ADPHC, IHLAD team up to enhance community health and wellbeing

Abu Dhabi's not just talking about healthy living — it's making it happen. In a bold move toward personalized healthcare, the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) has inked a deal with the newly licensed Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi (IHLAD), signaling a major step forward in proactive wellness. Signed during the landmark 25th IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion — the first time the event has come to the Middle East — the agreement sets the tone for a city doubling down on smarter, earlier, tech-driven ways to keep people well.

As Dr. Rashed Obaid Alsuwaidi put it, this partnership is "a testament to our commitment to enhance the health and wellbeing of all community members," and it's loaded with ambition: better data, earlier detection, and a blend of AI, diagnostics, and lifestyle coaching that could turn the tide on chronic disease in the UAE.

How will it work?

At the heart of the partnership is data — and what you can do with it when you stop playing catch-up and start getting ahead of disease. Here's how the approach works:

• The IFHAS health screening program collects baseline health data on thousands of Abu Dhabi residents.
• With participants' consent, IHLAD taps into that data, sorts individuals by age, gender, and clinical risk.
• Using smart diagnostics (think biomarkers, AI-powered retinal scans, and multi-omics testing), they build a detailed health profile for each person.
• Then comes the tailored care: custom fitness and nutrition plans backed by clinical guidelines from global leaders like the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

No cookie-cutter plans, no wait-until-it's-broken medicine. This is prevention at full throttle.

Why does it matter?

Cardiometabolic diseases — diabetes, heart conditions, hypertension, obesity — aren't just common; they're deadly, costly, and mostly preventable. And with aging populations and modern lifestyles putting more pressure on health systems worldwide, it's clear that the old models of care just don't cut it anymore.

That's why Abu Dhabi's push matters. "We are transforming the healthcare system into one that proactively identifies individuals at high risk for disease and implements personalised, preventive strategies," said Dr. Nicole Sirotin, IHLAD's CEO. The focus isn't on treating sickness — it's on sidestepping it altogether.

It's also a signal to the world: here's how longevity, wellness, and innovation can fit together. The licensing of IHLAD as the first-ever Healthy Longevity Medicine Centre globally sets a precedent — one other nations may soon look to follow.

The context

The backdrop to all this is Abu Dhabi's growing influence in the global public health conversation. Hosting the IUHPE World Conference — with over 2,000 policymakers, researchers, and change-makers in attendance — wasn't just symbolic. It showed the emirate's readiness to lead.

Through platforms like Malaffi and IFHAS, and now through partnerships with forward-thinking institutions like IHLAD, Abu Dhabi is weaving together data science, AI, and lifestyle medicine to future-proof its population's health. In Dr. Alsuwaidi's words, the goal is simple: "empowering our community to lead longer, healthier lives."

But behind that simplicity is a sea change — from reactive medicine to predictive care, from treating disease to cultivating health. Love it!