UAE’s great influencers honoured for good deeds

Mohammed bin Zayed with the 8 winners

Abu Dhabi: Eight extraordinary individuals were recognised on Sunday for their generous and worthwhile deeds at the Abu Dhabi Awards ceremony, which also celebrated the ten-year anniversary of the Awards.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the Abu Dhabi Awards celebrates compassionate individuals who have selflessly given their time to build and support the community of Abu Dhabi.  
During the Awards ceremony, Shaikh Mohammed presented the Awards and personally congratulated each recipient, presenting them with the Abu Dhabi medal and trophy.
The Abu Dhabi Awards was inaugurated in 2005 to celebrate compassionate individuals who have selflessly given their time to build and support the community of the UAE.
The 2015 campaign marked the milestone 10^th anniversary of the prestigious Award, which has now so far been awarded to a total of 71 recipients, with more than 100,000 individuals being nominated since the Awards’ inauguration.
Recipients and their families were joined by members of the Royal Family, Ministers, and Government officials to honour the outstanding contributions they have made to society through their work. Video biographies were shown during the ceremony, showcasing the recipients’ good deeds and achievements within the community.
The eight recipients were recognised for a wide range of achievements including medical research, lifetime achievements, overseas humanitarian relief, and preserving the culture and history of the UAE and Abu Dhabi.
The awarded individuals are:
Staff Col Dr Aysha Al Dhaheri
Staff Col Dr Aysha Sultan Al Dhaheri has provided medical care and humanitarian relief in some of world’s most conflict-ridden areas, risking her welfare to care for others and serve her country.
The 46-year-old Emirati, a military doctor at Zayed Military Hospital, has volunteered to be part of many official UAE humanitarian relief missions, oftentimes as the first or only female physician.
In 2015, Dr Al Dhaheri led the first female medical team in Eretria, offering healthcare and humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni refugees and the local Eritrean people.
Most recently, Dr Al Dhaheri undertook a mission in Yemen, volunteering to provide medical attention in the war-torn area.  
Dr Al Dhaheri has also been a part of missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Somalia, helping to fulfil the UAE’s policy to provide healthcare support.
Dr Lihadh Al Gazali
Dr Lihadh Al Gazali, a pioneer in genetics research in the Arab world, has dedicated her life to identifying and characterising genetic conditions and abnormalities unique to families in the region.
A British citizen of Iraqi descent, Dr Al Gazali moved to Al Ain with her husband in the 1990s, paving the way to genetic awareness when there was very little knowledge or understanding of genetic field, and its significance to the UAE and the region.
Among her many breakthrough discoveries, two where named after the doctor - the Al Gazali Syndrome.
Throughout her long and distinguished career as a Professor and Senior Consultant in Clinical Genetics and Pediatrics at UAE University, Dr Al Ghazali has led public awareness campaigns, developed collaborations with international research organisations and helped establish the first gene registry in the UAE.
She launched a Clinical Genetics Service supported by cytogenetic and DNA laboratories, which covers the entire UAE population, offering counselling, education and support for families affected by genetic diseases.
Her work has seen her bestowed with countless domestic and international awards, including the globally-recognised honour, L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science.
Dr Ghassan Al Hasan
Jordanian national Dr Ghassan Al Hasan, 71, is one of the region’s foremost authorities in the study, preservation and promotion of Arabic poetry.
As the only person in the world to earn a Doctorate in Nabati Poetry, his expertise and perspective have added immense value to the documentation and authentication of this poetry form.
A UAE resident for more than 40 years, Dr Al Hasan’s work in documenting UAE’s Nabati poetry and as a Consultant to the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee were essential in reviving interest in and understanding of Nabati Poetry, throughout the UAE community.
The late Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei
Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei was instrumental in forming policies and initiatives to preserve the Emirate’s national culture and heritage, and perhaps most significantly served as an effective and influential bridge for younger generations of Emiratis to genuinely connect with their history.
As Culture and Heritage Advisor to His Highness Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Al Mazrouei continuously developed relevant and engaging programmes and initiatives to both safeguard and promote UAE culture and heritage in today’s modern day.
Considered a foremost expert in UAE culture, heritage and history, he was frequently a reference point and source of information for events that sought to highlight and preserve the country’s historical traditions and customs.
He was a driving force working behind-the-scenes to encourage citizens of all ages, backgrounds and interests to participate in cultural events and festivals throughout the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The late Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 48, has ensured that through platforms he created the UAE’s national identity will live on through future generations.
Dr Ayesha Al Memari
Dr Ayesha Al Memari, 37, completed extensive education and training overseas to become the first Emirati physician to specialise in emergency medicine.
Her sense of duty also recently led Dr Al Memari to volunteer in Yemen – providing emergency medical care to UAE soldiers serving in the Coalition Forces – making her the first, female civilian doctor to do so.
In addition, she continues to contribute to the expansion and advancement of emergency medical capabilities at Mafraq Hospital, where she is Consultant Emergency Medicine and Critical, EM Programme Director.
Dr Al Memari is also head of the Abu Dhabi branch of the Emirati Medical Association; co-founder of the EMA-Mini Medical School, a programme open to the public to help develop their medical knowledge to improve their daily lives; and General Secretary of the Emirates Society of Emergency Medicine, a non-profit organisation that brings together physicians and nurses working in emergency medicine.
HE Dr Adnan Al Pachachi
A veteran politician and diplomat, Dr Adnan Al Pachachi played a pivotal role in the birth of the UAE’s political structure and its early foreign policy.
A UAE National of Iraqi origin, Dr Al Pachachi arrived in the UAE with extensive political experience that was a crucial asset, as the United Arab Emirates became a nation.
He led the mission that secured the UAE’s acceptance into the United Nations, with the UAE becoming the first country to address the UN General Assembly in Arabic in 1972.
He went on to contribute to the UAE through several influential Government positions and was on the board of directors of some of Abu Dhabi’s most important entities.
His list of achievements is immense – including contributing to plans to form the Union, serving as a member of the first Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, helping to lay the groundwork of Shaikh Zayed’s early foreign policy, and helping to formulate the UAE constitution.
Described as a sincere and hard-working man, now at the age of 92, he is considered a resource on the formation of the UAE.
Dr Anwar Gargash
Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, is an empowering force in modern day UAE, investing in the development of young leaders, as well as conceiving the frameworks for institutions critical to the advancement of the country.
Whether as a professor, a minister of state, or a mentor, Dr Gargash has guided and supported an emerging generation of public servants, as well as, acted as a driving force behind the representation of women in UAE politics, parliament and government.
Significantly, in 2006 Dr Gargash played a critical role in fostering the country’s parliamentary structure based on President Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s vision of developing the UAE’s participatory political system.
Representation in the Federal National Council and its advisory role offer a unique development within the context of nation building, expanding avenues for political participation for UAE citizens.
In addition, Dr Gargash has lent his distinct perspective and voice to further progressing UAE’s foreign policy platforms and policies.
The late Susan Hillyard
There are few more important sources of information about specific aspects of life in Abu Dhabi before the discovery of oil than UK citizen Susan Hillyard.
Arriving in 1954, accompanying her husband who was an oil company executive, Hillyard noted her day-to-day observations of life over the next four years.
The result of those entries is the book Before The Oil, published in 2002 at the insistence of UAE’s late President, who once said to her: “You are now the only person who clearly remembers Abu Dhabi as it was. The present always overlays the past so that it gets forgotten in a generation or so unless it has been written down.”
Hillyard forged a close relationship with Emirati women in Abu Dhabi and was a frequent visitor to the women’s quarters at Qasr Al Hosn, where she was introduced to the Shaikhas of the ruling Al Nahyan family.
She maintained a close connection with Abu Dhabi throughout her lifetime, providing information to those architects working on the preservation of Qasr Al Hosn. Susan will be remembered for capturing and documenting the photo of the late Shaikha Salama bint Butti Al Nahyan, the only photo documented of her since that time.
Susan Hillyard passed away in 2014 at the age of 87.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com