SEHA, a subsidiary of PureHealth, has advanced specialised paediatric care and clinical knowledge exchange through the 20th SEHA International Paediatric Conference (SIPC), co-hosted with Cincinnati Children’s, one of the leading hospitals in the US.
SIPC 2026 formed part of the clinical education and knowledge-exchange activities under the paediatric partnership between SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and Cincinnati Children’s. The collaboration combines specialist expertise, multidisciplinary case discussions, and workforce development to strengthen local capabilities for personalised paediatric care in Abu Dhabi. The conference brought together approximately 1,400 clinicians, researchers, and other healthcare professionals across the three days conference to examine how current evidence can inform everyday clinical decisions when caring for children with common, rare, and complex conditions.
Across the practical workshops and case-based sessions, the programme focused on improving the decisions that clinicians make when caring for children. Priorities included recognising warning signs earlier, identifying when urgent escalation or specialist referral is required, and applying current evidence when diagnostic or treatment choices are complex. These areas were explored through examples including paediatric haematology-oncology emergencies, electrocardiogram interpretation, epilepsy management, and developmental conditions.
Dr Asma Al Nuaimi, Clinical Director of the Cincinnati Children’s Programme at SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, said: “The 20th SEHA International Paediatric Conference reflects the wider purpose of our partnership with Cincinnati Children’s: combining international expertise with local leadership to strengthen paediatric care in Abu Dhabi over the long term. Through multidisciplinary case discussions, clinical education, and workforce development, the collaboration is helping our teams build sustainable capability and manage more complex needs locally. This supports children in accessing specialised care closer to home while allowing families to remain connected to their communities and support networks."
UAE-based teams contributed eight complex cases addressing metabolic, neurological, infectious, cardiac and immune-related conditions. Additionally, seven research abstracts explored a range of paediatric health topics, including inherited neurological disorders, diabetes and obesity management, antibiotic use in emergency departments, outcomes for infants born at 22 weeks’ gestation, elevated troponin levels in children, eosinophilic oesophagitis, and upper gastrointestinal imaging in newborns.
Other sessions considered how emerging developments, including gene therapy, artificial intelligence, digital health, and diagnostic biomarkers, should be assessed alongside established evidence, multidisciplinary input, and local care pathways. Specialists from Cincinnati Children’s joined UAE colleagues in comparing diagnostic reasoning and management approaches across different healthcare settings.
Dr Noura Ali Al Hassani, Chair of the Scientific Committee, Division Lead and Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist at SEHA Tawam Hospital, said: “The Scientific Committee designed the programme around decisions clinicians encounter in practice across paediatric specialities. By pairing evidence updates with workshops and complex-case discussions, participants could consider how new knowledge applies in a practical clinical context rather than as theory alone. The eight complex cases and seven research abstracts presented by UAE-based teams were particularly valuable because they placed locally generated experience and research within a wider scientific discussion and enabled colleagues to learn from work produced within our healthcare system.’’
The 20th SIPC extended the partnership’s clinical education and knowledge-exchange reach to a broader professional audience. Beyond the event, SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Cincinnati Children’s bring international perspectives into dialogue with UAE-led clinical practice and research. Its longer-term value lies in translating this exchange into sustained improvements in clinical pathways and specialised services, helping more children and families access care within Abu Dhabi and the UAE, closer to their communities and support networks.
