This year is shaping up to be quite a doozy! Transformational change is happening everywhere—some of it natural, some of it seemingly forced, and much of it downright head-scratching. On a recent business trip to Saudi Arabia, I witnessed firsthand the massive scale of transformation taking place there and I can enthusiastically report the following: the Kingdom is changing at an astonishing pace, and for the better. The skyline of Riyadh has transformed into a construction zone with skyscrapers emerging alongside extensive infrastructure improvements that reshape the entire city. The change extends beyond new construction projects to encompass cultural and societal norms as well. The sheer magnitude of development is awe-inspiring.

The cultural shifts in particular left me astonished. Women now are quite visible in the community and clearly have access to greater freedoms and opportunities, while top athletes, including soccer stars and golf champions, are achieving unprecedented visibility. Concerts alongside prestigious events like the Joy Awards, which serve as the Middle East’s equivalent to the Oscars, now attract well-known Hollywood celebrities. The Kingdom clearly intends to establish itself as a destination for global sports, entertainment and the arts.

The dynamism is most striking in Riyadh and Jeddah, and the Eastern Province is evolving as well. The atmosphere is charged with excitement, most definitely including the healthcare space where Saudi Arabia already boasts a strong workforce of doctors, nurses and other professionals. The Kingdom also has many superb universities and institutions—King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center is the crown jewel of the system—a modern, cutting-edge academic medical center of the highest caliber.

Until relatively recently, Saudi healthcare and its providers have been inwardly focused and often isolated from much of the world. Fortunately, the Kingdom’s elite leadership knows that providing the population with quality healthcare will depend in great measure on the free and open exchange of information, knowledge and technology. As we speak, medical professionals throughout the country are working to strengthen their relationships with colleagues and institutions in the United States and Europe. The opportunities for collaboration are abundant.

Mindful that societal transformation is never problem-free and rapid progress can destabilize day-to-day life, the Kingdom has made sustainability a key dimension of its plans. Human capital is at the center of their vision for the future, with significant initiatives to enhance education, increase youth employment and expand women’s participation in key professions.

As a former “Aramco Brat,” this is all mind-blowing for me. My father was an oil executive who was recruited to Saudi Arabia in 1979, so I spent a good portion of my childhood in the American compound in Dhahran. Back then, no one imagined that the Kingdom would become what it is today—and I certainly had no inkling that, many years later, life would come full circle and I would be at Johns Hopkins helping pioneer a groundbreaking joint venture with Saudi Aramco, which is still active and its health system is now Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare.

Cedars-Sinai’s history with the Kingdom dates back 30 years, when some of the first clients in our international program were Saudi Arabian diplomats visiting Los Angeles on state business. However, our official contacts in Riyadh were limited; like most of the West, we viewed the Kingdom as a closed society. Then, in recent years, it began opening up.

Today, Cedars-Sinai International looks forward to continuing to deepen our ties with our Saudi colleagues. We are working closely with the Ministry of Health and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties to improve patient care, support medical professionals and share knowledge. Meanwhile, U.S. giants such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and IBM are driving advancements in AI, big data and cybersecurity—all of which are increasingly essential in modernizing healthcare systems. This paves the way for integrated health platforms, telemedicine solutions and precision medicine tailored to Saudi Arabia’s evolving societal needs.

The Kingdom is poised to substantially elevate the health and wellbeing of its people. The Health Sector Transformation Program aims to place Saudi Arabia among the top 20 healthcare systems globally. If the monarchy continues to aggressively prioritize new international collaborations and increase its investment in research and development, new devices and drugs and innovative processes, the country will most certainly achieve its ultimate goal of becoming a beacon for peace, health and prosperity in the region.

On my return flight to America I reflected on my time in Riyadh, and I was struck yet again by the intrinsic beauty of global healthcare: Ultimately, bringing health and wellbeing to our patients always comes down to goodwill, shared commitment and cooperation. I’m grateful for my colleagues in Saudi Arabia and the impact we’ll make together.