{"id":3843,"date":"2024-03-27T07:56:42","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T07:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatarabminds.ae\/?post_type=news&p=3843"},"modified":"2025-07-15T11:42:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T11:42:13","slug":"cleveland-clinic-childrens-hani-najm-m-d-wins-first-great-arab-minds-award-in-medicine","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.devpgs.com\/gam\/news\/cleveland-clinic-childrens-hani-najm-m-d-wins-first-great-arab-minds-award-in-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleveland Clinic Children\u2019s Hani Najm, M.D., Wins First Great Arab Minds Award in Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hani Najm, M.D.<\/a>, Cleveland Clinic Children\u2019s Chair of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, has been named the first winner of the\u00a0Great Arab Minds<\/a>\u00a0award in medicine in recognition of his outstanding contributions to pediatric and adult cardiac surgery, including his innovations to surgically treat congenital heart diseases.<\/p>\n

The Great Arab Minds awards \u2013 announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister, Ruler of Dubai \u2013 acknowledge accomplishments across six categories: engineering and technology, medicine, economics, architecture and design, natural sciences, and literature and arts.<\/p>\n

The gala presentation of the first Great Arab Minds awards was on January 8, 2024, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

Saudi surgeon, Dr. Najm, has been widely covered in international media for his life-saving procedures, which have included a novel way to revascularize an infant\u2019s heart, thereby eliminating the need for a future heart transplant; and a remarkable surgery involving the removal of a large heart tumor from a fetus still in its mother\u2019s womb. He also designed and developed a growth-compatible heart valve that can be implanted, adjusting as the child grows, avoiding the inherent risks of multiple surgical procedures. He has performed more than 10,000 complex heart surgeries on newborns, children, and adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of my country, my family, and all my colleagues \u2013 past and present \u2013 it is a tremendous honor to be recognized by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister, Ruler of Dubai, for the excellence of my professional work over several decades,\u201d Dr. Najm says. \u201cI have said many times that we work so hard for our patients\u2019 improved outcomes, not ever for our own recognition. However, it is nice to be recognized for the pioneering work that I have done, and, more importantly, I hope to be the shoulders for my colleagues to stand on to improve the field of cardiac surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

After training in Canada in general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and pediatric congenital heart surgery, Dr. Najm spent 17 years as head of heart surgery at the Heart Center of King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, where he was a pioneer in his field, constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a very successful practice in Saudi Arabia, so I was well trained and thoroughly prepared to take on my new role at Cleveland Clinic. The environment here is conducive to creativity, and this is what I have focused on over the past eight years. It has enabled me to make significant innovations and contributions,\u201d Dr. Najm says. \u201cThe Cleveland Clinic culture of teamwork is inspiring. I am always surrounded by talented people who trust each other. As a surgeon with extensive experience, I had the courage to take on challenging cases based on science, and to take calculated risks \u2013 these are a key component of my success.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2016, Dr. Najm joined Cleveland Clinic Children\u2019s as the Chair of\u00a0Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery<\/a>\u00a0and is currently a member of many national and international professional organizations, including the Gulf Heart Association, the Board of Trustees of the American College of Cardiology, and the European Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted to contribute a lasting legacy to my specialty of cardiac surgery. This passion for excellence has led me to constantly innovate to improve the care of patients. A great example is the\u00a0\u2018<\/strong>ventricular switch\u2019 \u2013 a concept I created a few years ago and which is now common practice in our field,\u201d says Dr. Najm.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, I have always believed that Cleveland Clinic \u2013 in line with its mission to treat the \u2018sickest of the sick\u2019 \u2013 would be the \u2018last stop\u2019 for patients. I have always been aware of the pressure of being a patient\u2019s last resort or last stop, so to speak,\u201d Dr. Najm adds.<\/p>\n

Source: Cleveland Clinic<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hani Najm, M.D., Cleveland Clinic Children\u2019s Chair of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, has been named the first winner of the\u00a0Great Arab Minds\u00a0award in medicine in recognition of his outstanding contributions to pediatric and adult cardiac surgery, including his innovations to surgically treat congenital heart diseases. The Great Arab Minds awards \u2013 announced by His […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3649,"template":"","class_list":["post-3843","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.devpgs.com\/gam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.devpgs.com\/gam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.devpgs.com\/gam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.devpgs.com\/gam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.devpgs.com\/gam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}