Al Riyami was bestowed with the award as a result of her participation in presenting a research at the Advanced Laryngeal and Vocal Cord Surgery Conference in London titled ‘Nasal Esophageal Endoscopy’. The study of the presented research was conducted on a sample of 490 patients who underwent endoscopic examination of the esophagus at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle in UK, she added.

Al Riyami is the first surgeon in the Middle East to receive the David Howard Prize, which is presented annually by the British Laryngological Society for outstanding research presented at the annual conference for vocal cord and laryngeal surgery.

Dr. Shaden is the first female doctor to have a subspecialty degree in advanced vocal cord surgery and its diseases in the Sultanate of Oman. Al Riyami has also won many medical achievements. She performed the first of its kind successful operation to treat vocal cord atrophy in the Sultanate in 2021.