Hani Najm, MD, Cleveland Clinic Children's chair of pediatric and congenital heart surgery, was named the first winner of the Great Arab Minds award in medicine.
The awards — announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president of the United Arab Emirates, prime minister and ruler of Dubai — recognize accomplishments in six categories: engineering and technology, medicine, economics, architecture and design, natural sciences and literature and arts. The presentation of the first awards took place Jan. 8 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, according to a Jan. 15 Cleveland Clinic news release.
Dr. Najm was recognized for his contributions to pediatric and adult cardiac surgery, including innovations in treating congenital heart diseases, surgery involving the removal of a large heart tumor from a fetus still in its mother's womb, and revascularizing an infant's heart. He has performed more than 10,000 heart surgeries on newborns, children and adults.