Abu Dhabi Global Healthcare Week (ADGHW) 2025: Highlights, Insights & Deep-dive

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Akhter Hemayoun Mubarki
Wed 23 April 2025
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Last week, when I stepped into the Abu Dhabi Global Health Week (ADGHW), I was filled with anticipation about insightful conversations. But, I left with something more: a deep understanding of endless possibilities in healthcare innovation. As someone who has been associated with Middle Eastern healthcare for over a decade now, attending ADGHW was a truly rewarding experience. 

The magnitude of this three-day conference was impressive: 15,000 attendees, 150 exhibitors, 200 inspiring speakers, and representatives from over 90 countries. As I walked through the ADNEC Center, I could sense the entire global health community uniting with a common mission towards enhancing longevity, redefining health, and improving well-being. This year’s conference focused on four powerful themes:

  • Longevity & Precision Health: Personalizing the future of medicine
  • Health System Resilience & Sustainability: Crafting future-ready frameworks
  • Digital Health & AI:  Revolutionizing care through technology
  • Investment in Life Sciences: Driving global innovation forward

Just like last year, AI and data continued to dominate discussions as several sessions touched upon the applications of AI in disease detection, cancer treatment, and managing mental health. Among the many presentations and discussions, several key insights particularly resonated with me and shaped my perspective on the future of healthcare.

Insights That Stayed With Me 

The energy at this conference was absolutely electric. There was a real sense of determination and a clear vision to move away from outdated healthcare systems and adopt value-based models to enhance health outcomes. You could feel this mindset buzzing in the keynote sessions and in the conversations happening in the hallways.

Some of the sessions particularly left a mark on me: 

  • In Conversation with H.E. Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori:The conference kicked off with an engaging one-on-one conversation between H.E. Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and CNN’s Anna Stewart. Listening to Al Mansoori, it was clear that we need to rethink our approach to delivering care. If we want to improve the health of communities in the UAE and around the world, we need to leverage data and innovation to shape our strategies.
  • Fireside Chat: Ethics, AI, and Data in Healthcare – Navigating the Gray Areas: This session, led by Emma Sheldon MBE, CEO of Healthcare World, and Rizwan Tufail, Group Chief Data Officer at PureHealth, provided a candid peek into the ethical complexities that come with using AI and data in healthcare. From concerns around privacy to the need for transparency to build patient trust, the conversation emphasized how we must balance innovation with responsibility.

A key takeaway from the event was the move toward patient-focused care, wherein digital health and AI solutions are empowering more proactive, individualized treatment approaches. The overall theme was evident: healthcare needs to change to adopt technology while making it accessible and enhancing outcomes for all.

Spotlight Talk

Aligned with our commitment to transforming healthcare, Dr. David Nace(Chief Medical Officer, Innovaccer) delivered a talk on “Breaking the Volume Cycle: Building Sustainable Value‑Based Care Models,” which provided a much-needed roadmap to organizations looking to dive into value-based care. Dr. Nace's session discussed the drawbacks of the fee-for-service model, such as fragmented care, and also explained how organizations can move toward value-based care for a sustained impact on patient health.

He provided the following building blocks for value-based transformation: 

  1. Leadership Alignment & Commitment
    Executive teams that fully understand and promote value-based care will play an important role in breaking down silos and setting a clear vision that empowers teams to deliver better outcomes. 
  2. Cultural Readiness
    Organizations that embrace quality improvements, cross-sector collaboration, and accountability for outcomes will be better positioned for success under the VBC model.
  3. Clinical Workflow Adaptability
    Healthcare processes need to be flexible enough to support care delivery that provides the best possible results for the patient, rather than just delivering services.
  4. Financial Structure Stability
    Organizations that can better absorb the financial risks that come with transitioning to VBC will lead the shift from reactive to proactive care. 

Dr. Nace presenting at the ADGHW 2025

Dr. Nace didn’t just stop at strategy, he also brought the numbers to life. Value-based models today have already hit a 78% increase in patient engagement and have unlocked $2.2 million in savings. 

The session also gave a peek into what VBC looks like when it works: predictive analytics guiding care, AI-supported workflows, and a data fabric that unifies scattered records into one patient-centered view.

If there was one takeaway from this session, it’s this: We can’t afford to treat VBC as a tech project. It’s a people-first, purpose-driven shift. Organizations need to connect the dots between data, empathy, and action for building sustainable healthcare systems. 

Conversations That Matter

As part of our session, Dr. Nace shared insights on value-based care transformation that reflected many of the same concerns and aspirations we heard directly from healthcare leaders at our booth. It was clear that leaders are not just exploring new technologies; they want strategic partners that can help them reshape how they deliver care to their patients. They are no longer asking: What are the latest tech tools you have? Instead, they want to know: “How can you help us transform our care delivery model?”. 

Riveting Discussions at the ADGHW 2025

During our discussions, I realized that most organizations struggle to unify fragmented data systems, and their clinical teams feel unprepared for the transition to value-based care. Another critical challenge they encountered was choosing the right metrics to measure their progress.

But what stood out most was their readiness to act. Leaders are not just identifying roadblocks, but they are actively seeking the right partner or frameworks to move forward with confidence. That sense of purpose is exactly what brought them to the conference. 

Moving Forward with Intention

This conference was not merely a forum for presenting new ideas. It highlighted a crucial fact that healthcare leaders need a partner who understands the complexities of healthcare transformation and can deliver more than just tools. 

The next wave of healthcare will be shaped by people unifying data, uplifting individuals, and focusing on what counts in health delivery. The organizations that will succeed will be organizations that act with intention, and I'm proud that I'm part of such modernizing change.

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Akhter Hemayoun Mubarki
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