UAE President’s contribution recognized at Johns Hopkins gala event

WASHINGTON, DC (4 May 2009) - The 2007 donation by HH the President of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Johns Hopkins Medicine, one of the largest educational, research and clinical health care institutions in the United States, was recognized at a gala event celebrating the impact of philanthropy on Johns Hopkins’ work. 

During the dinner event, Johns Hopkins officials unveiled and dedicated the “Founders Wall,” a plaque honoring all those with lifetime contributions totaling $7 million and above, including Sheikh Khalifa. The wall will be “a dynamic tribute to the ongoing support that helps make Johns Hopkins one of the most powerful engines for positive change on the planet,” according to Johns Hopkins.

Sheikh Khalifa’s gift to Johns Hopkins, made in 2007, was described by Johns Hopkins officials as “transformational.” Specifically, the donation will support heart research, an AIDS research program in Uganda and a billion-dollar construction project that will replace half of Hopkins Hospital by 2010.

In appreciation of Sheikh Khalifa’s gift, Johns Hopkins announced in 2007 that a tower at Hopkins Hospital will be named in honor of the UAE President’s father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The UAE General Authority for Health Services and Johns Hopkins Medicine agreed in 2006 to a 10-year partnership that included Johns Hopkins Medicine taking managerial oversight at the Tawam Hospital in Abu Dhabi.

The gala dinner event, held earlier this month, was attended by officials from the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, as well as by senior executives and board members from Johns Hopkins Medicine and Johns Hopkins University.