Mahmoud Hasan serves as the Chief Nursing Officer at Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Mohammed Medical City (STMC) – SEHA, where he leads the nursing team to ensure the highest standards of patient care. With more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare sector, Mahmoud combines his extensive expertise with a strong commitment to nursing excellence.

Khaled Al Qawasmeh, RN, MSN, APRN, OCNS, CCRP
Clinical Research Nurse, Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist Oncology/Hematology
Tawam Hospital, Oncology Department
Khaled Al Qawasmeh qualified with Master’s Degree in Clinical Oncology Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. He is an Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN) since 2009. Khaled has gained the prestigious Clinical Research Certification by SOCRA USA and Chair of SEHA SOCRA chapter. He is the chair of SEHA Nursing Research and EBP Committee. Khaled is currently the Vice president of the Emirates Oncology/Hematology Nursing Society.

Hessa Ahmed Suliman Al Shehhi is a seasoned nurse with over 13 years of experience, currently serving as the Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) at SEHA Authority in Abu Dhabi. In her role as ADON, Hessa leads nursing operations across Pediatric and Adult Intensive Care Units, pediatric services, as well as outpatient specialty clinics. Her leadership is characterized by a commitment to high-quality, patient-centered care, ensuring that nursing practices meet the highest standards.

Hessa’s educational background is impressive, featuring a Master’s in Nursing from the University of Wollongong, along with specialized diplomas in ECMO and leadership in healthcare. Her extensive experience includes roles such as Charge Nurse, Senior Charge Nurse and Nurse Manager, where she has effectively managed critical care environments, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she oversaw one of the region’s busiest ICUs.

In addition to her nursing responsibilities, Hessa has taken the lead nursing in collaborating with the Cincinnati hospital (CCH), enhancing nursing practices and patient care through multidisciplinary initiatives. Recognized as the first Emirati ECMO specialist, she has earned numerous accolades, including the Emirati Exceptional Talent Award in 2023 and a Nursing Leadership Award at the SEHA IHSAN Award. Her proactive approach to patient safety and nursing audits reflects her dedication to improving healthcare quality.

Fluent in both Arabic and English, Hessa is also known for her community involvement, having volunteered with the Emirates Red Crescent. Her passion for nursing, combined with her leadership skills and commitment to patient advocacy, positions her as a key figure in advancing nursing excellence and healthcare delivery in the UAE.

Dr. Iffat Elbarazi has over 25 years of extensive experience in academia, healthcare, patients’ services, community health education, and promotion. Her career spans multiple countries including Lebanon.
Australia, Saudi Arabia and culminating in her current role in the United Arab Emirates. She has been a speaker in different international, regional and local conferences and workshops. She is the author and co-author of over 100 scientific articles published in renowned international journals and has been listed
in the Stanford University and Elsevier top 2% cited Scientist for the last four consecutive years.
Her primary research interests encompass health promotion, health education, psychosocial and mental health, cancer education, prevention of chronic diseases, women’s health, and the determinants and practices of a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Iffat has garnered recognition for her exceptional contributions to research and patient support, her commitment to undergraduate teaching, and her outreach initiatives.
She boasts a robust foundation in qualitative research and behavioral change theories. Additionally, she holds the esteemed title of Fellow at the UK Faculty of Public Health and is a current member of both the Australian and Emirates Public Health Associations.

• Co-Chair of Scientific Committee – SINMAC.
• Senior Charge Nurse/Liwa Nursing Facility Nursing manager -AlDhafra Hospitals.
• Research nurse-AlDhafra Hospitals • Previously: Acting unit manager for the Dialysis Unit and Outpatient Clinics Department -Madinat Zayed Hospital – Al-Dhafra Hospitals- Abu Dhabi, UAE.
• Holding a Master’s Degree in Nursing Science (MSN), with a subspecialty in Adult Health Nursing (AHN -Rak Medical and Health Sciences University.
• Chair of ADH-Nursing and Midwifery Education and Research committee
• Coordinator of ADH-Research Ethics Committee 2023/2024.
• Co-Chair of SEHA Nursing and Midwifery and research committee.
• Clinical Research certificate -Khalifa University –UAE 2021.
• Emirati Nursing Association (ENA) membership 2024.
• Member of Research community of practice group 2023 till present.
• Member in HRPPC-CCIII-Participant Advocacy Committee (PAC)-SEHA.
• Published and Presented many papers at different international and national conferences, such as ICN, and SEHA International Nursing Excellence Conference.
• Awarded as best EBP project at SEHA level during SINMC 2023.
• Awarded by the Department of Health as Subject Matter Expert toward the development of the Bioethics for Health Workforce in Abu Dhabi 2023.

A Certified Health Care Manager (HCM-C) and Certified Specialist in Nursing Management (NM-CSp) with a proven track record of success in both clinical and managerial roles. Holds a Master’s degree in Business Analytics and a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, providing a strong foundation in healthcare operations and data-driven decision-making.

With over 15 years of experience in the healthcare sector, I have demonstrated expertise in nursing, clinical management, and strategic planning. His interest is in healthcare analytics and workforce planning.

Dr. Marie Kim James, DNP, MSN Ed., RN, NE-BC, CPHQ has 30 years of experience in nursing with a strong background in leadership, quality improvement and accreditation with a strong passion to raise the profile of the nursing profession across the UAE. Dr. James is the Director of Nursing at the largest comprehensive nephrology services in the UAE. The services include inpatient and outpatient renal replacement therapies, paediatric nephrology, and specialized nephrology care for patients in the United Arab Emirates. She previously held the position of Manager, Quality and Performance Improvement at a tertiary academic medical center located in the United Arab Emirates and has worked in critical care, cardiac catheterization, perioperative services and inpatient units.

Dr. James graduated from Case Western Reserve University Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing in May 2020 with a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Leadership. She has a keen interest in quality improvement in the clinical practice and empowering nurses to use quality improvement, evidence-based nursing practices, and research in their practice. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International since 2008, the American Nurses Association (ANA), the New Mexico State Nurse Association, American Organization for Nursing Leadership and the National Association of Healthcare Quality. She holds board certifications in both Quality from the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) and Nursing Leadership from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Tholoshnee Lazarus, RN, RM, BCur, IMBA, Six Sigma Green Belt, is an accomplished nursing executive and Director of Nursing at Salma Rehabilitation Hospital, with extensive healthcare experience spanning South Africa and the UAE. She leads nursing services across six rehabilitation and long-term care facilities and is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Care Science (Nursing Science). Passionate about clinical excellence, innovation and developing future nursing leaders, she brings a multicultural perspective to healthcare leadership.

Her philosophy is simple: empower nurses, elevate practice, and transform care

Peer Mohamad, Muhamed Ali has been an invited speaker for many forums inclusive of International Diabetes Federation, Abu Dhabi Medical Congress, Symposium on Functional Preservation and Early Rehabilitation of Critically ill Patient, Community Health Promotion Program and Regional Cancer Control and Prevention program, Trauma conference and UAE Symposium on Social Robotics. Peer is a Member of American Heart Association, WCPT Network for Health Promotion in Life and Work, WCPT Network for Physical Therapist Educators and European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation. Recent research participation includes Cognitive Training System for Elderly People. Human oriented and personalized of assistive technology: Novel development of bio-driven hand soft-robot rehabilitation and assistive system, and Robotic Therapy for Developing Social Skills in Kids with Autism.

Sona Ayanikalath, a clinician and a researcher, is currently working as the supervisor of the Speech language pathology in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi. She has a Ph.D. in Speech Language Therapy from the University Of KwaZulu Natal -South Africa (2018), with various publications in her name. She has a wide range of experience in the field of speech language pathology for over 21 years, with her main area of interest being in dysphagia intervention. She is a frequent speaker at various international conferences and supervises/mentors junior speech language pathologists and interns from various universities. She is the chair of the SEHA Allied Health Education Committee and the chair of the SEHA Speech Language Pathology Advisory Committee.

Dr. Snithin has completed his Doctorate degree in Audiology from Philadelphia (USA) following his Masters and Bachelors degrees in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology. He has received the recognition of FAAA (Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology). He serves as the Co-Chair of the SEHA Audiology Advisory committee and is member of the SEHA Allied Health Education Committee. He also serves as the Chair of AHS Allied Health Education and Research subcommittee and was instrumental in the several educational initiative which include First Allied Health Journal Club (via Webinar) which is ongoing since 2020 as well as First Allied Health Conference (2020). Dr Snithin has served as the Chair of the Scientific Committee for 1st AHS Allied Health
conference (2020) and 2nd AHS Allied Health Conference (2021).

He has also served as the Scientific committee member for International conferences such as Dubai Otology -Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery Conference (2018 and 2019); 1st Allied Health Symposium (2018); and the 4th Abu Dhabi Ambulatory Healthcare International Congress (2022). Dr Snithin has been very keen on research and has presented at scientific sessions in numerous international and local conferences. He also serves as the Clinical Director for the Healthy Hearing Division of the Special Olympics UAE (from 2017 till date) and has successfully provided the Hearing care services to Athletes during the Special Olympics MENA Games 2018 (Abu Dhabi) and the Special Olympics World Games 2019 (Abu Dhabi). Dr Snithin was honoured by the President of the UAE HH
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Bateen Palace for contributions towards successful Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019. He is very passionate about prevention and early identification of Hearing loss in the community, and is actively engaged in numerous outreach programs such as the WHO World Hearing Day campaigns.

Umesh Kumar is an experienced Respiratory Therapist originally from Bangalore, India. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Respiratory Therapy from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. With over 22 years of hands-on experience in the field, he has specialized in managing critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation, particularly within Intensive Care Units (ICU).

Currently, Umesh serves as a Senior Respiratory Therapist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), UAE. His clinical expertise spans various critical care domains, including the ICU, NICU, PICU, and CCU.

He is the author of” Handbook of Mechanical Ventilation,” now in its second edition. In addition to his book, Umesh has contributed significantly to academic literature with numerous research and review publications. Notable works include:

Adaptive Support Ventilation – A Way Different from Traditional Ventilation
Update in ARDS Clinical Ventilator Management & Prone Ventilation
Ultrasound vs. Bronchoscopy-Guided Percutaneous Tracheostomy, among others.

Dr. Yousef M. Aljawarneh, PhD, MSN, RN, FHEA
Dr. Yousef Aljawarneh is an accomplished academic and clinician with over 20 years of experience in nursing education and practice. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor and Program Chair for Nursing and Midwifery at the Higher Colleges of Technology (UAE), he plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare professionals. Dr. Aljawarneh holds a PhD in Nursing (Adult and Acute Care) from the University of Texas, USA, and has contributed significantly to both academia and clinical practice. As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, UK), he is recognized for his commitment to excellence in teaching and learning. His extensive teaching experience spans undergraduate and graduate levels at prestigious institutions across the globe. A dedicated scholar, Dr. Aljawarneh, has published numerous peer-reviewed research articles in high-impact journals, focusing on adult and acute care nursing, healthcare education, and clinical practice advancements. His work has been presented at international conferences, further establishing his expertise in the field. Committed to advancing nursing education and practice, Dr. Aljawarneh continues to mentor future nurses, engage in impactful research, and promote evidence-based healthcare solutions.

As the Clinical Education Department Manager at Corniche hospital, Zarah is an experienced healthcare professional with over 15 years of clinical experience as a UK qualified midwife. Zarah earned her midwifery degree from a prestigious university in the United Kingdom and has since worked in a variety of clinical settings, including maternity wards, antenatal clinics, and in the community setting.

In her current role as Education Department Manager, Zarah is responsible for developing and delivering clinical education programs that ensure the highest standards of patient care. Zarah is a strong advocate for the use of simulation-based training to improve clinical skills and decision-making among healthcare professionals. Zarah is a NRP, BLS, ACLS and PROMPT instructor.