Burjeel Medical City and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Partner to Advance Thoracic Cancer Care and Medical Education in the UAE
Burjeel Medical City (BMC), the flagship tertiary care hospital of Burjeel Holdings, has entered into a strategic clinical and academic collaboration with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of the United States’ leading cancer institutions, to establish a specialized thoracic surgery program in the United Arab Emirates. The partnership is designed to enhance access to advanced thoracic oncology services while strengthening medical education, clinical research, and physician training across the region.
The collaboration brings together Burjeel Medical City’s advanced healthcare infrastructure and comprehensive oncology services with Roswell Park’s internationally recognized expertise in cancer treatment, multidisciplinary clinical care, academic medicine, and research. Through this initiative, the two organizations aim to introduce internationally aligned thoracic cancer care closer to patients in the UAE and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, reducing the need for individuals to travel abroad for highly specialized surgical treatment.
The agreement represents another significant milestone in Burjeel Holdings’ strategy of developing world-class oncology services through partnerships with internationally recognized healthcare institutions.
Formalizing an International Healthcare Partnership
The collaboration agreement was officially signed in New York by Dr. Candace S. Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Dr. Mujtaba Ali Khan, Chief Executive Officer of Burjeel Medical City.
The signing ceremony was attended by senior leaders from both organizations, including Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Burjeel Holdings, and Dr. Sai Yendamuri, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, and Chair of Thoracic Surgery at Roswell Park.
The presence of executive leadership from both institutions highlights the strategic importance of the partnership and their shared commitment to improving access to advanced cancer care.
Rather than functioning solely as a referral relationship, the collaboration establishes a long-term framework encompassing patient care, physician education, clinical research, multidisciplinary consultation, and academic exchange.
Expanding Thoracic Cancer Services in the UAE
A central component of the partnership is the establishment of a dedicated thoracic surgery service at Burjeel Medical City.
Thoracic surgery focuses on diseases affecting organs and structures within the chest, excluding the heart. The new program will primarily serve patients diagnosed with cancers involving the lungs, esophagus, mediastinum, and chest wall.
Thoracic cancers remain among the most challenging malignancies to diagnose and treat due to their complexity and the need for coordinated multidisciplinary management.
Patients often require evaluation by multiple specialists before receiving individualized treatment recommendations.
By introducing a specialized thoracic surgery program within Abu Dhabi, Burjeel Medical City seeks to provide comprehensive cancer care closer to home while improving treatment accessibility for patients across the UAE and neighboring countries.
The initiative reflects the growing demand for highly specialized oncology services throughout the Gulf region.
Advanced Surgical Options for Patients
The newly established thoracic surgery program will offer a comprehensive range of surgical techniques tailored to individual patient needs.
These include robot-assisted thoracic surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and conventional open surgical procedures.
Robot-assisted surgery represents one of the most advanced technologies currently available for selected thoracic procedures.
Using sophisticated robotic systems controlled by experienced surgeons, these operations allow for enhanced precision, improved visualization, and greater surgical dexterity.
For appropriately selected patients, robotic approaches may reduce surgical trauma, minimize postoperative discomfort, shorten hospital stays, and accelerate recovery.
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, commonly known as VATS, provides another minimally invasive option for many thoracic conditions.
Rather than requiring large surgical incisions, VATS uses specialized cameras and instruments inserted through small openings in the chest.
This technique has become widely adopted for numerous lung and mediastinal procedures due to its ability to reduce complications and improve recovery times.
For more complex cases where minimally invasive techniques are not appropriate, conventional open thoracic surgery will continue to be available, ensuring each patient receives the most suitable treatment based on their disease, anatomy, and overall health.
Reducing the Need for Overseas Medical Travel
One of the primary goals of the collaboration is to reduce the need for patients from the UAE and the broader Middle East and North Africa region to travel internationally for specialized thoracic cancer surgery.
Historically, many patients requiring highly specialized oncologic procedures have sought treatment abroad due to limited regional availability of advanced surgical expertise.
International travel for cancer treatment often creates additional financial, emotional, and logistical burdens for patients and their families.
Extended travel may delay treatment, separate patients from their support networks, and increase overall healthcare costs.
By establishing comprehensive thoracic oncology services within Abu Dhabi, Burjeel Medical City aims to make internationally recognized surgical expertise more accessible while allowing patients to remain closer to their families throughout treatment and recovery.
Improving local access to advanced cancer care also strengthens regional healthcare capacity while supporting national healthcare development initiatives.
Integrated Multidisciplinary Cancer Care
The thoracic surgery program will become an integral component of the Burjeel Cancer Institute (BCI), where specialists from multiple disciplines collaborate to develop personalized treatment plans.
Modern cancer care increasingly relies upon multidisciplinary teams capable of addressing every aspect of diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and survivorship.
Patients treated through the program will benefit from coordinated care involving thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, radiologists, pathologists, and other healthcare professionals.
This integrated approach allows physicians to evaluate each patient’s condition from multiple clinical perspectives before determining the most appropriate treatment strategy.
Coordinated multidisciplinary care has been shown to improve communication among healthcare providers, reduce treatment delays, optimize clinical decision-making, and enhance patient outcomes.
From initial diagnosis through surgery, postoperative recovery, rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up, patients will receive comprehensive support throughout their cancer journey.
Multidisciplinary Tumor Board Discussions
An important feature of the collaboration involves the establishment of dedicated thoracic tumor board meetings.
Tumor boards bring together specialists from multiple medical disciplines to review complex cancer cases collectively.
During these meetings, physicians analyze imaging studies, pathology findings, surgical options, systemic therapy recommendations, radiation treatment plans, and supportive care needs before developing individualized treatment strategies.
Through the partnership, physicians at Burjeel Medical City will have opportunities to discuss challenging thoracic cancer cases directly with Roswell Park specialists.
This collaborative decision-making process allows local clinicians to benefit from international expertise while ensuring patients receive evidence-based recommendations aligned with current best practices.
The availability of multidisciplinary consultation also supports continuous professional learning among participating physicians.
Access to International Expertise
Beyond routine clinical collaboration, the partnership provides Burjeel Medical City with access to Roswell Park faculty members for selected case reviews and second opinions.
Second-opinion consultations often prove valuable when managing rare cancers, unusual disease presentations, or particularly complex treatment decisions.
Patients and treating physicians may benefit from additional expert perspectives before proceeding with major surgical interventions or alternative treatment approaches.
The collaboration ensures that specialized knowledge from one of the world’s leading cancer centers becomes readily available to physicians practicing within the UAE.
Such international cooperation strengthens clinical confidence while expanding opportunities for knowledge exchange between institutions.
Following International Clinical Standards
Clinical pathways developed under the collaboration will align with internationally recognized treatment guidelines, including recommendations established by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).
Evidence-based clinical pathways promote consistency in patient care while helping ensure treatment decisions reflect the latest scientific evidence and expert consensus.
Standardized protocols guide physicians through diagnosis, staging, treatment planning, surgical decision-making, postoperative management, and long-term surveillance.
By incorporating internationally accepted clinical guidelines into routine practice, the collaboration seeks to maintain high standards of quality, safety, and treatment effectiveness.
Patients receiving care through the thoracic surgery program will therefore benefit from management approaches consistent with leading cancer centers around the world.
Strengthening Academic Medicine
The partnership extends well beyond clinical care by establishing a comprehensive academic relationship between the two institutions.
The lead thoracic surgeon at Burjeel Medical City will hold an academic appointment with Roswell Park, reinforcing collaboration in education and research.
Academic affiliations provide opportunities for physicians to participate in scientific activities while contributing to ongoing improvements in patient care.
The institutions also plan to collaborate on developing clinical protocols, organizing scientific meetings, supporting educational initiatives, facilitating faculty engagement, and promoting professional development.
These activities aim to strengthen physician training while encouraging the exchange of knowledge across international healthcare systems.
Physician Education and Professional Development
Continuous medical education remains essential as cancer treatments evolve through advances in surgical techniques, imaging technologies, precision medicine, molecular diagnostics, and targeted therapies.
The collaboration will support clinician exchanges that allow physicians from both institutions to share expertise, observe best practices, and participate in educational programs.
Faculty engagement initiatives will encourage collaborative learning through lectures, workshops, conferences, multidisciplinary discussions, and scientific presentations.
Professional development opportunities created through the partnership may also help strengthen regional expertise in thoracic oncology while supporting future generations of healthcare professionals.
Such educational collaboration ultimately contributes to improved patient care by ensuring clinicians remain current with evolving medical knowledge.
Supporting Research and Innovation
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has a long history of advancing cancer research.
Founded in 1898 in Buffalo, New York, it was the first institution established exclusively for cancer research and treatment in the United States.
Today, the center holds designation from the U.S. National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center and is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Its longstanding commitment to scientific discovery has contributed to numerous advances in cancer diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and survivorship.
Through this collaboration, Burjeel Medical City gains opportunities to strengthen research activities while participating in scientific initiatives focused on improving thoracic cancer care.
Collaborative research may include clinical studies, protocol development, quality improvement initiatives, and evaluation of emerging treatment approaches.
Enhancing Burjeel Cancer Institute
The new thoracic surgery program complements the existing multidisciplinary capabilities of the Burjeel Cancer Institute.
BCI already provides a broad spectrum of oncology services, including medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, advanced imaging, precision diagnostics, pathology, and comprehensive supportive care.
The addition of dedicated thoracic oncology services expands the institute’s ability to provide integrated cancer treatment under one coordinated program.
Patients diagnosed with thoracic malignancies will now have access to specialized surgical expertise alongside advanced diagnostic technologies, personalized treatment planning, supportive therapies, rehabilitation, and survivorship services.
This integrated model supports continuity of care while reducing fragmentation often associated with complex cancer treatment.
The collaboration between Burjeel Medical City and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center represents an important advancement for oncology care within the UAE and the wider Middle East region.
By combining internationally recognized clinical expertise with advanced regional healthcare infrastructure, the partnership seeks to improve access to specialized thoracic cancer surgery while strengthening education, research, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Patients are expected to benefit from expanded treatment options, coordinated care pathways, international clinical standards, and access to advanced surgical technologies without leaving the region.
At the same time, physicians and healthcare professionals will gain valuable opportunities for academic engagement, professional development, and collaborative scientific research.
As cancer care continues to evolve toward increasingly personalized, multidisciplinary, and technology-driven approaches, international partnerships such as this one play an essential role in expanding healthcare capacity and improving patient outcomes.
The new thoracic surgery program marks the beginning of what both organizations envision as a long-term relationship dedicated to advancing excellence in cancer care, fostering innovation, and delivering world-class treatment to patients throughout the UAE and the broader MENA region.
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