A S U

Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President of Ain Shams University for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, and Prof. Ali Al-Anwar, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Chairman of the Board of Directors of University Hospitals, witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ain Shams University Hospitals and Alder Hey Foundation, affiliated with the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on behalf of Ain Shams University Hospitals by Prof. Tarek Youssef, Executive Director of the Hospitals, and on behalf of Alder Hey Foundation by Ms. Tracy Cousineau, Global Project Director of Alder Hey Global and the Department of International Child Health.

Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development, delivered a speech on behalf of Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of Ain Shams University. She emphasized that the agreement represents a model of a distinguished strategic partnership between two established institutions that share a shared academic and medical heritage and are working together to achieve a qualitative leap in the fields of healthcare, medical education, and pediatric research.

She noted that the memorandum of understanding goes beyond being a formal framework for cooperation, as it reflects a mutual commitment and a unified vision aimed at improving the quality of life for children through the exchange of knowledge and expertise, and the integration of efforts to serve the needs of patients and their families.

She also expressed her sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to establishing this partnership, praising the pioneering role played by the participating institutions in supporting medical innovation and scientific research. She emphasized that this step represents a promising start to constructive cooperation that will serve future generations.

From the British side, Ms. Tracy Cousineau expressed her great happiness at the launch of this partnership, which she described as more than just a formal agreement, but rather the beginning of a strategic relationship based on shared human values, mutual respect, and a shared ambition to develop an advanced healthcare system for children.

She added, “We look forward to the tangible results this partnership will achieve through joint programs and initiatives, which will be built on a foundation of trust and fruitful cooperation between the two sides.”

She concluded her speech by emphasizing that this agreement represents a promising beginning for an inspiring collaboration, thanking everyone who contributed to the success of this joint project.

Prof. Ali Al-Anwar, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Chairman of the Board of Directors of University Hospitals, emphasized that this cooperation falls within the framework of the University Hospitals’ strategy to open up to leading international institutions in the medical field, with the aim of enhancing the quality of healthcare, educational, and research services in the hospitals.

Prof. Tarek Youssef, Executive Director of University Hospitals, explained that this collaboration stems from a shared, multi-dimensional vision in the field of pediatrics, based on the exchange of expertise and the promotion of joint work, with the goal of developing medical, research, and educational services and achieving the best outcomes in child health care.

This memorandum comes within the framework of Ain Shams University’s commitment to enhancing international cooperation and exchanging expertise in the medical and scientific fields. Areas of cooperation include the exchange of faculty staff, graduate students, and students assigned for clinical training, academic studies, and research, in addition to gaining practical experience abroad, implementing joint research programs and conducting clinical trials at both institutions, in addition to organizing conferences, seminars, and forums of mutual interest, delivering lectures to undergraduate and graduate students, participating in graduate examinations, including attending as examiners at Ain Shams University, joint supervision of master’s and doctoral theses, and submitting applications to funding bodies to implement joint research projects that may lead to the development of products with joint intellectual property. Furthermore, the two sides exchange expertise in innovative teaching methods and designing academic programs and courses.

The agreement was coordinated on the Egyptian side by Prof. Ashraf Abdel Hamid El-Midani, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Sherine Ismail Fawaz, Director of the International Relations Office at the Faculty of Medicine.

The signing ceremony was attended from Ain Shams University by Prof. Mohamed El-Ghannam, Director of the Heart, Chest and Vascular Surgery Hospital, Prof. Mai Hamdy El-Sayed, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Sherweit El-Ahmady, Director of the International Student s and Mobility Office, and a group of professors from the Heart, Chest and Vascular Surgery Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine.

From the British side, Mr. Ram Dhanabuni, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Dr. Shorouk Messahel, Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Emergency Department, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.