board members, PARTNERS and ADVISORS

Dr Alain Sabri is a medical professional and healthcare leader with 25 years of experience as an Otolaryngologist-Head & Neck Surgeon and Facial Reconstructive Surgeon. He has gained a versatile healthcare management experience in a variety of geographical areas worldwide. He has held several leadership positions including chairing five departments, serving as associate chief of staff, medical director of human resources and Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs & recruitment at leading international medical schools and medical centers and CMO of an international organization. He has established multiple programs, departments, as well as multidisciplinary teams/centers of excellence and was involved in two major international projects with the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic in the GCC region along with his clinical and academic activities as an educator-researcher. He has driven team building, the successful development of programs and practices as well as instituting impactful changes that resulted in improvement in the quality of clinical healthcare delivery in addition to educational excellence and financial turnaround.

He has lectured extensively worldwide, has organized & chaired many scientific meetings. He is active in research, both basic science and clinical, and has published widely on head and neck surgery. He recently published a  medical textbook on the challenges of global sleep disorders management.  He serves on the editorial board of many scientific journals. He has also lectured and conducted research on physician burnout,  healthcare professional wellness and leadership.

He was granted the title of professor from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Medicine and many leading medical schools in the middle east where he has practiced and taught. At the Mayo Clinic, USA where he practiced as a faculty surgeon, he received the Teacher of The Year Award. He also was presented with the inaugural ‘outstanding physician-educator of the year award’ at SSMC-Mayo Clinic in the UAE.  He received the ‘honor award’ from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

Dr Sabri is American board certified in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.  He was also awarded the American Board certification in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2004. His medical educational journey included surgical training, sub-specialization in head and neck oncologic and reconstructive surgery as well as neurotology-skull base surgery at Georgetown, Case Western/University Hospital of Cleveland and Vanderbilt University Medical Centers. He has also completed a master’s degree in health and hospital management from ESA (Ecole Superieure des Affaires-affiliated with ESCP France) business school as well as pursuing further Healthcare Leadership course at INSEAD. 

In parallel to the above, he was involved in multiple medical humanitarian missions in South America and the Middle East. He serves on educational institutional boards as well as a cancer charity fund (RAHMA) in the MENA region where he also oversaw the establishment of medical dispensaries that care for the less fortunate. He is fluent in many languages including Arabic, French and English.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Establishing centers of excellence and multidisciplinary teams (cancer, other specific MDT’s)

Leadership guidance, organizational structure and culture

Medical student, resident and fellow educational programs, ACGME-I and other accreditations

Educational curriculum establishment, CPD-CME

Patient satisfaction, experience

Employee engagement, avoiding burnout, building a solid cohesive institutional culture

Strategic planning, competitive benchmarking, regional practice analysis

Creating a blue ocean strategy for new and established centers and clinics

Loco-regional, international affiliations

Setting up departments, institutes and integrated patient units

Reputation assessment and management

Establishing preventive and functional medicine institutes with our partners Health Quest Global

Humanitarian initiatives

Dr. Al Ahbabi boasts a distinguished career spanning defense, telecommunications, space, and academia in the UAE. Rising to the rank of major in the military. Dr. Al Ahbabi is a distinguished figure in the field of space in particular. He is the visionary founder and former Director General of the UAE Space Agency, serving in this pivotal role from 2014 to 2021. Under his leadership, the UAE Space Agency achieved remarkable milestones, marking the nation's foray into space exploration and educational initiatives notably with the UAE Mars Mission. 

Dr. Al Ahbabi's strategic vision extended beyond space exploration. He played a pivotal role in establishing and shaping key entities within the UAE, including the Defense Center of Excellence COE, the National Space Science and Technology Center NSSTC at UAE University, the Space Technology & Innovation Center at Khalifa University, and the Space Science Center at NYU Abu Dhabi. Internationally, Dr. Al Ahbabi's influence extends to the establishment of the Arab Space Cooperation Group. His dedication to space education includes advisory roles at the International Space University and membership in space cetners affiliated to the United Nations. He served as the Vice President in the International Astronautical Federation IAF in 2018 and received the honor of Ambassador for IAF in 2021. Currently, as a senior strategic advisor in Space, Defense, and ICT, he contributes to various boards in government and the private sector. 

Dr. Al Ahbabi's qualifications include a Ph.D. in Communications Engineering, a Master's degree in Optical Communications Engineering, and a Bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering, show casing his commitment to lifelong learning and excellence. During his doctoral studies, Dr. Al Ahbabi exhibited his commitment to advancing knowledge by authoring and presenting approximately 20 scientific papers, showcasing his research acumen. He is also an active member in UAE scholars within Emirates Strategic Study Center.

His experience in buidling significant programs, knowledge of the region and wisdom make him a valuable member of our leadership team.

Kerry D. Olsen, M.D., is a world-renowned healthcare leader with a surgical career of 40 years at the Mayo Clinic. He is also the Joseph I. and Barbara Ashkins named professor of surgery, as well as the past chair of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology at Mayo Clinic and former medical director for ten years of the Mayo Clinic Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center. He is an emeritus member of Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees having served for sixteen years. He is former president of Mayo Clinic staff. Dr. Olsen oversaw for fifteen years the construction and planning of numerous major facility projects at Mayo Clinic including the Gonda project, the largest construction project in Mayo Clinic history, and the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center. He is the author of the Mayo Clinic Model of Care.

Dr. Olsen received a B.A. degree in economics from Northwestern University and the M.D. degree from the first graduating class of Mayo Medical School. He completed an internship in general surgery and a residency in otolaryngology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and facial plastic surgery training at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He holds the academic rank of Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery in the Mayo College of Medicine.

He has been named Teacher of the Year multiple times and is in the Mayo Fellows Association Teaching Hall of Fame. He has also been recognized as a Distinguished Mayo Clinician. He has lectured all around the globe on Head and Neck Oncology, Wellness, and Mayo Clinic Culture and Leadership.

His publications number over 250 and he has championed surgical approaches for the removal of head and neck tumors that are commonly used today. He is widely recognized for his surgical practice, which was devoted exclusively to head and neck surgery and was one of the largest head and neck surgical practices in the country. Working with the Mayo Clinic Entrepreneurship Program he is active as President of 12 for Health L.L.C.

Dr. Olsen has a career long interest in mentoring, advising, and coaching colleagues, Department and Division Chairs, and many Administrative partners. He currently is coaching several members of the Mayo Clinic staff and enjoys helping and sharing his training as a coach and prior leadership experience in his many roles at Mayo Clinic.

His greatest source of satisfaction is his family, a wonderful wife, four married children, and twelve grandchildren. Dr. Olsen is often found enjoying outdoor activities at his second home in Hood River, Oregon, exercising regularly, or traveling on adventurous outdoor trips around the globe.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Establishment of culture and mission in a health care organization

Assisting in a disruptive, adaptable architectural design

Leadership review and training

Assessment of  new facility design or remodeling for efficiency of patients and staff

Finding a patient focused medical practice

Building a healthy living program for staff and patients

Setting up a Healthcare organizational  and governance structure for success

Key steps in finding and preserving physician satisfaction

Practice adjacencies and collaborations for optimal outcomes and value

Lessons from a 40 year  career at  Mayo Clinic as a surgeon and physician leader

Strategic planning and effective implementation for results

Identifying the root causes of employee dissatisfaction and burn-out with needed factors for correction

Governance in healthcare and establishing of an effective board structure

Team building that is effective for quality, safety and efficiency

Running meetings and retreats for desired outcomes and staff engagement in a busy medical practice

Dr Zein is the Chief of Hepatology and the inaugural endowed holder of the Mikati

Foundation Chair in Liver Diseases at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He has received

multiple awards, including the American Liver Foundation Scholar Award, the Cleveland

Clinic Innovator Award and the Distinguished Faculty Award for Research Mentorship. He

has been recognized and honored for his leadership and community service by the Ana G.

Mendez University of Puerto Rico as the recipient of Presidential Medal in 2011. He was

elected to the Board of Governors of the Cleveland Clinic in 2015. He has also served as the

Chief of Staff of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Dr Zein’s expertise is in the field of Gastroenterology and hepatology. His research is

directed towards improving liver health and treatment outcome in patients with the

Hepatitis C virus before and after liver transplantation.  He has authored over 200

publications, and has been the Principal Investigator of several large clinical trials. He

holds several patents and established a research group at Cleveland Clinic focused on 3D

printing of solid organs.

Dr. Zein is also deeply involved in the education of medical-graduate students, residents

and fellows.  He has been recognized by the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

Teacher of the Year, a distinction that is a testament to his passion for education and

mentorship of young physicians.

Dr Zein has served as the Editor of “The Year in Gastroenterology and Hepatology”

associate editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, Special Section Editor of

“Liver Transplantation” and an editorial board member

of Hepatology and Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Dr. Zein brings invaluable contributions to healthcare through a wealth for experience in

education, clinical care, administration innovation and research.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Advanced technology: AR, VR, 3-D printing

Global medicine, International medicine, 

Network building with industry, insurance, research institutes, governmental entities

Research, IRB, Patent development

Organizational systems implementation

Education

Disruptive technology

Fundraising strategies

Use of AI in hospital processes, education and clinical care

Genomics research

Tissue regeneration program development

Tele-health, remote medicine technology

Transplant programs

Nadim Cortas MD, Emeritus Dean and Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the American University of Beirut (AUB) is internationally renown leader in academic medicine, medical administration and education. He is actively involved in consulting on issues of education, health care administration, and strategic planning for many institutions across the Middle East.

As Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). 1999-2009, Dr. Cortas participated actively in all the senior University-wide committees. He led the Medical Institutions (MI) and was responsible to build and manage its budget amounting to $100-120 million per year. He realized major restructuring and transformations, both academically and financially at the Faculty of Medicine, the school of Nursing (SoN) and the Medical Center. He changed the landscape of Medical Practice by introducing a Medical Practice Plan (MPP) that fueled the recruitment of 110 highly credentialed faculty members in Medicine and 10 in Nursing which increased significantly patient loads and encouraged establishment of multidisciplinary programs. The MPP provided funds for research, resulting in a 4-fold increase in research output, both in quality and quantity, which led to a five-fold increase in receipt of competitive external funding. He introduced a system for effort analysis and evaluation which provided standards for recruitment and promotion and established an ongoing Performance Improvement process. He led the process that achieved the following accreditations: Joint Commission International (JCI), the Magnet designation, College of American Pathologists (CAP), Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (USA) accreditations for the FM and SoN and for the latter, accreditation by the Committee on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. He forged Partnerships with the St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis, The Cleveland Clinic, MD Anderson, Sloane-Kettering and Johns Hopkins University and established exchange programs with many prominent academic centers abroad. A joint AUB and MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) MD/PhD program is successfully ongoing. He presented to the Board of Trustees in 2009, a detailed Strategic Plan for the Faculty of Medicine, School of Nursing, and the Medical Center, with 5, 10 and 20-year horizon and landmarks. At AUB, as Associate Dean of Research, he established multidisciplinary Core Research Facilities in the Basic Medical Sciences, described in the 1999 Report of the Academic Review Team that included a Nobel Prize Laureate, as “State of the Art”, and established its infrastructure. He Chaired the Inter-Faculty Committee and Coordinated the pan-university Graduate Environmental Sciences program (1994-2000). He established the Environment core research analytical chemistry facility.

He has served as an advisor & consultant to the President of the St. George University of Beirut (SGUB) and the St George University Medical Center (SGHUMC) for strategic planning,

implementation of a medical practice plan and establishing a partnership with Mayo Clinic (USA).

From 2009-2019. After his appointment from 1984-1994 at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York City, initially as Visiting Associate Professor of Biochemistry and then as Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, he pursued his research career and established a distinguished research record in Biochemistry and Pharmacology. He received the  Ludwig Schafer Award (1984-85). From 1990 to 1994, he also served as Director of the parenteral Nutrition Service at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. He actively participated in basic and clinical teaching.

Dr. Cortas received his MD degree from the American University of Beirut. He completed residency training in Internal Medicine at AUB, and three years of postdoctoral fellowship in Pharmacology and Endocrinology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore MD (USA). He then joined the FM at AUB and rose to the rank of Professor.

Dr. Cortas is very active in his community and has chaired and served on the Governing Boards of two of the well-known not-for-profit K-12 schools in Lebanon, Ahliah and Brummana High School.

He currently, chairs the Ahliah Board of Trustees and has effected a major restructure resulting in NEASC and CIS accreditation. He served on committees of the Ministry of Health, Republic of Lebanon, and as a World Health Organization (WHO) consultant. He chairs the BOD of the Cortas Canning and Refrigeration Company, Lebanon.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Healthcare employees and physician compensation plans

Establishing programs, cancer centers, other institutes and centers of excellence

Accreditations, JCI and others

Research

Restructuring

Srategic planning

Dr Joseph G. Jabbra served as the Lebanese American University (LAU) president between 2004-2020. Armed with his impressive leadership and unequalled energy, he has launched the university on the path of institutional and academic renaissance, supported by strong internal human and financial resources. Strengthened by outside gifts and support, these have enabled LAU to develop and implement three vigorous five-year strategic plans. These plans have encompassed opening new schools and developing new programs while sustaining existing ones; attracting new professors while empowering current faculty; putting in place an ambitious capital plan; implementing three LAU’s comprehensive Campaigns for Excellence entitled “The Legacy and the Promise,” fulfilling the Promesse,” and LAU Dares. It has also meant preparing the university to meet the highest academic standards in order to achieve accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC, now NECHE)). Dr. Jabbra has added substantially to the Byblos campus and under his tenure hundreds of millions of dollars were raised to construct new buildings, renovate old ones, strengthen existing academic programs and establish new needed ones on both the Byblos and Beirut campuses. He has also established the LAU School of Medicine, the LAU Nursing Schools, purchased The LAU Medical Center in Beirut, in addition to a multitude of other impressive achievements across the University and community.

Prior to his role at LAU, Dr. Jabbra served as Academic Vice President at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles, California, from 1990 to 2004. He had earlier served as Vice President, Academic and Research, at St. Mary’s University (SMU) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, from 1970 to 1990.

During his tenure at LMU and SMU, Dr. Jabbra gained profound experience in academic administration. He served on and chaired over 100 academic committees and boards, ranging from academic senates to boards of trustees. At both universities, Dr. Jabbra was fully engaged in strategic planning and fundraising.

In Canada, he played a major role in the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC), which accredits university and college programs in the three Canadian Maritime Provinces. In the United States, he was very active in the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a leading U.S. accrediting commission. He always participated vigorously in the revision of accreditation standards and served on accreditation visits for many institutions. He also was active in the accreditation of American law schools for the American Bar Association (ABA).

Dr. Jabbra earned his law degree at the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

He is the author, co-author, and co-editor of 12 books. The latest, Public Administration in Transition, published in London, England, and recently completed his biography which was published by Hachette-Antoine.  He has also published over 33 articles and chapters in books and scholarly journals, over 26 book reviews in both English and French, and scores of scholarly papers and keynote addresses given at learned societies’ meetings and professional gatherings.

He brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to Avicenna Healthcare Consultancy Group as an Advisory Board Member.  

Dr. Kinda Khalaf is currently the Associate Dean of the College of Medicine and Health

Sciences at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, where for the last

10 years she served as founding Interim chair and associate Chair and accreditation leader of

the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Prior to joining KU, she held faculty

appointments in Engineering and Medicine at the University of Miami (Florida, USA), the

American University of Beirut (Lebanon), where she held the first joint appointment between

the faculties of Engineering and Medicine, and the American University of Sharjah (UAE).

Dr Khalaf is a US National Merit Scholar and is on the list of International Who is Who of

Professionals since 2012. She has been awarded the prestigious LAMME Scholarship, the

Woman of Engineering Award for outstanding Academic Achievement, the Presidential

Fellowship Award, the University of Miami College of Engineering Teaching Award, and the

Khalifa University Faculty Excellence award.

Dr. Khalaf is currently the director of the Gait Lab and the Rehabilitation Lab at KU. Her

research focus spans neuromusculoskeletal biomechanics and control, computational

biomechanics, biorobotics, and innovation in biomedical wearables, sensors, and devices.

Her research record is reflected in over 200 publications in high impact journals, conference

proceedings and book chapters, patents, multiple national and international research grants,

multidisciplinary keynote speeches and lectures, in addition to the regular organization and

chairmanship of local and international conferences.

An advocate of innovation in engineering and medical education, she has co-established an

interdisciplinary education research group focusing on implementing curricular innovative

pedagogies and the design of quantitative assessment instruments and employability skills in

engineering and medical programs. She serves on the Board of Trustees for Emirates College

of Technology since 2021, Siemens Healthineers Innovation Think Tank since 2020 and is on

the review board of the Abu Dhabi Council for Education (ADEK) Programs since 2019.

In 2021, Dr. Khalaf co-founded a startup company AL MASHYAH for smart sensor-based and

markerless gait and motion assessment platforms (www.mashyah.com). Since then, the

company was awarded the Khalifa Innovation Center (KIC) Award, the Mohamad Bin

Rashid AL Maktoum Innovation Award, and the MENA Silicon Valley Award in 2022 and

2023, respectively.

Dr Khalaf has served as founder and chairperson of the UAE branch of the Engineering in

Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE, EMBS), and is a founding member of the IEEE

education chapter in the UAE (IEEE EDUCON). She is a member of the American Society

of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Society of Biomechanics (ASB), American

Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), Tau

Beta Pi (Honorary Engineering Society), Pi Tau Sigma (Honorary Mechanical Engineering

Society), Alpha Eta Mu Beta (Honorary Biomedical Engineering Society), the Society of

Women Engineers (SWE), and the International Institute of Women Engineers (IIWE).

She brings a unique set of skills and expertise in the biomedical sciences and engineering, as

well as the establishment of multidisciplinary programs across specialties.

Dr. Wallace is the Fred C. Andersen endowed Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, USA and former Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at SSMC-Mayo Clinic, Abu Dhabi.

He received his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine in 1992.  He completed a residency program in Internal Medicine in 1995 and a fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 1998 at the Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and a Master’s in Public Health with a focus on clinical research at the Harvard School of Public Health, and research fellowship in advanced imaging technology at Massachusett’s Institute of Technology.

Dr. Wallace completed an advanced endoscopy fellowship in Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in 1999 at the Medical University of South Carolina under Dr. Peter Cotton and Robert Hawes.  

He joined the Mayo Clinic in 2003 advancing to the rank of full professor in 2007, to Chair of the Division in 2010, and endowed professor (John C. Andersen Professorship) in 2019. Dr. Wallace has served multiple roles for the international GI societies such as the AGA, ASGE and ACG including Associate Editor for Gastroenterology 2006-09, National mentor of the year (AGA and ASGE) and chair of both ASGE and the World Endoscopy Organization (WEO) committee on Artificial Intelligence. From 2015-2022, he was Editor in Chief of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, advancing that journal to the # 1 rank in its category. 

His clinical and research interests focus on advanced imaging technologies for early gastrointestinal cancer detection and therapy including fundamental research in tissue spectroscopy, narrow band imaging, optical coherence tomography, and AI-computer vision systems. He holds NIH RO1 funding in Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technologies for early esophageal cancer, and had developed and published AI tools to advance colon polyp detection which led to the U.S. F.D.A. approval of the first AI colonoscopy systems, G.I. Genus. He current is co-investigator on an NIH funded RO1 grant to develop AI tools to improve detection of early pancreatic cancer in patients with cystic neoplasia of the pancreas. He has published more than 450 peer-reviewed articles, which have been cited more than 28,000 times, and carries an H-Index of 93, among the top 1% of academics worldwide.

Regarding management and consulting expertise, he served as Chair of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Sheik Shakhbout Medical City, in partnership with Mayo Clinic, in Abu Dhabi, UAE from 2020-2024. During that time, he built a premier destination medical center for complex Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Middle East, increased volumes, revenue and financial performance more than 100%. In 2022, he became director of Outpatient Practice where he has similarly increased volumes, reduced no-show rates, optimized patient journey flow, and improved patient satisfaction across SSMC. 

Likewise, he led the SSMC Center for Medical Simulation and Innovation, building a premier simulation center, administering internal and external simulation based medical training programs, and partnering with medical device companies to foster innovation and development of new technologies. 

Finally, he led the SSMC Artificial Intelligence committee, responsible for identification and implementation of AI technologies to enhance patient care including GI Genius, and AIDOC technologies to enhance endoscopic and radiologic imaging accuracy and efficiency, while also developing AI policies to ensure safe, accurate, and patient focused uses of AI in healthcare.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Building high quality, high efficiency destination medical centers in international markets

Advancing the “three shields” of academic medical practice, research and education

Designing, executing and publishing clinical research with a focus on advanced imaging technologies for early cancer detection

Mentoring learners and academic medical practice

Advanced interventional endoscopic skills including endoscopic ultrasound, mucosal/submucosal resection, per-oral endoscopic myotomy

Organizing high quality continuing medical educational programs

Implementing AI technologies in health with optimization of patient safety, privacy, and efficiency

Dr. Shahrukh Hashmi is the group chief research officer. He is a Professor of Medicine and Oncology at the Mayo Clinic, USA and the former Medical Director (Dean) of Research at SSMC-Mayo Clinic, Abu Dhabi, UAE. He also serves as the director of research at the Department of Health.

He graduated from Baqai Medical University, Pakistan, as the top graduate receiving Gold Medal from the President of Pakistan. He received Master’s Degree (MPH) from Yale University, Connecticut, USA. He is triple boarded from the USA, being Diplomat of the American Board of Preventive Medicine/Public Health, Internal Medicine, and Hematology. He started Mayo Clinic’s first BMT survivorship program in 2012. He has served as PI or Co-PI on many industry-sponsored and NIH-sponsored trials. His research interests include premature Aging Biology, Artificial Intelligence, and Cellular therapies (CAR-T cells and Gene Therapy). He is also involved in Stem Cell Therapeutics particularly in regenerative hematology. He has authored over 270 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including in JAMA, Lancet, and NEJM. He chairs many national or international professional committees/groups including being the Chair of the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplant’s Global Emergencies Committee (Geneva, Switzerland), Founding chair of American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Survivorship SIG (Chicago, Illinois, US), and Ex Co-chair of the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Registry’s (CIBMTR) Health Services Committee (Milwaukee,Wisconsin, USA). He is currently a Full Professor at Mayo Clinic, MN, USA, the Chairman of the Department of Hematology/Oncology at the SSMC, Abu Dhabi, UAE, and faculty at Medical School of Khalifa University,UAE, and adjunct faculty at the Computer Vision Dept. at Mohamad Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, Abu Dhabi, UAE. 

As an established scientist in Cell & Gene Therapy, along with Aging Biology and Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Hashmi is frequently invited at international forums to deliver plenary talks and has delivered 80 invited lectures/presentations at national and international forums. Dr. Hashmi is also active as a Board/Advisory Board Member of many organizations including former Member of JV Clinical Board SSMC-Mayo Clinic, Make A Wish Foundation UAE, Cancer Patient Care Society (Rahma) UAE, Emirates Thalassemia Society UAE, besides being the Associate Editor of JTCT (highest impact factor journal in the field of Cellular Therapies), and on Editorial Board member of numerous peer-reviewed journals.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Metaverse for global health and telemedicine (including billing & coding on blockchains)

Artificial intelligence utilization for supply-chain, finances, medical care 

Quality Assurance and Quality indicators (Press-Ganey, HCAHPS, country wise KPI of the regulators)

Smart hospital design (infrastructure design based on complex needs vs primary care needs of a healthcare systems). Including design for smart elevators, smart kitchen, smart parking and e-ICU for hospitals

Data Governance Council and Data Management

Long Term Strategic goal-setting and priority alignment for healthcare facilities

Cell & Gene Therapy: Specifically, Bone Marrow Transplants, iPSC, Gene Therapy, and CAR-T cells

Assimilating education teams for residency and fellowship training

Establishing dedicated clinical trials unit in a hospital setting

Business development for R&D for hospitals and healthcare systems. Especially seed funding (angels) and Series A. Expertise in BD for both VC companies and PE firms.  

Mehra Golshan, MD, MBA, the Avicenna Group chief operating officer, is a cancer surgeon and a nationally and internationally recognized leader in breast cancer treatment and research.

In addition to caring for patients, he serves as Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Surgical Services at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center.

Dr. Golshan also serves as the Executive Vice Chair of Operations in the Department of Surgery and Professor of Surgical Oncology at the Yale School of Medicine.

Dr. Golshan is a leader in the research with over 150 peer reviewed publications. He has led numerous Phase I, II and III clinical trials and translational science innovations impacting the treatment options and outcomes for women. He is an innovator in tailoring surgery and therapy for women with early stage breast cancer with funding support from the BreastCancer Research Foundation and National Institutes of Health. He is the principal investigator of several phase II trials aiming to reduce the need for second surgeries or re-excisions in women with breast cancer, one of which uses innovative image-guided operating room capabilities to capture and remove all residual tumor utilizing MRI and mass spectrometry which is used at Yale’s hybrid operating room.

Dr. Golshan prides himself on being an educator having trained and mentored over a hundred breast surgical fellows as well as international surgeons. He has lectured and taught surgeons, trainees and students nationally and internationally in the field of oncology and breast cancer

treatment.

Dr. Golshan is a Board Member of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), Chair of NAPBC Education Committee, Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Interprofessional Education and Practice, and Chair of the American Society of Breast Surgeons Question of the Week Committee.

Dr. Golshan completed his fellowship in breast surgical oncology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He earned his Medical Degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and an MBA at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management in Cambridge Massachusetts.

Prior to joining Yale, he spent 17 years in Boston at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute where he was the inaugural and incumbent Dr. Abdul Mohsen and Sultana Al-Tuwaijri Distinguished Chair in Surgical Oncology. He also served as the Director of

the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital and was an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Multi-disciplinary oncology team building

Medical Oncology

MENA health systems collaborations

Harvard/Yale/MIT network infrastructure

Patient outcomes

Patient satisfaction

Research: clinical, Basic science, IRB

Medical Education (student, resident, fellowship)

Philanthropy

Global tumor boards

Strategic planning health care

Medical Staffing

Relationship with Industry

Chantal Madi is a nurse leader with a 40-year experience in nursing education, management and leadership in the Middle East and USA. 

She grew up in Senegal and Lebanon and obtained a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the American University of Beirut. She worked in intensive care units as a nurse before pursuing further graduate studies at the New York University, where she obtained a Master of Arts degree in nursing administration. She also obtained a master's degree in public health & quality management from Tulane University, New Orleans, USA.

Ms Madi has held major leadership positions in leading medical centers, including at the American University of Beirut, where she held the position of associate director of nursing. She was a key member in building teams of excellence which eventually led to the obtention of the first Magnet accreditation in the Middle East.

She also served as the director of quality in the KSA at the Saad Specialist Hospital where she worked with a multicultural team. She also served as director of nursing in another hospital in Al Ahsa Hospital Saudi Arabia and as the chief nursing officer of a private hospital in Iraq.

Her achievements are impressive and range from building and restructuring nursing programs, to upgrading the performance appraisal systems, re-structuring the various units to promote a more efficient work environment, increasing employee morale and retention, leading to improved patient experience in addition to playing a major role in effective nursing recruitment and leadership development. She also worked with various government and regulatory agencies, established quality management programs, infection control, risk management, financial oversight and budget allocation in addition to many more initiatives in a variety of institutions, healthcare systems and countries.

Miss Madi brings to our group a wealth of experience from various geographical multicultural areas around the world including setting up nursing programs at hospitals in war zones and succeeding in extremely challenging environments. She is fluent in four languages. Ms Madi has been instrumental in planning, building and playing a key role in the growth of many successful nursing departments across the Middle-East.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Nursing leadership

Patient experience

Enhancing inter-disciplinary collaboration with physicians, administrators and allied healthcare personnel

Quality management

Accreditations

Recruitment

Strategic planning

Education

Nursing financials and budgeting

Policies and procedures

Research

Public health

Selim is the Avicenna Group chief financial officer. He has embarked on his journey towards becoming a prominent entrepreneur and senior executive in the world of business with a strong educational foundation. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Tulane University and a Bachelor degree in in Economics and Finance from the University of Hartford. Selim attended courses in finance at the Amsterdam Institute of Finance in collaboration with INSEAD with focus on M&A. cost management and restructuring. This educational background provided him with the tools and knowledge needed to excel in the complex world of business management.

As a seasoned entrepreneur and executive, boasting over two decades of remarkable expertise in restructuring and management that spans across various fields and industries, Selim’s exceptional record reflects a versatile skill set and an unwavering dedication to organizational excellence.

With a keen eye for identifying and addressing critical issues, Selim possesses a unique talent for inspiring and leading teams. His leadership has consistently turned struggling businesses into thriving companies, often culminating in successful exits. Notably, he achieved a triumphant sale of his insurance businesses in the Middle East.

In the dynamic realm of FinTech, Selim invested and lead a startup in the Netherlands. Through digital financial transformation and innovation, he played a pivotal role in simplifying financial service offerings, and expanding access to funding to a broad spectrum of customers.

In addition to his corporate leadership roles, Selim Raad has served as Executive Board Member, on Executive Committees and currently consults for a financial services company in London leading the development and setup of a marine expense initiative targeting high net worth individuals and family offices.

Selim’s journey serves as a testament to his adaptability and pragmatic approach, consistently driving success and a relentless commitment to achieving excellence.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Cost management

Budgeting and financial projections

Revenue cycle management

Fundraising

Process improvement, strategy and implementation

Dashboard design – Managerial, operational, and financial

Maximizing operational efficiency to optimize ROI

Investments, mergers and acquisitions

Dr. Manish Kohli is a physician executive leader with demonstrated success in delivering complex healthcare “firsts” in the US and overseas. A leading voice in the field, he lends expertise to pioneering health care public, private and humanitarian organizations on transformative care delivery paradigms and operating models that leverage emerging technologies, digital health, and data to achieve quadruple aims and reduce inequities and disparities.

He is the CEO of Beyond Horizon Health, a healthcare advisory firm that serves organizations and stakeholders domestically and globally on health systems strengthening with special focus on digital health strategy and maturity, digitally enabled clinical programs and innovative models of care to achieve superior outcomes. Additionally, Dr. Kohli serves as an advisor to innovative digital health startups that aim to transform both, health and care.

Dr. Kohli is also the Founder of Pul Alliance for Digital Health and Equity, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping create empowered, and resilient communities through “digital bridges” that lead to more equitable pathways for access to quality healthcare, educational opportunities, and better livelihoods.

Dr. Kohli is a frequently invited speaker on various topics on digital  health and serves as Senior Advisor to the Albright Stonebridge Group, the Global Clinical Engineering Alliance (GCEA) and Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). He also serves as Member, Technical Advisory Panel, Joint Commission International (JCI).

Notably, Dr. Kohli is the Past Chairman, Board of Directors of Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). He has also served on the Board of Directors of Wings of Hope, a twice Nobel Peace prize nominated, global, humanitarian nonprofit organization that helps the world’s most vulnerable communities.

In previous roles, Dr. Kohli served as Director of Global Programs, Partners Harvard Medical International (PHMI) and Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) at leading health systems including, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD), Advocate Aurora Health and Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. During his professional tenure overseas with PHMI and CCAD, he helped establish the first Health Information Exchange and subsequently, with CCAD his team delivered the first digitally enabled Stroke Center for Abu Dhabi as well as the most advanced HIMSS Stage EMRAM 7 hospital in the MENA region. During his earlier career role Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, he led innovative technology-driven clinical transformation initiatives that included data exchange between disparate vendors.

Dr. Kohli is a Fellow of the Health Information and Management Systems Society and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is dually board certified in Clinical Informatics and Family Medicine.

He received his MD degree from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and earned both, MPH in International Health and MBA in Medical Services Management, from the Johns Hopkins University. He completed postgraduate training in Family Medicine at Rush University and Preventive Medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Health information and management systems

Digital health and Data strategy

Primary care medicine: optimization of services, establishing new programs and practice growth

Integrated care development

Digital health maturiy measurement

Aligning digital health investments to outcomes

Dr Anthony Cartwright is a leading Consultant Anaesthetist and is also a recognised expert in Electronic Health Record (EHR) design and cybersecurity and is published in Cybersecurity in Healthcare and also Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.

He graduated medicine from the University of Sheffield in the UK following which he served as a medical officer in the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) both in roles at home and overseas. He attained extensive human factors training, attained aviation medicine qualifications whilst in the RAF and also started surgical training becoming a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England by Examination in 2001. On leaving the military, he joined the UK National Health Service and, on completion of anaesthetic training, became a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists by Examination in 2010. During both his military and civilian careers, he has been exposed to different working environments from leading small medical units, often in unfamiliar and unpredictable situations, all the way through to the full flow of a level 1 trauma centre, where he completed most of his anaesthetic training. Prior to moving to the UAE, Dr Cartwright worked as a Consultant Anaesthetist with a specialist interest in head and neck anaesthesia at Manchester Royal Infirmary in the UK. His expertise in high frequency jet ventilation, a novel method of ventilation for advanced laryngeal surgery, has led him to be asked to talk internationally and he continues to lead and teach head and neck anaesthesia in his current role. He has worked as a senior physician and clinical and IT leader in the UAE for over 10 years and has been recognised as a subject matter expert in his clinical area of expertise by the UAE Department of Health.

Dr Cartwright has led several projects, both in the UK and the UAE, to both commission and optimise peri- operative and anaesthetic services at ‘de novo’ and established institutions. These projects range from using his human factors expertise to introduce simple safety solutions, all the way through to managing significant UK government expenditure in upgrading peri-operative logistics and staff allocation with the introduction of an emerging IT and CE solution across a regional multi-site NHS Trust. He is a safety champion and regularly speaks on safety solutions within the peri-operative environment.

He is a qualified Electronic Health Record (EHR) programmer and holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Health Informatics. A combination of this expertise and his previous human factors training and experience allows him to have an innate understanding of a caregiver’s or institution’s requirements of the EHR and provide innovative and bespoke solutions that work with, and for, the caregiver or institution to improve workflow, enhance user experience and enable more accurate data capture.

The triad of being a leading consultant physician, an EHR programmer and having had human factors training during his military career has led to a driven, focused, and empathetic leadership style that encourages teamwork and collaboration at all levels, both within and without his areas of expertise.

He has lived in Abu Dhabi for the last 10 years with his wife, 3 children and dog, Obi. When not working, he enjoys travelling, cycling at a competitive level, collecting and repairing antique synthesizers and an eclectic taste in music.

EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:

Patient safety, quality

Peri-operative workflows

IT

Electronic Health Record

Human factors in organizational psychology

Anesthesia implementation and workflows

Non-OR Anesthesia (MRI, cancer centre, ED, endoscopy suites and others

Pain service

Outpatient surgery set up

Establishing systems، Data management

Ms. Thalia Andritsou is the Avicenna Group’s project manager who is also in charge of business development. She has a versatile background as an accomplished business professional with a decade of experience in business management including business development, customer relationship management, marketing and strategy implementation. She is proficient in cultivating revenue opportunities and establishing strong connections within and outside the healthcare sector.

Her advanced skills in business valuation, analysis, and project management are supported by a track record of successfully resolving complex issues and effectively executing significant initiatives.  Thalia has effectively overseen multi-million dollar projects spanning multiple institutions and organizational boundaries throughout many healthcare and related sectors.

She posses the ability to drive business transformation initiatives and bridge the gap

between business and technical functions to facilitate decision making processes. This capability is fueled by her  extensive management skills providing consulting, practice management

solutions, process improvement working with stakeholders and C-suite executives across a multitude of diverse industries including healthcare, pharmaceutical and others.

She holds a degree in Nutrition & Dietetics from the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, a Masters degree in Public Health and Nutrition from Glasgow University, Scotland in addition to business degrees from Harvard University. She speaks 4 languages.