Dr Adil Shubbar, the longest-serving consultant paediatrician and neonatologist at Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi, died on October 14. He was 78.
Born in Iraq in 1945, Dr Shubbar left the country at 17 and would never live there again.
He travelled to the UK to complete his studies, finishing a residency programme at St Andrew's Hospital.
He trained under Dr Michael Phelps Ward, the famed English expedition doctor who climbed Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953.
Dr Shubbar joined the staff at Corniche Hospital in 1980, rising through the ranks to become chief of neonatal service. He also became director of the Arab Board of Training for Neonatology.
Throughout a 42-year career at the hospital, he treated thousands of newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit. Many of his patients were born prematurely.
Dr Shubbar's passion for his job and his deeply ingrained duty of care for his young patients shone through in welcome speeches given during the hospital's annual patient-carer reunions.
During a celebration in 2009, he told those in attendance that he and his staff “are constantly trying to help them [their patients] survive, and survive intact”.
He taught as a professor at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City’s paediatric residency programme, helping to train young Emirati doctors in the field of paediatrics.
He was committed to continuing to improve paediatric medicine in the UAE and helped to develop the neonatal-perinatal fellowship programme with Johns Hopkins Medicine in Abu Dhabi.
Dr Shubbar was a member of several medical groups, including the Perinatal Society UAE, Neonatal Society UAE, the Union of European Neonatal and Perinatal Societies and the American Academy of Pediatrics and Neonatal Society.
In 2010, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company recognised his 25 years of services at Corniche Hospital.
Dr Shubbar was also a fan of classical music, literature and poetry.
He will be remembered as a founding pillar of the UAE medical community who served generations of citizens and residents.
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Creator: Lauren LeFranc
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Fringe@Four Line-up
October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)
October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)
November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)
November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)
November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)
November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)
November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)
December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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