Abu Dhabi to host 5th Healthcare Leaders Summit on 22 September

The fifth edition of the Healthcare Leaders Summit — Abu Dhabi 2026 will take place on 22nd to 23rd September, hosted by Forbes Middle East, held under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and in partnership with PureHealth. The summit will bring together more than 100 speakers and around 3,000 participants.

Held under the theme “Defining Global Standards in Healthcare Excellence,” the summit will bring together policymakers, healthcare executives, scientists, experts, and specialists from the UAE, the wider region, and around the world to explore the key transformations reshaping the future of healthcare.

The speaker lineup includes Dr. Amin Hussain Al Ameeri, assistant undersecretary of the health regulation sector at the Ministry of Health and Prevention; Shaista Asif, group CEO of PureHealth; Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, executive director of the health life sciences sector at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; Huda Ayas, Associate Dean for International Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University; Dr. Cheng-Kai Kao, Chief Medical Information Officer, University of Chicago Medicine; Professor Shafi Ahmed, Consultant Surgeon Barts Health NHS Trust; and Dr. Usamah (Sam) Mossallam, Vice President & Medical Director, Henry Ford Health International; alongside leading healthcare executives and international experts.

The summit programme will be structured around six key themes: “Catalysing Progress – Advancing Healthcare Excellence”; “Longevity and Precision Health – Redefining Care Beyond Treatment”; “Advancing Population Health – Improving Outcomes for Every Generation”; “Smart Care Ecosystems: Intelligent, Integrated, and Seamless Patient Experiences”; “Scientific Breakthroughs and Global Collaboration – Accelerating Healthcare Innovation”; and “Capital with Purpose – Driving Growth, Value, and Sustainability.”

Khuloud Al Omian, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Middle East, said, “The fifth edition brings together leading expertise and healthcare leaders from across the sector, creating a platform for dialogue that goes beyond anticipating transformation to exploring how it can be implemented and translated into tangible impact. We look forward to the summit strengthening knowledge exchange and building partnerships that support innovation and advance healthcare outcomes, building on the leading position the UAE has established in this sector.”

The summit will also feature Doctor’s Circle, where CME-accredited sessions by Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), a PureHealth entity and flagship hospital in the UAE for serious and complex care, will be offered to attending physicians, providing them with an opportunity to earn continuing education credits while exchanging knowledge and clinical expertise.

Doctors and specialists participating in Doctor’s Circle include Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad Jan, consultant and chair of pediatric surgery at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC); Dr. Saeed Husain Almarzooqi, Consultant Hepatologist at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC); Prof. Faisal Abaalkhail, consultant gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre; and Dr. Marian Khatib, chief of the Breast Cancer Center at American Hospital Dubai, alongside physicians and specialists from other local and international institutions.

The summit is held in partnership with PureHealth, with Al Khayyat Investments, APEX Health, and Capital Health as event partners; Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City as the CME accreditation partner; Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation as the supporting partner; and the Emirates Medical Association as the scientific partner.