Arabic medical terms project gains global attention

A remarkable translational project from the Doctorate in Health Informatics Program at McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston is making an international impact.

Recent graduate, Aiman Alrawabdeh, DHI, played a pivotal role in the historic release of the first-ever Arabic variant of Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC), a global standard for identifying medical laboratory observations.

In partnership with Medlabs Consultancy Group and key collaborators in Jordan, Alrawabdeh helped publish the initial Arabic release of LOINC for his culminating project, which now includes 260 laboratory terms officially translated into Arabic. These translations cover both professional clinician-facing and consumer-level terminology, making the resource a foundational advancement for health care accessibility across Arabic-speaking populations.

“This marks the first effort ever for official Arabic standardized medical terminologies,” Alrawabdeh shared. “It’s a step toward greater inclusivity and interoperability in global health informatics. I’m deeply thankful for the support and guidance I received throughout this project.”

Alrawabdeh’s work has been praised by faculty at McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, including Jiajie Zhang, PhD, dean and professor, The Glassell Family Foundation Distinguished Chair in Informatics Excellence; the Doctorate in Health Informatics committee, who provided support throughout the implementation of Alrawabdeh’s translational project; Robert Murphy, MD, associate dean for applied informatics and associate professor; Dean Sittig, PhD, professor emeritus; and Susan Fenton, PhD, vice dean for education and Dr. Doris L. Ross Professor.

“We are proud to see the mission of translational informatics in action,” Fenton said. “Aiman’s project exemplifies how data standards and cultural relevance can come together to empower patients and improve care internationally.”

The effort doesn’t stop here. A second batch of Arabic LOINC terms is planned for release in February 2026, expanding the project’s scope and further cementing Arabic as a language of clinical interoperability.

This milestone is not only a major achievement for Alrawabdeh and his partners, the Medlabs Consultancy Group, but also a significant contribution to global health equity. UTHealth Houston continues to prepare its students to lead these transformative efforts.

To read the abstract on the school’s website, visit Alrawabdeh’s abstract 

For more details, visit Arabic LOINC release.