Abu Dhabi: Global Health Week on April 16, 2025, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and Oliver Wyman honored outstanding innovators whose work is reshaping medicine. Ninety‑one submissions vied for a share of the $200,000 prize fund, and winners were announced before an audience of global health leaders, policymakers and industry partners.
The awards spanned four categories. In the Individual category, Nobel Laureate Dr. Ardem Patapoutian was recognized for discovering new molecular pain receptors, unlocking fresh avenues for chronic pain treatment. The Global Institute award went jointly to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for cutting‑edge prenatal gene editing technologies and to the University of Pennsylvania for pioneering mRNA vaccine platforms. King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre claimed the Regional Institute prize for its robotic‑assisted organ transplant program, and Libya’s BioSapien Inc. won the Local Institute award for its MediChip precision drug‑delivery system.
A distinguished panel of experts—including regulators from DoH, surgeons, futurists and industry leads from PwC—evaluated entries on originality, impact, scalability and sustainability. For the first time, an AI assistant complemented the jury by surfacing insights and patterns to ensure transparency. Awards were sponsored by e& and PureHealth and presented by H.E. Dr. Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori alongside international dignitaries from Bahrain, Georgia, Novartis and Illumina.
This year’s winners address pressing health challenges—from preventing birth defects and combating chronic pain to automating diagnostics and enabling precise, minimally invasive therapies. Their diverse innovations reflect Abu Dhabi’s commitment to building a collaborative, technology‑driven ecosystem that accelerates global health progress under the theme “Towards Longevity: Redefining Health and Well‑being.”
By celebrating these breakthroughs, ADGHW reinforces its role as a catalyst for public‑private partnerships, fostering an environment where pioneering ideas can scale, improving healthcare quality and accessibility across the region and beyond.
