Abu Dhabi to host ‘Alzheimer’s Disease Continuum’ event on September 19
An evening meeting on 19 September 2026 will bring patients, caregivers, clinicians and health authorities together with international experts to strengthen diagnosis, care pathways and system readiness across the UAE and the Gulf.
Abu Dhabi will host the Alzheimer’s Disease Continuum evening on 19 September 2026, held alongside the 6th Abu Dhabi Brain Conference. Organised by Eli Lilly and Company in partnership with the Emirates Neurology Society (EMINS), the session will convene representatives from the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), SEHA, Dubai Health Authority and PureHealth, together with Alzheimer’s Disease International, Forget Me Not UAE and clinical leaders from across the Gulf.
Focus and format
The evening is designed to connect international expertise with local experience and regional health priorities. Its purpose is to move Alzheimer’s disease from a largely private concern into a public-health dialogue and to shift the emphasis from awareness to practical system readiness: clearer pathways spanning early detection, diagnosis, treatment and sustained support.
The meeting is structured around three connected conversations that mirror the Alzheimer’s journey. The first brings patients, caregivers and clinicians together to define families’ immediate needs. The second aligns regional and international health leaders on priorities for early detection, diagnosis and care. The third seeks to translate capability into coordinated pathways, with health authorities and Centres of Excellence plotting how services can be joined up for patients and families.
Aiming for health-system readiness
Speakers will address how primary care can better recognise warning signs and refer patients through clearer routes to specialist assessment. Equally central is the need to join assessment, diagnosis, treatment and long-term care into a single continuum with patients and caregivers at its heart.
Prof. Suhail Al Rukn, President of EMINS, said: “The stakes are high, meaning that the gap between a family’s first concern and a confirmed diagnosis is where Alzheimer’s care in the region is won or lost. Progress requires a connected continuum, from early recognition to specialist diagnosis and sustained support for families. Detection is now within closer reach than ever, and our challenge is ensuring health systems across the region are ready to turn that progress into timely diagnosis and lasting support.”
Tayllit Aherdan, Vice President & General Manager, Lilly Gulf (UAE, Kuwait and Qatar), added: “Alzheimer’s disease should not be a journey families navigate alone or in silence. By bringing together patients, caregivers and health leaders, we want to highlight a clearer path from concern to screening, early detection, diagnosis and support.”
Expected outcomes
The session will produce practical recommendations to normalise conversations about cognitive health, sharpen recognition of warning signs and strengthen primary-care capacity to refer. By convening stakeholders across the Alzheimer’s ecosystem, organisers aim to build a foundation for collaboration: open public conversation, clearer policy priorities and navigable care pathways for patients and families in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the wider Gulf.