economy.”
Professor Nora Colton, Founding Director of UCL Global Business School for Health, said: “Healthcare transformation is no longer limited by clinical expertise, but increasingly depends on leadership capability, organisational performance, digital transformation, and the ability to lead complex systems. The UAE has set out clear and ambitious visions for the future of health, extending beyond healthcare delivery to prevention, longevity, technology, innovation, and the development of a highly skilled workforce. Realising that vision will require leaders who can work across traditional boundaries and organisations with the capability to continually adapt and transform. We are bringing the world’s first business school dedicated exclusively to health, backed by 200 years of UCL’s academic excellence, into one of the world’s most dynamic healthcare regions to address this need, while delivering on Dubai’s transformative vision for high-quality, learner-centric education. The UCL Global Business School for Health, Dubai will build enduring partnerships with the government, healthcare providers, wider industry, and academia to address complex healthcare challenges, strengthen leadership capability, solve real organisational challenges, and contribute directly to the UAE’s future health economy.”
UCL GBSH, Dubai’s interdisciplinary approach reflects the interconnected nature of modern health systems, bringing together clinicians, healthcare executives, policymakers, economists, engineers, researchers, and entrepreneurs to address organisational, operational, and strategic healthcare challenges from multiple perspectives.
Anticipating its first cohort in 2027 in Dubai Healthcare City, UCL GBSH, Dubai is positioned to become the leading provider of executive and postgraduate healthcare education across the UAE and GCC. Applied learning, healthcare case studies, industry engagement, research projects, and live consultancy projects undertaken with partner organisations ensure programmes are built around organisational outcomes rather than knowledge acquisition alone. Executive education will form part of lifelong learning and capability-building partnerships, designed to enable immediate workplace application and create sustainable organisational capability that extends beyond individual training interventions.
About UCL Global Business School for Health, Dubai:
The UCL Global Business School for Health (GBSH), part of University College London (UCL) ranked joint #8 globally, is the world’s first business school dedicated exclusively to health. Building on 200 years of academic excellence, UCL brings together the best minds to solve some of the biggest challenges in healthcare. Making its strategic expansion to Dubai, UCL GBSH will prepare leaders for complex, multidisciplinary ecosystems at the intersection of healthcare, life sciences, AI, economics, policy, innovation, and leadership.
Located in Dubai Healthcare City and anticipating its first cohort in 2027, UCL Global Business School for Health, Dubai is set to deliver specialist executive and postgraduate education, customised capability-building programmes, collaborative research, and long-term organisational partnerships. Courses are purpose-built to enable government, the industry, and academia to strengthen resilience, accelerate digital transformation, foster innovation, and build the leadership capability needed to shape the future health economy in the UAE and across the region.
About Dubai Healthcare City Authority DHCA:
Established in 2011 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA) is the governing body of Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), the emirate’s healthcare and wellness free zone.
DHCA’s mandate is to advance DHCC’s ecosystem, operating at an intersection of healthcare, wellness, community living and regulation, and facilitating business set-up across medical care, wellness, academic and research, as well as hosting pharmaceutical, medical equipment, and support service providers.
DHCA is committed to attracting local and international investments to drive innovation and improve healthcare delivery, contributing to Dubai’s status as a global healthcare destination.
