As part of the ongoing commitment of the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD), Abu Dhabi Health Services Company – SEHA and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) towards continuous medical education, the Department of Clinical Dietetics at SKMC managed by Cleveland Clinic organizes a special scientific symposium about the “Development of the Dietetics Profession in the Middle East Region” on 23 February 2008 to improve competencies for dietetic processionals.

Ellen Edwards, RD LD, the UAE Country Representative for the American Dietetic Association (ADA), is hosting the CEO of the ADA, Mr. Ron Moen who will be featured in the symposium as a key spokesperson. Mr. Moen, who will be visiting the UAE for three days, will speak about Leadership Role in the World of Food and Nutrition.

The symposium, which will be held at the Auditorium of the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi, targets Dietetic professionals, students, professors, individuals representing dietetic aspects of Ministries of Health and Health Authorities of the Region; General Practitioners, Family Physicians, Cardiologists, Endocrinologists, Gastroenterologists, Internal Medicine; Nephrologists, Oncologists, Rehab Medicine, Rheumatologists, Occupational Medicine, Physicians, Pediatricians, Public and Community Medicine, Clinical Dietitians, Nutritionists and Cardiac Surgeons. Over one hundred fifty (150) attendees are expected. 

The goals of this symposium is to comprehend and discuss professional preparedness of the regional graduate in the dietetics profession; to correctly identify nutrition education systems, present and future goals for graduates of their programs and to discuss and comprehend direct workforce requirements of the MOH and Health Authorities of the region- both at present and for the projected future. It will highlight the workforce needs in the health care facilities of the region and facilities future needs for dietetic preparedness to meet increasing demand. Moreover, it will support in identifying the dietetic professional development tools available through workbook courses, seminars, professional journals, distance learning, evidenced analysis, e-library, professional practice groups and professional peer interactions.

The program is accredited for 3 hours of Continuous Medical Education (CME) by HAAD. It will include three discussion panels. The following topics will be discussed during the symposium in addition to Dr Moen presentation:

1. University Panel which will include a number of speakers from several universities  as  Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain and Qatar University in Doha.  The panel participants will talk about Dietetics Education Program Development from the past to the future.
2. Ministries of Health and Health Authorities Panel will speak about Dietetics Workforce Needs.  Dietetics Representatives from HAAD, Health Authorities and Ministries of Health of UAE, Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Bahrain will participate and speak about the current demand for the dietetics profession. 
3. A presentation on the Dietetics Profession in Facility Accreditation Process will be presented by Lewis Hutchinson Director of Quality Management at SKMC who will speak about the clinical dietitian’s role in the health care facility international accreditation process and SKMC experience with the Clinical Dietetics during SKMC preparations to attain the Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCIA).
4. An education update will then be presented on Pathways to Professional Dietetics Development by Tatyana El Kour, the President Elect American Overseas Dietetics Association. She will speak about pathway from regionally licensed dietitian to internationally recognized registered dietitian status
5. The symposium was then concluded by a speech from the Chief Operations Officer at SKMC, Ms. Mila Henn.

A Workshop on “Pathways to Professional Development and Career Opportunities” will follow the symposium by Ms. El – Khour and Valerie Houghton, Freelance writer.

 Dr. Ali Al Obaidli, Clinical Affairs Director at SEHA, stated that “Hosting this symposium in UAE will give significant value for the participants as it brings in the ADA to the region to meet the leading Dietitians in the UAE. The importance of medical nutrition therapy in medical and surgical care has now expanded considerably in Abu Dhabi. Several of the medial facilities in our region have advanced specialty treatments requiring highly trained clinical dietitians, nutritionists and dietetic professionals at all levels. We are now requiring skills and professional education preparedness at par with international standards.”

He added that “The primary goal of the symposium is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of Dietetic practice and to begin discussions around developing regional guidelines suited to local needs and resources”.

Ellen Edwards, RD, LD, Clinical Dietetics Section Head at SKMC, pointed out that UAE is the 4^th in the world in membership numbers in the ADA after the USA, Canada and Hong Kong. What makes this symposium unique is that we there is supporting evidence in the recent increase in demand for highly prepared dietetic professionals in the clinical, community, media and food management sectors. Medical Nutrition Therapy increased areas of nutritional risk patient including: renal, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiac disease prevention, inborn errors of metabolism, diabetes management, obesity prevention and surgery, oncology support management, organ transplant nutritional intervention and specialty areas.

She said “Presently, there is a learning curve gap between current understanding of the dietetics profession and professional education preparedness, current demands for the health care sector and future demand for the dietetics professional in all career opportunity pathways. This symposium will explore present routes in education and career pathways and the future nutrition education needs of the regional population. I believe it will be well received by the audience and we plan to make this symposium every five years. This unique and important symposium illustrates SKMC’s commitment to state-of-the-art treatment and promotion of CME”.

SKMC is accredited by Health Authority Abu Dhabi to provide continuous medical education for physicians. This event is an accredited learning activity as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and has been designated for 3 hours of CME by Health Authority Abu Dhabi and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.

About SKMC

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, operates under the management of Cleveland Clinic, named one of the top three hospitals in the USA by U.S. News and World Report . The Medical City is the flagship institution for the public health system in Abu Dhabi and has several 'Centers of Excellence,' and aspires to practice contemporary medicine comparable to the best hospitals and medical centers in the world. SKMC provides comprehensive health care services in all of the disciplines relevant to the needs and priorities of the community to attain the highest levels of patient satisfaction.

SKMC consists of a 550-bed Acute Care Hospital, a 120-bed Behavior Sciences Pavilion and the 90-bed Abu Dhabi Rehabilitation Center, in addition to more than 12 specialized outpatient clinics and ten primary healthcare centers around the city of Abu Dhabi. 

About SEHA

SEHA is health in Arabic.  The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company – whose corporate identity is SEHA – is an independent, public joint stock company created to manage and develop the curative activities of the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.  SEHA is committed to providing quality, cost effective healthcare on par with international standards measured through accessibility, affordability, choice and satisfaction.  SEHA manages 8 hospital systems totaling 14 facilities, 2,472 licensed beds, more than 55 Primary Health Clinics and 14,350 employees. 

About the American Dietetic Association

ADA has 67,000 members world wide with UAE having the second largest participation outside North America. 79 % of memberships are registered dietitians and technicians. 50% of all ADA members hold advanced degrees. ADA uses evidenced based medicine in preparing scientific position papers in coordination with medical association worldwide. The Commission of Accreditation for Dietetics Education of ADA establishes and enforces standards for educational preparation and recognizes dietetics education that meets established standards.  The Commission on Dietetic Registration establishes and enforces standards for initial certification and recertification for registered dietitians and technicians. ADA sponsors 29 specialty dietetic practice groups from oncology, cardiac health, maternal nutrition, diabetes, pediatric nutrition, food systems management and many other areas of specialization.