AGENDA
Day 1: Friday, 16 May 2025
09:00 - 09:05
Introduction
Prof. Khaled Musallam
Burjeel Holdings & Khalifa University, UAE; Weill Cornell Medicine, USA
09:05 - 09:15
Opening remarks
TBA
Keynote Session: The Research Journey from Bench to Bedside to the Community
Chairperson: Dr. Khaled Musallam
Burjeel Holdings & Khalifa University, UAE; Weill Cornell Medicine, USA
09:15 - 09:40
Research as a pillar in safeguarding global health
H.E. Dr. Nora Berra
Former Minister of Health and MEP, France
09:40 - 10:05
The NIAID-MENAT initiative as a model to enhance collaborative research globally
Dr. Mohamed Sayegh
​NIAID/NIH, USA
10:05 - 10:30
The journey from discovery to clinical development in academia: highs and low
Prof. Kamal F. Badr
American University of Beirut, Lebanon;
Johns Hopkins University, USA
10:30 - 11:00
Coffee break
Biomedical and Translational Programs in MENA: Success Stories
Chairperson: Dr. Walid Abbas Zaher
REWIND & Our Longevity, UAE
11:00 - 11:15
Insights from Saudi Arabia
Prof. Fowzan Alkuraya
Lifera Omics & Alfaisal University, Saudi Arabia
11:15 - 11:30
Insights from Qatar
Prof. Khalid Fakhro
Sidra Medicine, Qatar
11:30 - 11:45
Insights from Qatar
Prof. Khaled Machaca
Weill Cornell Medicine, Qatar
11:45 - 12:00
Insights from Lebanon
Prof. Assaad A. Eid
American University of Beirut, Lebanon
12:00 - 13:00
Roundtable: Growing biomedical and translational research capabilities in the UAE
Prof. Abdishakur Abdulle
NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE
​
Prof. Bassam Ali​
United Arab Emirates University, UAE
​​
​​​​Prof. Montasir Qasymeh
Abu Dhabi University, UAE
​​​
​Prof. Rabih Halwani
University of Sharjah, UAE
​
Prof. Saleh Ibrahim
Khalifa University, UAE​
​
Dr. Thomas Launey
Technology and Innovation Institute, UAE
13:00 - 14:15
Lunch break
14:15 - 14:45
Industry Symposia
TBA
How AI is Revolutionizing Clinical and Translational Research
Chairperson: Dr. Mohammad Yaqub
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, UAE
14:45 - 15:05
The case of diagnostics
Dr. Jason Hipp
Digital Pathology and AI Expert, USA
15:05 - 15:25
The case of predictive models
Prof. Hussain Ismaeel
Aman Hospital, Qatar
15:25 - 15:45
The case of drug discovery
TBA
15:45 - 16:00
Panel Discussion and Q&A
16:00 - 16:30
Coffee break
Workshops
16:30 - 17:10
The architecture of a winning grant application
Shamyla Siddique
Burjeel Holdings, UAE
17:10 - 17:50
Designing a fulfilling career in translational sciences
Dr. Shaikha Almazrouei
Technology Innovation Institute, UAE
17:50-18:00
Day 1 closing remarks
Day 2: Saturday, 17 May 2025
The Evolving Landscape of Clinical Trials in the MENA Region
Chairperson: Prof. Ali Taher
American University of Beirut, Lebanon
09:00 - 09:30
Decentralized clinical trials beyond the Covid era
Dr. Hady Khoury
Medable Inc, USA
09:30 - 10:30
Roundtable: What have we achieved so far and where are we heading?
Prof. Hikmat Abdel-Razeq
King Hussein Cancer Center, Jordan
​​
Prof. Khaled Musallam
Burjeel Holdings & Khalifa University, UAE; Weill Cornell Medicine, USA
​
Col. Prof. Manaf Alqahtani
RCSI, Bahrain
​​
Dr. Mariam Saleh Al Harbi
SEHA, Abu Dhabi, UAE
​​​
Dr. Mohamed Abuhaleeqa
​Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center, UAE
​
Prof. Waleed Alhazzani
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
​​
Dr. Wasim El Nekidy
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, UAE​​
10:30 - 11:00
Coffee break
Optimizing Clinical Trial Capabilities in the MENA Region
Chairperson: Prof. Khaled Musallam
Burjeel Holdings & Khalifa University, UAE; Weill Cornell Medicine, USA
11:00 - 12:00
Roundtable: The industry perspective
Ahmed Hamouda
RAY CRO, Egypt
​
Dr. Ahmed Yosry
MSD, UAE
​
Dr. Alaa Assem
CTI EMEA, UAE
​​
Essamelden Mohammed
MCT-CRO, UAE
​
​Dr. Eva Turgonyi
​AstraZeneca, UAE
​
Dr. Georges Labaki
Phoenix Clinical Research, Lebanon; Balsam Clinical Research, Saudi Arabia
​
Islam Eltantawy
​IROS M42, UAE
​
Mohamad Mostafa
PDC-CRO, UAE
​
Dr. Sahar Ebrahim
​IQVIA MENA, Egypt​​​
12:00 - 13:00
Industry Symposia
TBA
13:00 - 14:15
Lunch break
14:15 - 14:45
Industry Symposia
TBA
The Patient Perspective
Chairperson: Prof. Ayman El-Hattab
University of Sharjah, UAE
14:45 - 15:10
Patient centricity in clinical trial design and implementation
15:10 - 15:35
The role of patient organizations and NGOs in research & development
TBA
Rana Abu Khadra
CureSCG and Mother of Child with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, UAE
15:35 - 16:00
Clinical trial participant testimonials
Shamyla Siddique
Burjeel Holdings, UAE
16:00 - 16:30
Coffee break
Workshop​
16:30 - 17:10
Clinical study design in a nutshell
Prof. Hani Tamim
American University of Beirut, Lebanon;
Alfaisal University, Saudi Arabia
17:10 - 17:50
How I write manuscripts for peer-reviewed medical journals
Prof. Khaled Mussallam
Burjeel Holdings & Khalifa University, UAE; Weill Cornell Medicine, USA
17:50 - 18:00
Day 2 closing remarks