Students from the College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University (GMU) won First Prize at the 11th International Congress of Medical Excellence in Dermatology & Aesthetic Medicine (MEIDAM 2026), held from 24–26 September 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Center, UAE.
The award-winning research, titled “Unmasking Psoriasis: Epidemiological Profile, Clinical Predictors and Risk Factors: A Case-Control Study,” was conducted by Afreen Abdul Rahim Sanaullah, Sathyapriya Nandagopal, Shahnaz Mohamed Wazil, and Riya Inder Sevhani from the MD program, together with Vivek Vasudevan and Abubakker Siddiq Mohamed Hameed from the HDPCS program. The study was supervised by Dr. Vijay Krishna, Dr. Latifa Nabeel Alsaad, Prof. Jayadevan Sreedharan, and Dr. Jayakumary Muttappallymyalil.
The case-control study investigated demographic, clinical, and potential risk factors associated with psoriasis among 402 adults, including 103 psoriasis cases and 299 controls. The findings identified older age, male gender, previous infections, atopic dermatitis, and skin trauma-related surgeries as independent factors associated with psoriasis, adding valuable region-specific epidemiological evidence from the UAE.
The recognition highlights the College of Medicine’s commitment to student research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based healthcare, while providing students with opportunities to present their work on an international scientific platform. It also reflects the students’ dedication to research excellence, teamwork, and scientific communication.
Prof. Salman Yousuf Guraya, Dean of the College of Medicine, congratulated the students and their supervisors on this remarkable achievement, commending the entire team for their dedication, collaborative effort, and commitment to research excellence.
Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being; SDG 4: Quality Education
