Kellogg Alumna Dr Ranin Soliman leads an International Academic Collaboration to Strengthen Evidence-Based Healthcare in Egypt
In a major new transformative step led by Kellogg alumna, Dr Ranin Soliman, an academic collaboration was recently established between the University of Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-based Medicine (CEBM) and New Giza University Hospital (NGUH) in Egypt by signing a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Oxford Egypt Evidence-Based Healthcare Alliance which aims to strengthen and advance evidence-based healthcare education, research and practice in Egypt.
Dr Ranin Soliman completed her DPhil in Evidence-Based Health Care (EBHC) in 2023 from the Centre for Evidence-based Medicine at the University of Oxford and has been a driving force behind the establishment of the Oxford–Egypt Evidence-Based Healthcare Alliance. The Alliance brings together Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) and a network of Egyptian researchers and academics, with the shared goal of advancing healthcare decision-making in Egypt through high-quality trusted research evidence. The Oxford CEBM is supporting this initiative with the ultimate goal of establishing a centre of excellence for Evidence-Based Healthcare in Egypt as part of the Alliance’s vision to transform the healthcare landscape in Egypt and the broader Middle East and Africa region.
With a population of over 110 million and ambitious national reforms in the healthcare system under way, Egypt shows great potential to address the urgent priorities of delivering universal health coverage based on high-quality research evidence in policy and practice.
Ranin explains,
“This academic collaboration is about bringing life to a new culture of evidence-based healthcare – one that’s driven by trusted research evidence in a transparent manner following the highest standards of academic integrity for the greater good – to improve population health outcomes across Egypt and the broader Middle East and Africa region.”
Ranin first proposed the idea in 2022 while attending a course on Teaching Evidence-Based Practice at Oxford with Dr David Nunan, director of MSc in EBHC Teaching & Education at CEBM, who greatly supported Ranin in her endeavours to create the Oxford–Egypt EBHC Alliance. Two years of collaboration followed, culminating in the official launch of the Alliance in September 2024 through a lecture event in Oxford.
“Creating the Oxford–Egypt EBHC Alliance through this academic collaboration is a dream coming true. I am hugely grateful to [Kellogg Fellows] Dr David Nunan for his exceptional and passionate support to make this happen, and to Professor Carl Heneghan – Director of CEBM, my DPhil supervisor and mentor who believed in my capabilities to make a positive impact in the healthcare landscape in Egypt upon completion of my DPhil,” said Ranin. “From Egypt, I would like to truly thank Dr Tarek Moharram, CEO of Elevate Healthcare, for supporting the educational and capacity building activities of the Alliance and the hosting of the Alliance office at NGUH”, continued Ranin.
As agreed in the academic collaboration, the Oxford CEBM and New Giza University Hospital in Egypt will work together to carry out the following activities through the Oxford–Egypt EBHC Alliance:
- Supporting the development of EBHC leadership and capacity building in Egypt
- Collaborating on training and education for researchers, clinicians, and students in EBHC
- Jointly developing tools, methods, and resources to support evidence synthesis and practice in local contexts
- Conducting and disseminating high-quality research in priority health areas, with potential to inform policy and practice
- Exploring opportunities for postgraduate programmes, workshops, and academic exchange
- Promoting awareness and adoption of EBHC among clinicians, decision-makers, and the public.
Ranin explains:
“This academic collaboration between New Giza University Hospital in Egypt and the University of Oxford is the first of its kind in the Middle East and Africa region – it’s about building a sustainable future and a research-driven healthcare ecosystem, guided by trusted and transparent evidence, for Egypt and the region.”
Ranin is currently the Director of Research and Evidence-based Healthcare at New Giza University Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Evidence-Based Healthcare Practice at the University of Herefordshire in Egypt. She served as a regional consultant for Evidence and Data to Policy at the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO EMRO). She is also the Head of the Health Economics and Value Unit at the Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt – 57357.
Ranin’s achievements stand as an inspiring and leading example of the impact Kellogg alumni are making around the world – turning passion into action, and academic research into practical change.