Dr. Abdulrahman Alrasheed is a Consultant pediatric rheumatologist and Pediatric rheumatology fellowship program director at the King Abdullah Specialized Children Hospital and King Abdulaziz medical city, Riyadh.

He is a Saudi and Arab board of pediatrics since 2006 and Pediatric rheumatology fellowship since July 2009 at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh.
He is also a Pediatric rheumatology fellow since July 2013 from The hospital for sick children, Toronto, Canada.

He has participated in many local and international conferences as speaker.

Dr. Abeer worked as a Specialist dermatologist in As’ad Al-Hamad Dermatology Center, in her role she was also Head of Phototherapy Unit.Holding a Certificate from Kuwaiti board of Dermatology and venerealogy ( KBD)

And a member of Royal college of Physicians UK.And a Fellowship in Laser and Phototherapy, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Department of Dermatology New York, USA. Dr. Abeer has been awarded several awards from the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations.

Graduated from The Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University in 1993. Had the American Board in Internal Medicine and The Canadian Board in Internal Medicine during her training in McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Had the Canadian Board in Rheumatology during her training in Vancouver University, British Columbia, Canada. Had a special training in lupus and vasculitis at The University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Is currently a consultant in internal medicine and rheumatology in Al-Amiri Hospital and in Medical One Polyclinic, Kuwait City. President of the of the ArLAR registry group, member of APLAR Special Interest Group for rheumatoid arthritis (SIG-RA). Co-opt Executive member of The APLAR. Executive member of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). Founder of KRRD (Kuwait Registry for Rheumatic Diseases) and the team leader. Former president of Kuwait Association for Rheumatology (KAR). Former head of Osteoporosis Committee, Ministry of Health. Former member of the Higher Medical Council of persons with disabilities, Ministry of Health. Tutor in The Faculty of Medicine for undergraduate medical students. Tutor in Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialties for postgraduate medical studies in internal medicine and its subspecialties. Has more than 45 researches published in well recognized journals or presented in international conferences.

Dr Ahmed Al Jahwari is a senior consultant and head of Orthopedics and Spine Surgery at the Armed Forces Hospital in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. He is also a senior lecturer at the Sultan Qaboos University. He is a fellow of the Royal College of surgeons of Canada.

Dr Al Jahwari had earned his medical degree from the Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. He completed his orthopedic residency training at the University of Toronto. He is the 2006 recipient of Bernard Ghert award for resident excellence in patient care from the University of Toronto. He then did his advanced training and clinical fellowship in spine surgery at the University of California in San Francisco. He also completed Pediatric and scoliosis fellowship at the Hospital for sick Children in Toronto. In addition, He completed an advanced MIS spine fellowship at the Kantonsspital St Gallen in Switzerland.

Dr Al Jahwari has a special interest in minimally invasive spine surgery and motion preserving techniques. He also has special interest in healthcare leadership and surgical education and simulation in surgery. He completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Massachusetts, USA. He is a member of Gamma Beta Sigma the international business honor society.
He is a member of several orthopedic and spine societies. He is the past chairman of the AOSpine Gulf, member of SICOT spine committee and a member of the American Association of Physician Leadership. He was Program Director of the Orthopedics Residency Program at the Oman Medical Specialties Board (OMSB) from 2014 to 2021. He also serves as a member in the High Medical Committee of the Ministry of Health in Oman. He is a member of the editorial board of Oman Medical Journal and a board member of the Oman Orthopedic Society.

Dr. Ahmed Negm, a Consultant Rheumatology, Dubai Hospital, DHA, Dubai- UAE. He is also an Adjunct clinical associate professor Dubai medical college- UAE, Lecturer of Rheumatology, at the Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Dr. Negm is also a EULAR certified Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Trainer.

He is practicing Musculoskeletal Ultrasound for 16 years in advanced clinical diagnostic and interventional procedures practice.

Main interest in Clinical research, particularly Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography in Early diagnosis and treatment of Arthritis, Epidemiology, Treatment of Rheumatic diseases

Ahmed Salem Zayat a senior consultant of rheumatology and a chairman of therapeutic (P& T) committee at the University Hospital Sharjah, UAE. Hold a of Master of Science (MSc) from university of Leeds, UK (2007), Postgraduate Certificate in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK (2009), Degree of Doctor of Medicine (MD), University of Leeds, UK (2012), and RCP Rheumatology Specialty Certificate Examination (2013).

Dr. Zayat had been awarded several times; Local Clinical Excellence Award, Bradford teaching hospitals, 2018, National Institute for health research (NIHR) clinical Lectureship Award, 2013, Howard Bird First Prize, Yorkshire Educational Training Programme 2013, Second Prize, Yorkshire Educational Training Programme 2012, and Distinction in Medical Imaging MSc program, University of Leeds 2007. Dr. Zayat has many publications and presented at different national and international conferences.

Dr. Ginawi has more than 20 years’ experience in Rheumatology in the United Kingdom and Dubai. She has graduated from Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum in Sudan.

Completed internal medicine training and specialist training in Rheumatology in the Eastern Region (UK). She obtained training in osteoporosis and metabolic bone diseases in the Metabolic Bone Unit in Cambridge University hospitals. She has a master’s degree in Rheumatology from King’s College.

Dr. Aqeel A Muhanna, MD, FRCPC, is a Rheumatology Consultant in the Department of Medicine at Mubarak Al Kabeer General Hospital and is the Head of the Rheumatology Unit. He received his Doctor of Medicine (M.D) from Kuwait University, faculty of medicine in 2001. He completed his residency program in the specialty of internal medicine at the University of British Columbia in 2007. Then he completed his Fellowship in Adult Rheumatology at the same university in 2009. After this he joined the University of Toronto where he completed his fellowship programs in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Psoriatic arthritis.

Dr. Aqeel works in the Rheumatology Unit at Mubarak Al Kabeer teaching hospital. Dr. Aqeel shows big interest in education. He is the direct supervisor of different residency programs including General Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Physical therapy and Rehabilitation, Hematology, Neurology and Family Medicine. He is also a clinical tutor of the medical students of the Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Aqeel is involved in clinical research with his colleges in the Faculty of Medicine. His main interest is in SLE, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Rheumatoid arthritis for which he has been involved in many local, regional and international scientific meetings as a speaker or moderator. Furthermore, He is very active in educating the public and physicians from different specialties in Medicine about Rheumatologic diseases and their burden on the society.

Dr. Mubashir has trained under world leaders in the field of Rheumatology, specifically Rheumatoid Arthritis, SLE (Lupus), Scleroderma and Sjogren’s syndrome. Dr. Mubashir served as Medical Director of Rheumatology at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine. At St. Mary’s, she started the division of rheumatology and also served on the hospital’s Board Finance Committee. Dr. Mubashir has also served as a Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist at the United States Embassy in India. Prior to that, Dr. Mubashir served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Dr. Mubashir also set up the Center for Arthritis and Rheumatism in Srinagar, Kashmir, which almost 5,000 patients in just two years.

Dr. Mubashir is an accomplished physician with substantial experience in setting up new rheumatology practices. In addition she has extensive medical research experience and has been published in world renowned journals of Rheumatology and Internal Medicine such as Arthritis and Rheumatism, the Journal of Rheumatology, American Journal of Cardiology, Journal of Nephrology and the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). She has been honored as a presenter at international scientific meetings including the American college of Rheumatology and the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Mubashir has been invited to speak at events at conferences and institutions in the United States and India. Besides English, Dr. Mubashir can speak Spanish and a few South Asian languages.

Dr. Asma Aljaberi is a consultant endocrinologist in the department of medicine at Tawam Hospital and an adjunct assistant clinical professor at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAEU. She graduated from CMHS at UAEU, and completed her residency at Tawam hospital, and passed the Board of Internal Medicine in 2011. Dr. Aljaberi completed an Endocrine fellowship at a division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, USA. 2014-2017. At the same institution, she had clinical training in Osteoporosis and Bone Metabolism and obtained the Certified Clinical Densitometrist certification. Her interests include osteoporosis, bone metabolism, obesity, and lipid metabolism disorders.

Dr. Atheer Al-Ansari originally graduated from Baghdad Medical School, after which he trained mostly in the UK, initially in general medicine then Rheumatology. He has a total of 17 years’ experience in the field and achieved the FRCP of London and CCST higher training in Medicine and Rheumatology respectively at East Midlands Deanery in the UK. He moved to the UAE in 2013, where he is currently the Head of the Scientific Committee for the Emirates Society for Rheumatology (ESR) and the lead organiser for the Asian and Pacific Conference in Dubai (APLAR). He is a recognised expert for a second opinion in difficult cases by insurance companies DAMAN and NASS and has published numerous scientific and public articles.

He has experience in all types of common inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and ankylosing spondylitis. He also sees other forms of autoimmune disorders of various organ involvements and provides help in uveitis, urticarial, chest inflammatory conditions and other systems. He manages non- inflammatory disorders like osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and regional pains. He also has a wealth of experience in joint and tendon injections for localised symptoms.

Dr. Azzam A Maghazachi received a master degree from New York University Medical School (USA), and a PhD degree in Immunology from the University of Manitoba Medical School (Canada). He did post-doctoral fellowships at NYU Medical School (USA) and at the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. Between 1988-2005, he held several senior positions in various institutes and universities in the USA, Canada and Norway. Between 2004-2007 he was the Chief Scientific Officer at Bio-Quant, Inc. in San Diego, and between 2007-2015 was a Professor of Physiology in the faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo, Norway, and is currently a professor of Immunology in the college of Medicine, University of Sharjah. He and his group were the first to identify all chemokine receptors on NK cells and were the first to examine the biological activities of chemokines on these cells. Later, they identified lysophospholipids and oxidized lipids receptors on NK cells and investigated the effects of these lipids. They also discovered a new subset of NK cells that secrete both IL-17 and IFN-, and designated them as NK17/NK1 cells. Dr. Maghazachi is an expert in cancer immunotherapy field and has developed clinical trials using natural killer cells to treat various cancers. His research interests are cancer immunology, autoimmune diseases, chemokines, and drug mechanisms of action. Dr. Maghazachi is an editor or editor-in-chief on more than 10 scientific journals in the fields of Immunology, Oncology and Neuroscience. He published more than 100 scientific papers as well as book chapters and ebooks.

Professor Edwards is a Consultant Rheumatologist and Associate Director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility within the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS), having previously worked as a consultant at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. Professor Edwards trained with Professor Maini at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology during the early years of anti-TNF trials and with Professor Graham Hughes at the St Thomas’ Hospital Lupus Clinic in London. As Associate Director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility he is engaged with the running of a large translational research facility with phase I experience. Professor Edwards is Clinical Director of the Southampton Musculoskeletal Research Unit, a recognised EULAR centre of excellence and is the Chair of the EULAR Education Committee. In the last year, like many rheumatologists, Professor Edwards was repurposed to work on COVID-19 wards and has been a PI on COVID-19 vaccine and early phase trials of new therapies for COVID-19. He is the current Chair of the EULAR Education and a member of the EULAR Council.

Dr Clive Kelly is a Consultant Physician at James Cook University Hospital (JCUH) and holds academic positions at several UK Universities. He graduated with a Distinction at MBBS from Newcastle University on his 23rd birthday and trained in Exeter and the West Midlands before returning north to complete his MD in Respiratory Immunology and obtain his FRCP. He has worked in the North-east of England for most of his Consultant career, combining a full-time clinical role with much teaching at both under- and post-graduate level. His father, a psychiatrist, fostered his interest in the psychology of illness and practice of holistic medicine, areas which have contributed significantly to his 150 peer reviewed publications. Having worked in all five major Continents, in recent years Clive has developed clinical and humanitarian services in Asia and East Africa where he has helped chronicle evidence of a rising incidence of mental health issues in the young. His major research interest has always been in the overlap between rheumatic disease and respiratory disorders, and more recently he has focussed on the development of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in RA patients. He has been Chair of the BSR special interest group in lung disease since he established this a decade ago. He is Secretary for the BRILL group and has published extensively on the factors associated with RA-ILD and the increasing evidence base to guide intervention. He is President of the Association of North-east Physicians and was previously Secretary of this organisation.

Daniel Aletaha is Chair of Rheumatology and Head of the Division of Rheumatology at the Medical University of Vienna. Dr. Aletaha has received academic degrees from the Medical University in Vienna, Duke University and Danube University, and had spent over two years at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He is a dedicated scientist with broad interests in outcomes research, clinical trials, and translational research in inflammatory rheumatic diseases. He is author on more than 260 publications, and serves on the Editorial Board of several rheumatology specialty journals.
Daniel Aletaha has been involved in several International Task Forces, including EULAR Management Guidelines for RA and PSA, and the Treat-to-Target recommendations, and was lead author of the 2010 Classification Criteria for RA. He has served many years in the EULAR Counsil and is currently president-elect of EULAR.

Dr. Sharif is currently working as consultant pediatric rheumatologist at Al jalila Children’s Specialty hospital AJCH Dubai. Dr Sharif has around thirty years of vast experience in General Pediatrics and Pediatric rheumatology, Neonatology, and Community Pediatrics. Prior to joining AJCH, Dr. Sharif has worked in many reputable Hospitals in the UK, UAE, and Libya such as Southmead Hospital, Bristol, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Hospitals, Al Ain Hospital, Children’s Hospital Tripoli – Libya. In addition to his clinical role, Dr. Sharif held many key positions such as Chair of the Child Health Institute (CHI) at Al Ain hospital, President of the Pediatric Rheumatology Arab group (PRAG), co-chair and head of organizing committee at the SEHA International Pediatric Conference in January 2020 in Abu Dhabi, and the divisional clinical director, at the pediatric department Hull Royal Infirmary.
Dr. Sharif has played key role in clinical governance through planning, conducting and participating in audits to improve the quality of patient and healthcare in the Hospitals where he used to work.
Dr. Sharif is currently an Adjunct Associated Professor at the College of Medicine and Health Science (CMHS) at UAE University. Throughout his career, he has received many awards such as clinical excellence award in March 2010 at Hull Royal Infirmary UK, best trainer award from the Tawam paediatric residency programme at for the year 2014-2015, and the teaching excellence award for the academic year 2013 – 2014 from the Medical School at the UAE University.

In his career, Dr. Sharif has participated and conducted medical research and issued 6 publications: The Experience with Uveitis in Pediatric Age Group in Emirate of Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Child Abuse experience in Al Ain District, United Arab Emirates, and Detection of Bacterial DNA in Synovial Fluid and Peripheral Blood from children with Juvenile idiopathic Arthritis.
Dr. Sharif is a member of Royal college of Paediatric and Child health (RCPCH), British Society of paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology (BSPAR), Emirate society of Rheumatology (ESR), and President of the Paediatric Rheumatology Arab Group (PRAG).

Dr Fazal is an experienced consultant rheumatologist currently working in Mediclinic Al Ain. He previously worked as consultant rheumatologist in NHS UK. He undertook his Rheumatology training in Leeds & West Yorkshire region UK. He also worked as a clinical research fellow at Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine.

Dr Fazal has special interest in Musculoskeletal ultrasound including ultrasound evaluation of joints for inflammatory diseases, and ultrasound guided injections.

Dr Fazal is a Fellow of Royal college of Physicians Edinburg, Member of the Royal College of Physicians (London), Member of British Society of Rheumatology ,Emirates Society of Rheumatology and the Emirates Medical Association.

Fahda Al Okaily is a Consultant Rheumatologist in Prince Sultan Military Medical City at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Faisal Elbadawi is a Senior Specialist Rheumatologist practicing in Dubai Hospital Department of medicine Rheumatology unit since 2011.
His areas of interest include Interventional Rheumatology, he is EULAR Certified MSK Ultrasonographist (Level 1 Competency), Implementing POCUS for patients with RMDs Through a weekly dedicated MSK Ultrasound clinic using the high-end system for diagnosis, monitoring, and US-guided interventions.

Lupus nephritis clinical and research (In collaboration with nephrologist Running shared Rheuma/Nephro clinic) since 2016

Dr.Fawaz finished medical school at Faculty of Medicine ,Kuwait University (MBBS) then went to Canada to obtain residency in Pediatrics at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia,Canada,then Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and nutrition fellowship at University of Alberta,Canada.Furthermore,Dr.AlRefaee he is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP).He is having special interest in celiac disease,nutrition,functional GI diseases, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Dr.AlRefaee is a member of many national and international societies like north American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition( NASPGHAN)

Dr Gianina has worked as Consultant Rheumatologist in the UK before moving to UAE. She has completed 2 fellowships in Rheumatology at the Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam and University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. She has a special interest in early arthritis and psoriatic arthritis as well as patient education. Dr Gianina has a 10 y history of practising joint and muscle ultrasound for a large variety of procedures including aspiration of fluids from joints or cysts, synovial ultrasound-guided biopsies, and joint ultrasound-guided injections.

Dr Haider Ali is a UK trained consultant in family medicine.

After completing his undergraduate medical training in Manchester (2002), he pursued his family medicine qualifications in Liverpool, graduating in 2013. His passion for delivering evidence based care and interest in dermatology led him to purse a diploma in dermatology from Cardiff medical school, qualifying in 2015.

Dr Ali has authored 4 free medical books and received numerous awards for his academic and charity work including being shorlisted for member of the year (RCGP) and a point of light award (2021).

Experienced Deputy Director with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry. Skilled in Clinical Research, Medical Education, Epidemiology, Rheumatology, and Medicine. Strong professional Rheumatology fellowship graduated from king Faisal Specialist Hospital and Rheumatology/lupus fellowship from Toronto University, Canada.

Hani Almoallim is a Professor of Rheumatology at Umm Alqura University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Heather obtained her PhD in immunology from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, where she investigated human T-cell responses to haemorrhagic virus infection. After completing her postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Eric Pamer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA, Heather embarked on an editorial career. She was an Editor at The Journal of Experimental Medicine for more than a decade before joining The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology as Deputy Editor in 2015. She later served as Deputy Editor for The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology before becoming the inaugural Editor-in-Chief for The Lancet Rheumatology in 2019. Heather has extensive experience as a science editor and writer and is passionate about communicating science to all audiences.

Hendrik Schulze-Koops has completed study of Medicine in 1988 from University of Hamburg and post-doctoral research in Max Planck Society at the Institute of Clinical Immunology ,Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen

Jacob M van Laar obtained his MD PhD at Leiden University in 1988 and 1993 respectively. He completed his specialty training in Internal Medicine in 1996 and Rheumatology in 1999 at Leiden University Medical Center where he worked at the Department of Rheumatology (then led by Ferdinand Breedveld) until 2007 interrupted by a research fellowship at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases, USA (then headed by Peter Lipsky) from 2002-2004. From 2007-2013 he was Professor of Clinical Rheumatology at Newcastle University, UK, before moving back to the Netherlands when he was appointed Professor of Rheumatology at UMC Utrecht. His main research interests are pathogenesis and clinical aspects of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis, in particular development of innovative therapies such as stem cell therapy. He was co-convenor of the EULAR Task Force on difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis, former Editor of Rheumatology (Oxford) and founding board member of the ARCH Foundation (www.arch.nl) and European Reference Network ReCONNET (https://reconnet.ern-net.eu). He has published over 400 articles in peer-reviewed research journals and textbooks with H-index 71.

L.Jeyaseelan obtained his PhD degree from Madras University, India. He has made important contribution in training for Biostatistics and Epidemiological Methods in India. Established Biostatistics Resource and Training Centre (BRTC) with the Funding from INCLEN, USA and PATH India. He has developed nMaster 2.0 sample size calculation software which is widely used in India. Currently involved in promoting Bayesian Methods and Machine and Deep Learning work in Medicine.

Dr Kamran Mahmood is a UK trained paediatric Rheumatologist. He completed paediatric rheumatology training and was awarded CCT in Paediatrics and Paediatric Rheumatology in July 2016. He joined Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, NHS foundation trust as a Consultant in Paediatric Rheumatology in August 2016. He was awarded local clinical excellence award in 2019 and 2020. He joined Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, in February 2022.
Dr Kamran is highly skilled and motivated clinician with an interest in JIA, Juvenile Lupus, Scleroderma, Periodic fevers, chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis, Bechet’s Disease, Macrophage activation syndromes and MIS-C. Dr Kamran has been actively involved in medical research and has been Principle Investigator for a number of national and international clinical trials and cohort studies. He contributed and published number of papers in peer reviewed journals. Dr Kamran has special interest in inflammatory bone disease and he has contributed to number of studies and publications on Chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis.
Dr Kamran is passionate about medical education and loves teaching and mentoring trainees, medical students and Allied Health Professionals. He held a formal role in training as a College Tutor for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). He is also member of many international organisations including RCPCH- Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health, BSPAR- British Society of Paediatric Rheumatology, CARRA- Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance and PRES- Paediatric Rheumatology European Society.

Dr. Khalid Alnaqbi is a Consultant Rheumatologist, Chief of Rheumatology at Tawam hospital, and Clinical Assistant Professor, UAE University. He is also the Vice President of Emirates Medical Association. He graduated from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University. Dr. Alnaqbi completed post- graduate residency training at the University of Toronto in Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, and Spondyloarthritis Clinical Fellowship with thesis-based Master of Science (MSc). He holds multiple board certifications (American and Canadian Boards in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Clinician Investigator Board, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Program).

Dr Rana is trained in Musculoskeletal and General Radiology. He has over 13 years of Radiology experience working in various hospitals in the UK including Chelsea and Westminister Hospital London, Nottingham University Hospital and Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham.
He has extensive experience in image guided injections and interventions, including joint injections for arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and various other musculoskeletal conditions.

Dr. Mahmood Hachim has multidisciplinary backgrounds that shaped his medical degree and research career. With two Ph.D. in molecular medicine and translation research from University of Sharjah and Lubeck University in Germany, Master of research in cancer biology from University of Dundee and Master of Science in Medical Microbiology and Immunology from Al Nahrain University in Iraq, Dr. Mahmood made a research track and experience in systems biology to apply its advances to decipher complex diseases like breast cancer, diabetes, Asthma as well as an understanding of the human microbiome by applying novel bioinformatics approaches and state of the art omics approach. Understanding the molecular basis of such diseases to identify novel diagnostic and predictive clinically proven biomarkers is his goal. Specifically, understanding the exact role of host immune response and microbiome interaction in susceptibility and development of clinical heterogeneity of such chronic diseases.

Dr. Mahmoud El-Kaissi, MD, is a Staff Physician in the Imaging Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Dr El-Kaissi is the Lead thoracic Consultant Radiologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. El-Kaissi worked as an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center.

Dr. El-Kaissi received his medical degree from a University in Kaunas, Lithuania. He completed his Radiology residency at King Hussein Medical Center Amman, Jordan. Dr. El-Kaissi is an American Board-certified Radiologist with four ACGME accredited fellowship in Neuroradiology, pediatric Radiology, Body cross sectional imaging and cardiothoracic Imaging. Dr. El-Kaissi resides in Abu Dhabi with his wife and three children.

Dr Musgrave is a UK board certified consultant rheumatologist. She has more than 18 years of experience in all aspects of adult Rheumatology and prides herself in promoting individualised patient care.
She completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, Khartoum Pharmacy, from Sudan and further completed her postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Education from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Dr Marcus trained in Oswestry (UK) at the internationally renowned orthopaedic hospital there and undertook fellowships in trauma and spine surgery. He has worked in the UK and Middle East and specialises in all aspects of spine surgery. He undertook fellowships in minimally invasive spine surgery, endoscopic surgery and scoliosis surgery. Dr Marcus also treats general orthopaedic trauma, managing fractures of the limbs and spine. Dr Marcus has written book chapters, published scientific papers and presented at international meetings.

Dr. Lee Consultant Rheumatologist and Adjunct Associate Professor in Clinical Rheumatology currently working at Mediclinic Parkview Hospital and MBRU, Dubai.
Dr. Lee have previously worked as a Consultant Rheumatologist at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath, UK and a Consultant Rheumatologist, Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer and Associate Sub- Dean at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University, UK.

Professor Martin Steinhoff is Chairman of the Dept. of Dermatology and Venereology, Director of the Dermatology Institute as well as Director of Translational Research Institute (TRI) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). He is also Full-Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College New York, USA, Weill-Cornell Medicine-Qatar, and Medical School, Qatar University. He is also the current residency program director for dermatology at HMC.

Professor Steinhoff studied Medicine and Human Biology in Germany where he received his MD, M.Sc. and PhD from the University of Marburg. After his residency in Dermatology/Venereology, he became Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Muenster in 2002, rising from assistant to full professor in 6 years.

He holds board certificates in Dermatology, Venereology, Phlebology and Allergy. His clinical fields of interests are inflammatory skin diseases, translational medicine and -omics technology.

Prof. Steinhoff is an established physician scientist with a long-standing background in basic and clinical research. His group has discovered several mechanisms which are now basis for new therapies of skin diseases. He is author in most relevant textbooks for Dermatology on Skin Inflammation and Allergy.

Prof. Steinhoff’s current research has been funded with more than 60 Mio Euro in 22 years. His group has published yet 246 peer-reviewed articles or reviews, 37 book chapters, and more than 700 abstracts (IF>1416; H-index 83). He holds various patents, has been consultant for > 25 companies, and serves on the scientific advisory board of various dermatology societies and industry partners. He has been P.I. on > 80 grants, > 25 clinical trials.

Professor Martin Steinhoff is Chairman of the Dept. of Dermatology and Venereology, Director of the Dermatology Institute as well as Director of Translational Research Institute (TRI) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). He is also Full-Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College New York, USA, Weill-Cornell Medicine-Qatar, and Medical School, Qatar University. He is also the current residency program director for dermatology at HMC.

Professor Steinhoff studied Medicine and Human Biology in Germany where he received his MD, M.Sc. and PhD from the University of Marburg. After his residency in Dermatology/Venereology, he became Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Muenster in 2002, rising from assistant to full professor in 6 years.

Maryam Ali Al-Nesf Al-Mansouri received the MD degree from Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, in 1999, and the Arab Board of Internal Medicine in 2005. She pursues her higher education by doing the fellowships in Pulmonary Medicine, followed by Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Qatar-HMC & Cambridge, UK March 2006- Feb. 2010. She passed EAACI/UEMS Exam in Allergology and Clinical Immunology in 2014. She was granted her Master’s by research (MSc R) from the University of Bristol/ UK (School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine) in 2019 and currently doing a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine with the University College of London/ UK. She received multiple grants under Qatar Foundations QNRF (worth more than 3.5 M QAR (close to 1 M USD) and multiple HMC-IRGC cycles. She mentored many master degree students at Qatar University as well as residents and fellows in HMC for conducting their researches. She has multiple publications in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and book chapters. Also, participated in writing consensus, protocols and guidelines in Qatar and internationally. She is leading the establishment of the pollen & fungal calendar and atlas of Qatar since 2016. Also, she is involved in multiple projects to investigate personalized and precision medicine and OMICs in COVID19, allergic and lung disease and non-communicable diseases. Dr. Al-Nesf is granted the following academic positions: Clinical Assistant Professor, Qatar University College of Medicine since August 2016. She is the Program Director for the combined Allergy and Immunology Fellowship training in Qatar since 2014 to date, which received ACGME-I accreditation in 2018. She established and was the former Pulmonary Fellowship PD (2012-2015). She is appointed head of the Adult A&I service in Qatar in 2016 to date.

Dr Merashli is currently a rheumatology consultant at the American University Hospital in Beirut. Has received her clinical training at the Royal London Hospital in UK. She’s also a current fellow at the Royal College of Physicians

Dr. Mohammed A. Omair is a consultant rheumatologist and associate professor at King Saud University. He is a graduate of the Saudi Board of rheumatology and hold a subspecialty in both Rheumatoid arthritis and Systemic Sclerosis from the University of Toronto, Canada.

She is the first female Nephrologist and Internist in UAE. Graduated from the University of Kuwait in 1983 and subsequently received her MRCP (UK) in 1989, FRCP Edinburg – 2001 and FRCP London – 2005

Prof. Alrukhaimi has actively organized World Kidney Day activities in the UAE since 2006 and the past seventh rounds of the ISN Update Course in Nephrology. She played an active role in the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism . She was a member of the Steering Committee for Women in Transplantation under TTS. She is regular Examiner at the Royal College of Physician of UK.She is country investigator in DOPPS 5 and 6.

She Co-Chaired the 13th MESOT Meeting in 2012, and Chaired the 12th Congress of the Arab Society of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation (ASNRT)& The 6th ISN-EMAN Update Course in Nephrology in 2014.

Prof. Alrukhaimi has received various prestigious awards, including the Ministry of Education Award, UAE (1976), Sheikh Rashid AlMaktoum Award for Postgraduate achievement (1989), the National Kidney Foundation International Distinguished Medalist, USA (2007) , Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid AlMaktoum Award for Medical Science (2012) and a special honor and award of recognition by Gulf Medical University (2012).

Prof Nandu Goswami, MD, PhD, is a medical doctor and a cardiovascular physiologist with special interests in spaceflight physiology. He carries out spaceflight physiology research as well as its application on Earth (“Life in Space for Life on Earth”). He examines the parallels between spaceflight and aging and how countermeasures developed in space for astronauts can help older bedrest confined persons on Earth (“Spaceflight meets Geriatrics”).
Dr Goswami is the President of Austrian Physiological Society and a member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). In addition to being a part of the ESA bedrest expert team and a coordinator of a European Space Agency (ESA) approved Topical Team on thromboembolism, Dr Goswami is a member of the Working Group on Space and Human Health at United Nations Office for Outer Space (UNOOSA).
Dr Goswami has published over 145 papers in the field of cardiovascular system and vascular function assessments in health and diseases.

Dr. Nuha Alrajhi is a Consultant and assistant professor. She is also the Program Director of Pulmonary Fellowship program at King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University.
She specializes in Interstitial lung diseases and her main area of interest are IPF and CTD-related ILD.

Dr. Omar Alsaed is a Consultant Rheumatologist at Hamad Medical Corporation. He graduated from Egypt and he completed Internal Medicine Residency Program and Rheumatology fellowship training at Hamad Medical Corporation. He is Medicine Arab Board certified and a member of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK (MRCP). Dr Omar has a big interest in research. He has many publications in peer reviewed journals and got many grants from Medical research center for many research projects in Rheumatology and osteoporosis field.

Dr. Puja Mehta, is a Rheumatology senior specialist registrar and is undertaking a basic science PhD in immunopathomechanisms of post-COVID interstitial lung disease at University College London (UCL), Respiratory Division. She is a strong proponent of cross-speciality working. Her main research interests are rheumatic-associated interstitial lung disease and immunotherapeutics. She has experience in drug development and the industry-academic interface, having designed a clinical trial in rheumatoid arthritis during a pharmaceutical industry fellowship and a background in academic Haematology. She is a member of member of the COVID-19 EULAR task force and is current clinical chair of the early career research (ECR) network committee and member of the Athena Swan committee at UCL. She is an Associate Editor for the Rheumatology journal and supervises and teaches MSc and medical students at UCL and Imperial College.

Dr. Raj Sengupta is a Consultant Rheumatologist and Lead for the Rheumatology service and Axial Spondyloarthritis at The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath (RNRHD). He is also a Visiting Senior Lecturer and IMI Fellow at the University of Bath.
He is a member of the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) Spondyloarthritis Special Interest Group, the BSR axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) Biologics Guidelines Committee and a member of ASAS (Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society). Dr. Sengupta has represented the BSR at the NICE TA383 appraisal for anti-TNF in axSpA. Dr. Sengupta is a Medical Advisor for the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS) and is one of the founding members of British Society for Spondyloarthritis. He was the recipient of the 2016 NASS Patients Choice award for the best care provided by a Rheumatologist.
Dr. Sengupta is the Principal Investigator (PI) in several national and international clinical trials in axial spondyloarthritis. He has a number of peer reviewed publications on axSpA. He has also been an invited speaker on axSpA at several national and international meetings.

Rajaie Namas, MD, is the Section Head of Rheumatology at the Medical Subspecialties Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Namas served at the University of Michigan as a Clinical Lecturer for two years, and was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. He was then promoted to Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Namas received his medical degree from the University of Tripoli, Libya. He completed his postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, followed by his residency in Internal Medicine at Hurley Medical Center/Michigan State University in Flint, Michigan, US. Dr. Namas completed his clinical and research fellowship in Rheumatology at the Wayne State University/Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, US.
Dr. Namas is currently active in numerous research projects focused on treatment strategies, measures of outcome, and translational studies of potential laboratory markers of disease activity.
He has multiple publications and awards in the field of Rheumatology, and is a reviewer on multiple peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Namas is a member and fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and American College of Physicians.

Reem Abdwani is an Associate Professor and Senior Consultant at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Muscat, Oman.

Reem Al-Jayyousi completed undergraduate and postgraduate training in Medicine and Nephrology in the UK. She holds a PhD from the University of Leicester and was involved in clinical research trials in the field of nephrology, systemic lupus and vasculitis. She held positions in medical education for the last 15 years in undergraduate and postgraduate training. She is a practicing Nephrologist with an special interest in auto-immune disease. She is bilingual (Arabic, English).

Dr Richard Wakefield is a Senior Lecturer in Rheumatology at the University of Leeds and an Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust. He is the ultrasound research lead for the Leeds Biomedical Research centre. His main research focus has been on the use of ultrasound for the diagnosis and management of patients with inflammatory arthritis. His work has contributed to the evidence base for the development of international standards for using ultrasound for a range of musculoskeletal disorders. Dr Wakefield was the founding co-chair of the OMERACT US group and previous co-chair of the ACR US study group. He has published over 200 imaging related papers, coedited the first ultrasound textbook endorsed by EULAR and supervises Masters, MD and PhD students. His other major interest is medical education and training. He has hosted over 50 international ultrasound fellows, has been convenor of past ultrasound courses for the BSR and EULAR and has been a presenter and teacher at many international meetings/ courses. He is the current BSR SIG lead for ultrasound.

Dr Saadeya Naji Abdulkarim, is the first Bahraini female consultant in Rheumatology in Bahrain. Currently she is a Consultant in Internal medicine and Rheumatology , Head of Rheumatology unit in MOH.

She is a senior lecturer in RCSI, and part of the Arab board training program in Bahrain.
Previously held positions as a member in the mortality &morbidity committee, deputy of the head of accreditation of medical department, a supervisor in TNA ( Training Need Assessment ) committee for internal medical department , FPRP coordinator . Currently a member in the autonomy team selected by the supreme council of health and a reviewer in the Saudi journal.

She is the founder and the president of ABRC (annual Bahrain rheumatology conference), started in 2017. Also actively involved in many conferences in the gulf region as in SSR ( Saudi society of rheumatology conference ), and GCC conference.

She has interest in SLE and vasculitis. Has many publications on that regard , last one was published in BSR journal 2019, (Takayasu Arteritis ,presenting as bilateral popliteal artery aneurysm )
She has on -going research work related to rheumatic diseases in Bahrain, (APS among migraine patients, prevalence of sacroilitis among psoriatic patients in Bahrain .etc.)

Dr. Samar Al-Emadi is a Senior Consultant Rheumatologist, Fellowship Program Director in Rheumatology, and is the Head of Rheumatology Division at Hamad General Hospital, Qatar. She is also an Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and is a faculty member for Clinical Teaching Program in Hamad Medical Corporation and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, and Stanford Faculty Development Center for Clinical Teachers.
Dr. Al-Emadi received her medical degree from the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, KSA. She had her internship and part of her residency at Hamad General Hospital followed by residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Western in London Ontario, Canada. She then completed her Rheumatology fellowship at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada afterwards completed her fellowship training in pregnancy and rheumatic disease for 6 months with Professor Carl Laskin. She has been certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology from the Royal College of Physician and Surgeon of Canada, and the American board of internal medicine and Rheumatology. In 2005, she was able to establish a pregnancy and rheumatic disease clinic in Hamad General Hospital. She has also completed her Master of Business Administration degree in London Business School.
Currently, Dr. Samar Al-Emadi is a member of multiple corporate committees, member of the Governance and Strategy of Hamad Medical Corporation Research Committee, Hamad Medical Corporation IRB, and Steering Committee for OPD Development. She is also a member of multiple committees locally and regionally, multiple advisory boards.
Dr. Al-Emadi has received multiple research grants one of which is the QNRF Grant to study Genetics of RA in Arab countries, a multinational study. She already has several publication in peer reviewed journals, and is also involved in multiple RCT as a PI and Co-PI.
Dr. Al Emadi is a speaker in multiple local and regional conferences

Sima Abu Al Saoud is a Consultant Pediatric Rheumatologist at the Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto and Makassed Hospital, Jerusalem. She is also a Assistant professor of Paediatrics at Al- Quds University.

Suad Hannawi, BhSc, MD, MRCP (UK), FRCP (UK), MIPH (AUS), PHD (AUS), a consultant of Rheumatology at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) of UAE. Chairman of Rheumatology at MOHAP, Deputy Chairman of the Central Research Ethic Committee (REC), and the Chairman of Dubai Health District REC.
After receiving her Bachelor of Science (BhSc), and the Medical Diploma (MD), Dr. Hannawi obtained the fellowship of Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and completed her clinical training of Rheumatology in Australia. Dr. Hannawi proceeded with her academic attainment by obtaining a PhD in Rheumatology.

Her Interest in the Public Health motivated her to proceed with getting a Master of International Public Health from University of Queensland, Australia, with Dean’s Commendation for High Achievement.

Dr. Hannawi has been awarded as best young investigator in Australia “Princess Alexandra” Research Week in 2007 and awarded by the MOHAP for six consecutive years (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 2019, and 2020) for her Scientific Achievements and contributions. In 2017 Dr. Hannawi was chosen as one of the best 5 physicians in the Federal health institutes for the Prime Minister Medal.
Dr. Hannawi has published in number of journals and has presented at different national and international conferences. As well, Dr. Hannawi is a reviewer for many international Rheumatology journals.

Consultant physician and Head of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, and a Clinical Staff at Dasman Diabetes Institute in Kuwait. Graduate of Kuwait University, Faculty of Medicine. Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology. Received the Dr. John P. Bilezikian ISCD Global Leadership Award. Chair of the Examination Committee, Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations (KIMS) Fellowship Program in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. Vice President of the Kuwait Osteoporosis Society.

Waleed Abdurrab Hafiz, MD is an Assistant Professor at Umm Al-Qura University, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He is also appointed as Consultant Internist and Rheumatologist at Alnoor Specialist Hospital and Consultant Rheumatologist at Kafaat General Medical Complex. Dr. Hafiz is the Head of the Professional Development Vertical Module, UQUMED Reformed MBBS Curriculum at Umm Al-Qura University since 2018.

Professor Yousef AL Saleh graduated in 1991 from King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He completed the Membership of The Royal College of Physicians (London), MRCP (U.K.) in 1994 and the Arab Board of Medicine in 1996. Subsequently he did Fellowship Training in Endocrinology and Diabetes at The University of California, San Diego in 1997/1998.
He is currently Professor of Medicine and Endocrinology, King Saud University for Health Sciences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He chaired the Saudi Board of Medicine and Medical Subspecialties at the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties between 2011 and 2017.

Professor AL Saleh is currently board member of the International Osteoporosis Foundation, He serves several terms as Secretary General and Vice President of the Saudi Osteoporosis Society. He is a past president of the Gulf Association of Endocrinology and Diabetes. He is the Co-founder of the Saudi Diabetes Fellowship Training Program, launched in 2015.
He has more than 100 publications in peer reviewed journals in the field of diabetes and endocrinology particularly on aspects of Metabolic Syndrome, Osteoporosis, Diabetes and Vitamin D. He is the first author of the Saudi National Guidelines for Osteoporosis published in 2015 and is the 2nd author of the Saudi Guidelines for Vitamin D published in 2017. He led the Vitamin D and the Osteoporosis GCC study groups that led to the formulation of the GCC Consensus reports on Vitamin D published in 2020 and the GCC Countries Osteoporosis Consensus Report published in 2021.
He led the Saudi FRAX Project ending with the Launch of Saudi FRAX in October 2021and is the first author of the Saudi FRAX paper,
He is currently leading the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs Diabetes Registry Project.

Dr. Abou Zahr is a Consultant in Rheumatology with more than ten years’ experience in the U.S. He is double American Boarded in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. His special interest is in musculoskeletal ultrasound diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. He earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut and completed his internal medicine residency at a Johns Hopkins-affiliated hospital in Baltimore where he worked with several world-renowned rheumatologists. He then completed his Rheumatology Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine, in Texas, before joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota as an Assistant Professor, where he introduced musculoskeletal ultrasound. He was appointed Director for Rheumatology Training, at Hennepin County Medical Center; and Director of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Training, for the University of Minnesota Rheumatology Fellowship program. Dr Abou Zahr holds the American College of Rheumatology certification in musculoskeletal ultrasound (RhMSUS) as well as the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (RMSK). Dr. Abou Zahr is a Fellow of American College of Rheumatology (FACR) and is an active member of the United States School for North American Rheumatologists (USSONAR). Currently Dr Abou Zahr is a consultant Rheumatologist and the director of the Osteoporosis center at Healthpoint Hospital, Abu Dhabi.