SEHA and Cincinnati Children’s to host SIPC 2026 from 16-18 October

SEHA, a subsidiary of PureHealth, has announced that it will host the 20th SEHA International Paediatric Conference (SIPC 2026), with Cincinnati Children’s, from 16 to 18 October 2026 at Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi.

Building on the established paediatric partnership between SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Cincinnati Children’s, which advances specialised care, strengthens clinical expertise and facilitates knowledge exchange in Abu Dhabi, the conference will bring together around 700 delegates under the theme Cutting Edge Paediatric Update to explore advances in paediatric medicine and discuss approaches to managing complex childhood conditions.

SIPC 2026 serves as a scientific exchange and clinical education platform within the paediatric partnership between SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and Cincinnati Children’s, one of the leading hospitals in the US. The wider collaboration supports specialised paediatric care, multidisciplinary case discussions and workforce development in Abu Dhabi, drawing on the two organisations’ expertise in paediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery, gastroenterology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, haematology and bone marrow transplantation, orthopaedics and rehabilitation.

According to the results of the partnership between SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Cincinnati Children’s from April 2025 to June 2026, 969 children received care through services delivered under the partnership, while 189 families were able to access specialised care in Abu Dhabi, reflecting the partnership’s role in strengthening specialised paediatric care in the emirate.

The scientific programme will comprise 30 presentations and six Meet the Expert workshops. It will feature 29 international speakers, primarily from the United States with additional participation from Spain, alongside six speakers from the UAE.

Dr Jamal Al-Jubeh, Conference Chair, Chair of the SEHA Paediatric Council and Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist at SKMC, said: “The twentieth edition gives us an opportunity to look beyond the milestone itself and consider what clinicians need from a scientific meeting. The programme focuses on complex decisions encountered in practice, integrating international and local experiences from the UAE. That exchange is most valuable when it provides participants with evidence and approaches they can discuss and adapt with their teams.”

Sessions will address genetic conditions and gene therapy, child and adolescent mental health, cardiovascular and kidney conditions in children, immune-mediated disorders, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, complex care and ethical decision-making. SEHA SKMC’s clinicians will contribute clinical experience and research findings, while case-based discussions will examine diagnostic and treatment decisions involving complex and rare conditions.

Dr Dan von Allmen, Regional President, Cincinnati Children’s Global Health Consultancy, said: “Co-hosting this conference will create an opportunity for specialists from different locations to examine clinical developments together and learn from one another. Our faculty looks forward to exchanging knowledge with colleagues in the UAE and contributing to discussions grounded in evidence, complex cases, and practical decision-making. These conversations help professional communities learn from one another’s global and local expertise.”

The programme will also provide UAE-based contributors with a platform to present eight complex cases and seven research abstracts.

Through SIPC 2026, SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Cincinnati Children’s will extend the partnership’s education and knowledge-exchange work to a broader professional audience, connecting clinicians and researchers through case-based learning, locally led research and international specialist perspectives. Together, these activities will help develop the paediatric workforce and advance personalised paediatric services, strengthening locally available care for children and families in Abu Dhabi and across the UAE.