Dubai-Based Filipino Dr. Dan Lester Dabon Named Healthcare Leader of the Year at HEALTH Awards 2026

Dabon has been recognized for his contributions to healthcare leadership, quality improvement and patient safety in the UAE.

Dubai-based Filipino healthcare professional Dr. Dan Lester Dabon was named Healthcare Leader of the Year awardee at the sixth Annual HEALTH Awards 2026, held on October 28 at Grand Hyatt Dubai, recognizing his contributions to healthcare quality, patient safety and risk management.

Dabon, who serves as Corporate Manager, Patient Safety and Risk Management at Dubai Health and an International Surveyor at CARF International, was among the healthcare professionals recognized at the annual event, which honors individuals and institutions across the UAE and wider Gulf region for their contributions to healthcare services, innovation, research and leadership.

For Dabon, the recognition follows 15 years of professional experience in healthcare quality, risk management, patient safety and accreditation, during which he has worked across hospitals, fertility clinics, rehabilitation facilities, home care services and ambulatory healthcare settings in the UAE.

He dedicated the award to his family and fellow Filipinos, saying the recognition reflected the contributions of those who had supported him throughout his career.

“[This award is] for every Filipino professional who has ever been underestimated, overlooked, or confined to someone else’s perception of what we can achieve,” Dabon wrote in a social media post. “Let us continue elevating the Filipino name on the global stage. We are more than the stereotypes imposed upon us, more than the limitations others imagine for us, and far more capable than the world sometimes gives us credit for.”

“We do not belong only in the background,” he said. “We are equally capable of reaching the pinnacle of global leadership and excellence.”

His professional background includes roles at Burjeel Hospital, ART Fertility Clinics, SEHA’s Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Reem Hospital and Burjeel Holdings, with responsibilities spanning incident reporting, risk assessment, accreditation readiness and quality improvement. He earned his PhD in business management, majoring in strategic management, from Philippine Christian University in 2024, following a Master of Science in Healthcare Management from SBS Swiss Business School in 2018.

Beyond his management responsibilities, Dabon has also contributed to research examining how healthcare organizations can improve patient safety practices, particularly by encouraging healthcare professionals to report potential risks before they result in patient harm.

In 2024, he published a study in the International Journal of Research Studies in Management examining near-miss reporting among 308 healthcare professionals in the UAE, identifying fear of reprisal and limited resources among the barriers to reporting and highlighting the importance of organizational culture in encouraging employees to raise safety concerns.

Dabon was also a recipient of the Outstanding International Best Practice (6 Stars) and Pioneer in Excellence Prize at the International Best Practice Competition in 2022, and was named among the Top 100 Healthcare Leaders by the International Forum for Advancements in Healthcare in 2021. He was also included in Illustrado Magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf in 2018.

Organized by HEALTH Magazine in partnership with Thumbay Media, the Annual HEALTH Awards recognizes achievements across the healthcare sector, with the 2026 edition featuring more than 50 categories covering clinical excellence, surgical innovation, public health, healthcare education, research, patient care and institutional leadership.

Nominations were assessed through an audited evaluation framework involving Knight Frank as the official jury partner and a panel of healthcare professionals, academics and industry leaders.