In the last Session of the 33rd Annual ARABMED Conference in Europe, held from May 27th to 28th, 2023, at the CEVAHİR HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTER in Istanbul, Turkey, under the theme "The Advance in Cancer Medicine," a total of 33 scientific and medical contributions were presented by experts from more than 10 countries (Germany, France, Austria, Ireland, Syria, Italy, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Turkey, Canada, and Ukraine). The conference had more than 100 participants across 8 sessions, including doctors and international and local professors from various fields in cancer research in Turkey.

The organizing committee and scientific members of ARABMED in Europe announced the winners of the best scientific contributions at this conference. These awards for scientific excellence were presented as part of the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the association's founding. The event included the presentation of certificates of recognition to the speakers and participants, as well as the awarding of conference medals prepared for the association's 40th anniversary.

In this context, Dr. Faidi Omar Mahmoud, the President of ARABMED in Europe, delivered a thank-you speech to the participants and members who had accepted the invitation and participated in the conference. He emphasized the strong commitment of Arab doctors abroad and presented a short film highlighting the association's activities over the past years.

He continued, "Today, on this occasion, on behalf of myself and ARABMED in Europe, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and respect to all the colleagues who have collaborated with us and contributed their knowledge and expertise over many years. We thank them for their outstanding efforts and the achievements they have made during their tenure with the Union. We appreciate their tireless dedication and continuous efforts."

Dr. Mahmoud recalled the establishment of ARABMED in Europe in the summer of 1983 in Cologne, Germany. This was the result of the vision and efforts of scientific leaders in Germany who believed that cooperation among Arab doctors in Europe could have a positive impact on the medical and scientific landscape. He especially praised Dr. Hassan Naggar, one of the founding members and the first President of ARABMED in Europe.

Over the years, the Union has organized more than 33 international scientific conferences and over 50 specialized seminars and workshops in various European and Arab capitals. More than 3000 professionals from different European and Arab countries have participated, including over 600 professors and international scientific experts. As a result, the association has gained a respected regional and international reputation and has continuously received support from Arab, regional, and international organizations. The Union is also a member of the United Nations NGO and is listed among non-governmental organizations.

Dr. Mahmoud also emphasized the Union's commitment to promoting scientific and technological research in the Arab world, fostering collaboration, and continuing efforts to attract researchers and institutions to expand the Union's influence.

Furthermore, Dr. Faidi announced the introduction of a special award for outstanding scientific research and encouraged scholars and researchers to engage in significant scientific discussions during the conference. The winners were honored with a special award and certificate signed by Dr. Ossama Al Babbili, the General Secretary of the Scientific Committee of ARABMED in Europe, and Dr. Faidi Mahmoud, the President of the Union.

First Excellence Award went to Professor Dr. med. Ayman Agha, Director of the Department of Surgery at Bogenhausen Hospital, who received the first prize. The topic of his presentation was: "Robotic distal Pancreatectomy for Pancreatic Cancer and Adrenalectomy for Adrenal Tumors."

Since March 1, 2014, Prof. Dr. Ayman Agha boss the surgical clinic of the municipal clinic Bogenhausen.in Munchen born Palestinians For many years, Agha has established, developed, developed and introduced the minimally invasive surgery in Regensburg. In the nineties, such procedures were initially focused on benigns in the nineties, medical studies at the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg in 1993, a German clinic leading in liver surgery. In 2001 he became a specialist in surgery, 2004 specialist in visceral surgery. Three surgical schools of three nationally and internationally renowned Ordinaria shaped its wide surgical spectrum, especially in tumor surgery of the entire gastrointestinal tract.

Second Excellence Award was presented to Professor Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh, Chairman of the Department of Surgery at SBH Health System, Bronx; professor of clinical urology at Weill-Cornell Medical School, and affiliate professor of medicine at CUNY School of Medicine, New York, USA, who received the second prize. The topic of his presentation was: "Health Crisis Management in Hospital Systems, Lessons Learned from COVID-19."

Prof Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh

Chairman, Department of Surgery, SBH Health System, Bronx; professor of clinical urology, Weill-Cornell Medical School, and affiliate professor of medicine at CUNY School of Medicine, New York, USA. Dr. Shabsigh received his medical degree from Damascus University Medical School and did 2 urology residencies in Germany and the USA. He completed a residency in urology and a fellowship in sexual medicine, urinary incontinence, and urologic prostheses at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA. Dr. Shabsigh is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology, and an active member of several professional societies. He is also the past president of the International Society of Men’s Health and the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Men’s Health.

Prior to joining SBH Health System 9 years ago, he worked for 16 years as a fa culty member at the department of urology of Columbia University and 6 years as director of urology at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, where he achieved remarkable growth and substantial increase in quality.

He took on his position as the chairman of the Department of Surgery at the SBH Health System, with the goals of growth and improvement. Over the past 10 years, he led the development of the department, with 16 surgical specialties, 2 residency programs. The various surgical divisions were restructured and teams were organized. Processes and systems were put in place for quality assurance, performance improvement and patient safety. Furthermore, growth and improvement were achieved in an efficient and fiscally-responsible fashion. During the COVID19 crisis, Dr. Shabsigh led the multidisciplinary critical care committee coordinating all critical care activities during the crisis. His book “Health Crisis Management in Acute Care Hospitals, Lessons Learned from COVID19 and Beyond” was published in March 2022 both in paper and as ebook by Springer Verlag.

Third Excellence Award went to Prof. Abbas Agaimy,

M.D., Professor of Pathology & Deputy Director, Institute of Pathology at Friedrich Alexander‐University Erlangen‐Nuremberg, University Hospital, Erlangen, Germany, who received the third prize. The topic of his presentation was: "Ensuring the Best for Patient Care: Emerging Roles of Multidisciplinary Tumor Boards in the Era of High-Precision Oncology."

Honors & Awards for Prof. Abbas Agaimy:

• Dr. Hans and Elisabeth Birkner Foundation's Award, Klinikum Nürnberg, 2007.
• Schönlein's Scientific Award, "Bamberger Morphologietage," Bamberg, 2009.
• Wolf & Christine Unterberg's Award for Oncological Gastroenterology, German Society for Digestive & Metabolic Diseases (DGVS), Hamburg, 2009.
• Sarcoma Research Prize, German Interdisciplinary Sarcoma Group (GISG) and Lebenshaus e. V., Berlin, 2016.
• GIST Prize 2016, Swiss GIST Group, Zurich, Nov 24, 2016.
• Nominee in The Power List 2020 – A Solid Foundation, The Pathologist.
• Among the top 2% most-cited scientists across the globe (published by Stanford University, 2021), ranking 18 among the top 50 scientists in pathology in the country.
• Regular invited speaker at several national German and international conferences on Pathology, Oncology, and Oncological Surgery, including the annual European Congress of Pathology and the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP).
• Regular Tutor of the International Academy of Pathology (IAP), German Division, on the Topics: Renal Tumor Pathology, Pathology of Hereditary Tumor Syndromes, Head & Neck Neoplasms, and Soft Tissue Tumors.

The scientific committee unanimously decided to award Prof. Dr. Günsel Shordum from Turkey, the head of the local organizing committee, with the special anniversary award of the association for her outstanding efforts in preparing this conference. She received a certificate of thanks and recognition from the association on the occasion of its 40th anniversary for her extraordinary achievements.

Consultant Cardiologist and Chief of ECP, s Treatment Unit, Memorial Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

She graduated from Istanbul University Medical Faculty in 1970, specialized in internal medicine and cardiology and became a professor in 1990.

She was elected to the board of Turkish Society of Cardiology for 12 years consecutively beginning from 1984 and took part in the organization of many scientific meetings and research.

Since 2001, she has been interested in ECP and applying it in a private hospital and also in her office. She has made visits to Pittsburgh, San Diego and Stony Brook University Hospitals in USA and Sun Yat-sen University in China, to meet Worldwide known ECP experts to discuss various aspects of this treatment.

The scientific committee unanimously agreed to honor Dr.  Adham Mansour, a specialist in aesthetic surgery from Dubai, with the special anniversary award of ARABMED for his outstanding dedication. He delivered three remarkable presentations on corrective surgery at this conference in Istanbul and demonstrated remarkable participation in the association's activities in recent years.

The First Motivation Medal was selected by the examination committee and was awarded to Dr. Sezin Canbek from Turkey during the awards ceremony. The topic of her research work was “genetic tests for breast cancer detection.”

The Second Motivation Medal was also chosen by the examination committee and was awarded to Dr. Rania Chbib from Vienna, Austria, during the awards ceremony. The topic of her research work was "Papillary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck."

The ceremony concluded with the distribution of these honors by the organizing committee, marking an important milestone in the ongoing efforts of the Union to advance medical and scientific knowledge within the Arab medical community in Europe.

In his closing remarks, the Union President addressed some themes and suggestions regarding the migration of healthcare professionals and how Arab countries can contribute in their home countries. He posed several questions for discussion and finding solutions:

• How can our healthcare professionals contribute to strengthening and reforming the healthcare system in Arab countries?
• How can they expand their role in knowledge transfer and localization, as well as in implementing programs and projects to support the healthcare sector?
• How can the role of these professionals and their organizations in the Arab-European context in healthcare matters be activated?
• How can networking and collaboration between healthcare professional organizations in their home countries and their counterparts in Arab countries, whether governmental or professional institutions, be strengthened?
• How can the roles of these professionals in European countries contribute to promoting the integration of Arab communities in effective partnership with relevant European institutions?
• What mechanisms can limit the brain drain of healthcare professionals in Arab countries? How can professionals interested in migration be directed to countries in urgent need of healthcare expertise, and how can their mobility be facilitated?
• How can ethical principles be ensured in partnerships for recruiting healthcare professionals in countries that require such expertise?
• What roles and tools are required by the Union?

These questions were raised for discussion to shed light on the role of healthcare professionals in the context of Arab-European relations and to explore opportunities for promoting healthcare and professional exchange.

In the end, everyone embarked on a cruise on a private ship to the Bosporus for a dinner party.