Dubai Medical University – College  of Pharmacy is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Ahmad El Ouweini, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Director of the Master of Clinical Pharmacy (M.Pharm) Program, and Chair of the DMU’s Interprofessional Education Committee at Dubai Medical University (DMU), as a member of the Research Collaboration & Impact Working Group under the Arab Network for Interprofessional Collaboration (ANIC) — a milestone that strengthens the College’s growing regional footprint in interprofessional education and collaborative practice research.

ANIC — the Arab Network for Interprofessional Collaboration — is a regional body dedicated to fostering interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) across academia and healthcare systems throughout the Arab world. The Research Collaboration & Impact Working Group serves as one of ANIC’s key sub-groups, charged with identifying priority research themes, strengthening regional research capacity, and disseminating best practices to inform policy and inspire innovation at member institutions.

The Working Group operates with three core objectives: establishing a collaborative research framework tailored to the specific IPECP needs and priorities of Arab countries; building research capacity across academic and clinical institutions through mentorship, faculty development, and joint projects; and promoting the dissemination of research findings and best practices to advance interprofessional learning at a regional and international level.As a member of the Research Collaboration & Impact Working Group, Dr. El Ouweini will contribute his expertise in clinical pharmacy practice and academic program leadership to support ANIC’s regional agenda. His work within the group will focus on identifying collaborative research opportunities, connecting academic and healthcare institutions across the Arab region, and helping build a sustainable culture of interprofessional inquiry aligned with the healthcare priorities of Arab countries.

This appointment is a natural extension of Dr. El Ouweini’s ongoing work at DMU, where he chairs the DMU’s Interprofessional Education Committee through its longitudinal IPE program developed in partnership with the DMU College of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing. His involvement at the ANIC level will further position DMU as a key contributor to regional IPECP dialogue and research.

The ANIC Research Collaboration & Impact Working Group has set an ambitious roadmap that includes establishing formal inter-institutional partnerships, publishing collaborative peer-reviewed research, building a regional database of IPECP collaborators, and hosting capacity-building workshops and webinars for faculty and researchers across the Arab world. The group also envisions a biannual ANIC conference and an annual IPECP newsletter as key vehicles for regional knowledge sharing.