Preethi Nandagopal, a Medical Intern from College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University, Ajman received the 3rd Best Paper Award for an outstanding research presentation titled “The Occupational Burden on Heart Health: Unravelling the Link Between Occupation and Cardiovascular Risk Among Adults – A Case-Control Perspective.” at the 2nd Dubai Medical Research Forum 2025 DMRF 2025, held at Grand Hyatt Dubai, 12–13 September 2025. The award reflects the scientific merit, relevance, and quality of the research.
The study makes a timely and significant contribution to public health in the UAE by highlighting the substantial role of occupational stressors alongside established medical and lifestyle risk factors in the development of cardiovascular disease. The findings underscore the need for workplace-based interventions, ergonomic improvements, and targeted health screening programs to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease within the UAE’s diverse workforce.
This research was a collaborative effort by MD students Sathyapriya Nandagopal, Afreen Abdul Rahim Sanaullah, and Shahnaz Mohamed Wazil. It was conducted under the supervision of Interventional Cardiologist of Thumbay University Hospital, Dr. Sony Manuel Mathew, Dr. Mouza Khalifa Almehraini from Dubai Health, Dr. Latifa Alsaad of Dubai Health and Dr. Jayakumary Muttappallymyalil from the Dept. of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University Ajman UAE.
