ABU DHABI, 21st October, 2026 (WAM) — The Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) is expanding access to practical artificial intelligence (AI) education for health professionals worldwide by opening applications to “AI for All – GLIDE Edition”, an online learning programme aimed at giving health professionals the fundamentals they need to understand AI, assess its potential and limitations, and use emerging tools responsibly.
The first cohort will commence on 16th November, with the course scheduled to end by 16th December 2026.
The online learning programme was developed by the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), with selected content tailored in collaboration with GLIDE to incorporate global health and disease elimination perspectives and use cases, without requiring a technical background or coding experience.
Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Chief Executive Officer of GLIDE, said that the rapid adoption of AI means that health professionals increasingly need the skills to engage critically and confidently with the technology.
“AI is becoming part of the way we collect information, analyse data and make decisions, but many of the people who will use these tools have never had the opportunity to learn how they work or how to assess them,” said Dr. Al Hosani.
“By offering the course online, we aim to help bridge this gap and reach a wider range of communities, including underserved populations who may otherwise lack access to this kind of training. We want all health professionals to understand not only what AI can do, but also where its limitations lie, what questions they should be asking and how it can be used to strengthen the work they are already doing,” she added.
Dr. Al Hosani underscored the importance of ensuring that advances in AI translate into practical benefits for health systems and disease-elimination programmes, particularly in settings where resources, data and technical capacity may be constrained.
She added, “The people responsible for health systems understand their own communities, the data available to them and the realities in which decisions have to be made. Technology should support their judgement, not replace it.”
She stressed that building that knowledge and confidence at country level is fundamental if AI is to contribute to more equitable and sustainable health outcomes.
Spring Fu, Managing Director of the Academy at MBZUAI, said, “At MBZUAI, we are advancing AI research across health and the life sciences. We created AI for All – GLIDE Edition to make AI knowledge accessible beyond technical disciplines. Through our collaboration with GLIDE, we are building on that foundation to equip health professionals with the confidence to identify where AI can add value, and make informed decisions about its use in the communities they serve.”
The programme consists of four modules that take participants from the fundamentals of AI to an understanding of how AI systems work and how generative AI can be used effectively in professional settings. The programme also addresses the issues that determine whether AI can be trusted and used responsibly, including bias, privacy, accountability and human oversight.
GLIDE’s wider AI strategy is closely connected to the challenges involved in eliminating infectious diseases. As diseases move closer to elimination, remaining cases can become increasingly difficult to find, often occurring in locations where surveillance data, laboratory capacity and connectivity are weakest.
GLIDE sees potential for AI to support areas such as disease surveillance, forecasting and the identification of patterns that may otherwise be difficult to detect, while maintaining a strong emphasis on country ownership and human decision-making.
Source: Emirates News Agency