Gulf Medical University continues its commitment to promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. During AY 2024–2025, GMU strengthened its efforts toward SDG 8 through strategic initiatives in education, research, innovation, professional development, and workforce inclusion contributing to a resilient and future-ready healthcare workforce.

1. “We Employ Our Graduates”

Currently, more than 60 employees are working across GMU’s academic health system, and 49 alumni are employed in various university departments, including Pharmacy Practice, Biomedical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Restorative Dental Sciences, Physiotherapy Sciences, Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine, Medical Imaging Sciences, and Clinical Science Department.

In May 2025, Thumbay Group announced a landmark initiative to further strengthen alumni employment through a “3% Alumni Hiring Commitment.” Under this program, 3% of all future job vacancies across Thumbay Group’s companies are reserved for GMU graduates. This commitment, highlighted in official announcements on LinkedIn and Khaleej Times, reflects the organization’s dedication to supporting GMU alumni and fostering sustainable employment within the UAE’s healthcare ecosystem.  (Source: Thumbay Group LinkedIn Post, Khaleej Times, May 2025.)

This initiative directly supports SDG 8.5 and 8.6 by fostering youth employment, career advancement, and long-term workforce sustainability within the UAE’s healthcare sector.

2. Courses Related to SDG 8

GMU offers 19 courses aligned with SDG 8 across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, integrating themes of economics, management, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and innovation. Courses include:

• PML 103: Principles of Management, Leadership & Sustainability

• PRE 106: Principles of Economics

• HRH 305: Human Resource Management in Healthcare Organizations

• ENT 307: Entrepreneurship: Disruptive Innovation and New Business Models in Healthcare

• OPM 311: Operation Management in the Health Industry

• EBH 301: Evidence-Based Management in Healthcare

• INT 501: Health Economics & Policy Evaluation

• INT 502: Healthcare Policy, Managing Government & Public Health Authority

• HME 601–HME 608: Healthcare Systems, Financial Management, Operations, Strategic and Human Resource Management

• STM 404 / HME 613: Strategic Management, Social Responsibility, Ethics & Governance

• EIS 101: Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability

These courses nurture leadership, innovation, and ethical management skills essential for sustainable economic growth.

3. Student Work Placements and Internships

GMU continued to provide clinical placements, experiential learning, and paid internship programs across affiliated hospitals and health facilities approved by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP). These placements:

• Offer hands-on clinical experience under expert supervision

• Bridge the gap between education and employment

• Equip students with essential skills for professional readiness

Satisfaction rates for experiential learning continue to exceed the 90% benchmark, demonstrating GMU’s success in delivering high-quality, practical training opportunities.

4. Diversity and Inclusion in Student Enrollment

GMU’s enrollment data demonstrates strong diversity across nationality, gender, and academic programs. With students representing over 95 nationalities, GMU remains a regional leader in inclusive education, ensuring that diversity fosters equitable access to learning and future employment. This diversity supports inclusive economic growth by preparing a varied, globally competent workforce.

By maintaining a diverse and inclusive student body, GMU contributes to SDG 8.5 by promoting equal access to education and decent work opportunities for all nationalities and genders.

5. GMU Alumni Engagement

The GMU Alumni Summit 2025, held on 19 January 2025 at Grand Hyatt  Dubai, celebrated the accomplishments of over 4,000 graduates worldwide. The summit provided a networking platform and showcased alumni achievements in healthcare, research, and entrepreneurship. GMU’s alumni body continues to be a vital contributor to the university’s global reputation for excellence. Link

6. Technological Innovation and Workforce Development

Thumbay Institute for AI in Healthcare successfully hosted the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (April 2024), organized by GMU’s AI Club. The event, attended by over 800 participants, highlighted AI’s transformative role in healthcare delivery, research, and education.

Additionally, GMU faculty collaborated with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in a Training of Trainers Program (July 2–3, 2024) focusing on health professions education and assessment. This initiative strengthened capacity building and supported continuous professional development in healthcare training.

7. Research and Professional Development

GMU continues to emphasize research aligned with workforce development and innovation. Faculty members presented at international forums, including:

• Dr. Eman El-Labbad – Presentation at All Together Better Health on “Outcomes of Introducing Patient-Centred Interprofessional Clinical Training at GMU.”

• Dr. Reema Alhosani, Ex-President of UAE NADA – Delivered “Drugs in Sport” workshops for PharmD students, emphasizing ethics and safety in sports medicine.

8. Research contributions

GMU’s research portfolio demonstrates strong alignment with SDG 8, addressing workforce wellbeing, economic resilience, innovation, and sustainable practices across healthcare and related industries.

The following studies reflect diverse aspects of workforce wellbeing, efficiency, innovation, and sustainability in healthcare and related industries.

Key research addressing SDG 8 includes:

1. Unlocking retention: a prescriptive framework for retaining trained staff in critical care units – This study provides a strategic framework for workforce retention, ensuring sustainability and continuity in the healthcare workforce.

2. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among United Arab Emirates schoolteachers: an examination of physical activity, and

   
   

   Ergonomic awareness and practices to prevent musculoskeletal disorder among healthcare workers in UAE: A cross-sectional study – Both studies emphasize occupational health and safety, aligning with SDG 8.8, which promotes safe and secure working environments.

3. Randomized controlled trial parallel-group on optimizing community pharmacist’s care for the elderly: The influence of WhatsApp-Email delivered clinical case scenarios – Demonstrates the use of digital tools to enhance productivity, professional competence, and innovation in healthcare delivery.

4. Mediating and moderating factors between economic pressure and turnover intention among schoolteachers in Lebanon during the ongoing crisis era – Explores the socioeconomic determinants influencing job satisfaction and workforce stability.

5. Determination of driving power and dependency of wastes in the healthcare sector: a lean and ISM-Based approach and

   
   

   Factors affecting implementation of digital lean in healthcare in the post-COVID world – mixed-method approach – Both focus on improving efficiency and productivity in healthcare systems through lean and digital management principles, supporting SDG 8.2 and 8.4.

6. Planning and Selection of Facility Layout in Healthcare Services – Enhances operational efficiency and effective resource use, contributing to sustainable health service delivery.

7. Green radiography: Exploring perceptions, practices, and barriers to sustainability – Promotes environmentally sustainable practices in healthcare, aligned with SDG 8.4 on resource efficiency.

8. Maintaining the Psychological Well-Being of Physicians in the Uncertain Work Environment: A Practitioners Perspective – Addresses the importance of decent and supportive working conditions, focusing on employee wellbeing and resilience.

9. Investigating the Key Drivers of the Sustainability of Family Businesses: The Mediating Role of Strategic Management Implementation – Contributes to understanding sustainable entrepreneurship and long-term economic resilience, supporting SDG 8.3.

10. Modeling of barrier in the adoption of omnichannel marketing: a case of Indian handloom industry, Navigating the adoption landscape of blockchain in food delivery: a UTAUT perspective, and How digital transformation impact firm performance? The unmet needs of Indian exporting firms – These studies examine technology-driven innovation and efficiency in business sectors, promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

11. Business intelligence and business analytics in tourism: insights through Gioia methodology and Examining the potential of virtual and augmented reality in enhancing tourism experiences – Advance innovation and sustainable tourism, contributing to SDG 8.9.

12. Revisiting the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice Framework: Exploring What Fits with Virtual Teaching – Highlights the evolving dynamics of employment motivation in the education sector in the digital era.

13. Exploring perceptions of pre-clerkship students about workplace learning in the clinical learning environment at Gulf Medical University, UAE, Bridging knowledge gaps: impact of remedial classes on first-year medical students in biochemistry – a cross-sectional study, and Early Exposure to Research: Its Impact on Medical Students’ Educational Experience and Interest in Future Research – These studies strengthen education-to-employment pathways by enhancing professional readiness, skill development, and innovation among future health professionals.

Collectively, these studies reinforce GMU’s role as a regional leader in advancing decent work, technological innovation, and sustainable economic systems through evidence-based research and policy engagement.

9. Climate and Health Education Integration

In 2024, GMU hosted the workshop “Climate Change and Human Health”, exploring the intersection between human well-being, healthcare, and environmental responsibility. The initiative reflects GMU’s alignment of health education with global sustainability priorities and the “One Health” concept. Link