Alumni Spotlight: Using AI to boost public health

When it comes to impact, few people can claim to have made as much of a mark as Her Excellency Dr. Farida Al Hosani.  

As a leading light of the UAE’s healthcare sector, Al Hosani has been at the forefront of the nation’s public health strategy, dedicating her career to the pursuit of better health for all and using whatever avenues she can to improve our wellbeing, lifestyles, treatment and care.  

Having graduated from UAE University as a general doctor, Al Hosani elected to move into public health, taking up a role at the Department of Health (DoH). Specializing in the subject, with a doctorate from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, she honed in on infectious diseases, building the infectious diseases function for the DoH and contributing to the strategy formulation of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center.  

When COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill, Al Hosani became the UAE government’s COVID spokesperson and the executive director for infectious diseases. She later became deputy chief operating officer of the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) and the chair of a global committee for influenza pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization. 

“There’s always a new challenge coming in infectious diseases,” she says. “You never get bored. There’s always a new outbreak, a new virus coming, a new disease emerging. That’s where I wanted to make an impact, because there were not a lot of us in UAE who were specialized in that area.  

“This is where my passion is. I would like to contribute as much as I can to support the mission of our country, and also other countries, to fight infectious diseases.” 

One avenue that has emerged in recent years as a key enabler of better healthcare is artificial intelligence. Advances in foundation models, deep learning, and multimodal models, for example, have greatly improved areas such as early detection and monitoring, drug discovery and vaccine development, treatment optimization and patient care, and public health strategies. 

And it’s an avenue that Al Hosani was quick to explore. 

“It’s a trend that is growing, and it has dramatically shifted the way we do public health programs,” she says. “Especially in terms of having a sustainable impact. I’ve worked in several AI initiatives, building algorithms, predictive modelling, big data analytics and systems. 

“AI really helps us to bridge some of the gaps that we have in human health, particularly the prevention side. It’s very hard for doctors to do the prevention or the awareness while they are focusing on curing specific conditions. So why not use technology to help? AI can combine and examine the knowledge we’ve acquired from the past 100 years, helping us to reshape healthcare delivery models.” 

To enhance her own understanding of AI and how it can advance the healthcare industry, Al Hosani joined cohort four of the MBZUAI Executive Program, graduating in November 2023: An experience that she says gave her a more holistic understanding of the AI landscape. 

“My focus was health, but the program really provided an insight of what’s going on in different sectors,” she explains. “We were also able to meet niche and top-notch experts from across the world, not only the UAE, taking us through their AI journeys and how they developed different solutions. That was incredibly insightful. 

“The third big benefit was networking. I was on the course with other executives from Abu Dhabi, the wider UAE, and also internationally, so it was an incredible learning experience being with them and seeing how they work and what AI can do to help their industries.” 

Since completing the program, Al Hosani has applied a more AI-centric approach to her various roles, admitting that it is “embedded within the building of public health strategies, and our thinking about how to improve global health and better health access”.  

“AI can be applied everywhere,” she adds. “It’s really about how much resource you can mobilize and engage with.” 

Engaging and leading communities 

Al Hosani’s connection to MBZUAI did not end after graduating from MEP — in fact, it grew and expanded as she took on the role of deputy chair of the MBZUAI Alumni Advisory Board.  

“This is really an honor to be part of the board,” she says. “Learning doesn’t end when you graduate from a program; it’s a continuous journey, and we need to engage students and graduates to be of benefit to them, and to help build the AI ecosystem. 

“Engaging the students and graduates, connecting them to entrepreneurs and industry experts, discussing game changing ideas across various industries – this is what we want, and this is how we build something special. 

“The role of the University is huge in driving AI initiatives and supporting the overall mission of the UAE to be one of the world’s leading countries in AI.” 

Working with MBZUAI’s students and graduates certainly plays into one of Al Hosani’s strengths: community engagement. As a tireless advocate of public health and methods of disease prevention, she works in various ways to spread good habits, awareness, and sustainable practices — most recently via social media. 

“To me, the public health mission is unique because it aims to prevent millions of deaths every year and improve the life of people, their children, and generations to come,” she says. 

“Engaging the community is the key, but how to do it? A lot has changed in the last five years, and we are even more into social media technologies. I thought there is a lot we can do with social media to educate people and help them to make good and informed decisions to improve their health not only in the short term, but in the long term. Part of that is about infectious diseases, but mostly it is about exercising, eating healthily, living in a healthy way, and understanding environmental impact.” 

With tens of thousands of followers across platforms, Al Hosani’s online following grew quickly; something she attributes to the shared aspiration to establish healthy lifestyles. 

“When I started out, I noticed that engagement was unexpectedly high. People were asking questions, commenting, looking for more information. I realized that what I was sharing was critical and that there wasn’t much awareness around it — especially when it came to things like processed food, how it’s impacting our lives, and what the alternatives are. 

“People were really looking for a better understanding, so the art was to simplify complex medical knowledge and share it in an interesting and engaging way. I think I have this talent, so I’m glad to be able to do this important work.” 

Whether it’s on social media, part of the MBZUAI Alumni Advisory Board, or as a prominent leader in the UAE’s healthcare industry, Al Hosani is certainly making the most of her talent to make a difference. With such a proactive and people-oriented individual shaping healthcare across the UAE, it will be interesting to see how AI and technology continues to advance her mission to improve our health, now and for generations to come.