Leadership for professional advancement and evidence-based practice in UAE: Now more than ever.

The UAE aims to develop a world-class healthcare system. We have previously shared our views on the potential contribution of nursing to this goal, along with various challenges and opportunities (Al-Yateem et al., 2020). In this paper, we focus on the leadership needed to advance the nursing profession and nursing research agenda in the UAE. The professional development journey needed to support these ambitious plans and advance the nursing profession is an area where the UAE lags behind many other countries.