Media Release

Ajman, Mar 12: ‘Heroes of Healthcare’, an international lecture series was organized on Sunday March 11 by the Gulf Medical University, here wherein internationally renowned medical experts were invited to deliver talks and interact with the faculty and students at the university.

Gulf Medical University UAE, as part of the 'Heroes of Healthcare' lecture series hosted a special talk by Dr Anil D’Cruz who hails from Mumbai, India. Dr D’Cruz began his lecture by emphasizing on the three important elements that is essential to become a successful doctor – education, research and service. While inculcating the sense of dedication he also enumerated many examples and instilled amongst the students the essentials of becoming a good doctor. “The need to challenge the dogma is very important for a medical professional”, he added.

Dr D’Cruz strongly feels that doctors must update themselves on medical research and tailor their practice accordingly. He also emphasized on the students to go through the randomized control trials which is otherwise known as evidence based medicine. “A good doctor is one who combines his clinical experience with best external evidence which combines with research. “To become a successful healthcare professional right attitude towards a patient is a must,” Dr D’Cruz advised GMU students during the 'Heroes of Healthcare' international lecture series.

While interacting with the students, he emphasized that while communicating with patients, it is equally important to talk and listen to them attentively. “Doctors must be innovative in their practice and audit their work for better patient outcome”, Dr D’ Cruz added. “Knowledge comes from research. You should be the doctors of the day than of the past”, Dr D’Cruz said in his concluding remarks.

The founder president of Gulf Medical University, Thumbay Moideen along with the Provost of GMU, Prof Gita Ashok Raj bestowed a special memento – 'Heroes of Healthcare' award to Dr Anil D’Cruz in recognition of his invaluable contributions to healthcare and medicine throughout the world.

While congratulating Moideen for GMU possessing one of the best infrastructures in the Middle East, Dr Anil D’Cruz said that he was highly impressed with the tremendous progress made by GMU and wished the very best in the future too.

Later, Dr D’Cruz alongwith Thumbay Moideen had an audience with His Highness Sheikh Ammar Bin Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and other members of the Ruling family.

About Dr Anil D’ Cruz
Dr Anil D’Cruz is the director at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India. In addition, he is professor and chief, department of head and neck surgery at the hospital. The head and neck services at the Tata Memorial Hospital are one of the busiest in the world registering over 7000 new cases and performing over 2000 major surgeries every year.

He teaches for the Mch Specialty Training Programme in surgical oncology and is actively involved in teaching post graduates in Otorhinolaryngology, head neck surgery, general surgery and surgical oncology. He is also an examiner at various Universities across the country. Dr D’Cruz is a member of numerous professional bodies in India and abroad and has just completed his tenure as president of
foundation of head and neck oncology (2008-2010), India as well as secretary for the Action Council for Tobacco Control (2007-2009). He has also served as a member of the task force for chronic diseases at the department of biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology Government of India. He is currently the president of the Asian Society of Head Neck Oncology.

He is actively involved in research in head and neck cancers and plays a pivotal role in numerous trials.

He has been Global Principal Investigator as well as part of the steering committee of a number of multicentric, multinational trials. Some of these include a Phase1 trial to evaluate the role of interstitial PDT in the treatment of Head & Neck cancers, as well as targeted therapy in the concurrent, adjuvant and palliative settings. His major areas of interest in clinical research are management of neck metastasis, conservative laryngeal and laser surgery, cancers of the oral cavity and thyroid as well as quality of life issues. He is currently running a large prospective, randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the role of elective neck dissection in the management of early oral cancers. He is pioneering research in the use of curcumin in head and neck cancer patients for which he receives funding from the government of India’s Ministry of Science and Technology department of biotechnology. He is a part of a project to develop and validate Molecular Cytogenetic Studies/Proteomics in oral cancers. Results of this work have been filed for a patent.

Dr D’Cruz has more than 125 peer-reviewed publications and chapters to his name and is also an editor for a two volume text book on head and neck Surgery. He has delivered more than 250 invited lectures and orations both nationally and internationally including the prestigious Eugene Myers International Lecture in Head and Neck cancers at the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck surgery.

He is a member of the editorial board of Head and Neck, Oral Oncology associate editor of Head and Neck Oncology and a reviewer for several scientific journals both national and international.