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Scientific Committee

Dr. Nahida Nayaz Ahmed Conference Chair

Chief Medical Officer

SEHA Mental Health Services

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Dr. Nahida Nayaz Ahmed

Dr. Nahida Ahmed, our Chief Medical Officer, is a distinguished psychiatrist and a staunch advocate for evidence-based practices in mental healthcare. Her commitment to the highest standards of clinical care ensures that every patient at Sakina receives personalized, research-driven treatment.

Dr. Nahida Ahmed is an Emarati Consultant Psychiatrist who trained at Tufts University-affiliated St. Elizabeth Medical Centre for Residency and Harvard University-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance for Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship. She has since been on the front line for mental health changes nationwide. Dr. Ahmed is an adjunct associate professor at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, and an Associate Lecturer at Khalifa University. Dr. Ahmed has authored and published several research papers nationally and internationally. She is a notable speaker on national and international platforms, an avid reader, a travel enthusiast, a mother to three exceptional children, and a spouse to a distinguished Transplant Nephrologist.

Dr. Samer Makhoul Conference Co-Chair

CEO- Reem Neuroscience

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Dr. Fatema Rashed Almansouri

Dr. Samer Makhoul is a Consultant Psychiatry at Reem Hospital who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Depression, Mood, Anxiety, Panic Disorders, and more. He holds an MBBS from Damascus University, Syria, and is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Dr. Samer also has broad experience working with well-known UAE and UK facilities. He also has a special interest in the field of Aviation, where he holds the title of Specialist Aeromedical Examiner by the General Civil Aviation Authority in the UAE.

In addition, Dr. Samer also owns a certificate of Psychopharmacology from the British Association of Psychopharmacology and a post-graduate certificate in Autism from Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. He previously held prominent positions as a Multidisciplinary Service Director, Head of the Psychiatry Department, and Deputy Chief Medical Officer. He is also a regular speaker at national and international conferences with multiple publications in medical journals.

Dr. Samer is passionate and committed to patient care and strongly committed to the field of Psychiatry with a will and aims to raise awareness about mental health regionally.

Dr. Emad Farrag

Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist

Head of Psychiatry Department

Brain Health Center, Global Care Hospital

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Dr. Emad Farrag

Dr. Farrag is a UK trained senior consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist who has recently joined the Brain Health Center at Global Care Hospital as Director of Children’s Services & Head of Psychiatry Department. He is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London, UK. He was also registered as an Approved Clinician of the Mental Health Act 1983.

He completed his training in general psychiatry at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, U.K. then went on to complete his higher specialist training in child and adolescent psychiatry at the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK. As a consultant, he led the development of child and adolescent services at one of the largest private mental health service providers in the United Kingdom.

In Abu Dhabi, he worked at The Maudsley Center as well as more recently The American Center of Psychiatry and Neurology (ACPN) where he was the clinical lead for the Adult ADHD Service. He has also been involved closely with ADEK in determining Special Educational Needs (SEN) and People of Determination (PoD). He has also been keen in advocating early detection and intervention in childhood and transition into Adult ADHD. He led and developed a specialist clinic for Adult ADHD in the UK with one of the largest private mental health providers as well being the clinical lead of the first Specialized Adult ADHD Care Pathway in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Dr. Fatema Rashed Almansouri

Consultant Psychiatrist

Founder - Halek Lahamek

CEO - New Beginnings

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Dr. Fatema Rashed Almansouri

Dr. Fatema Al Mansouri is a consultant psychiatrist with 21 years of experience in the field. She is the founder of “Halek Le Hamek” the first virtual psychiatry clinic in the UAE. She has a fellowship in women’s mental health from Toronto university. Dr. Al Mansouri started the first women’s mental health clinic in UAE. She is the CEO of “ New beginnings “, a state of art boutique that will launch very soon. She was awarded by her excellency Ohood Alroumi for participating in “ Don’t worry campaign “.

She was awarded for training the volunteers for Hope hot line in Dubai; the first psychiatry hotline in the UAE. She was awarded by Abu Dhabi Public Health Center (ADPHC) for training volunteers for psychological hot line support in Abu Dhabi. She was awarded for being active in community campaigns. She has a special interest in psychodynamic therapy, interpersonal therapy, group therapy and trauma therapy.

Prof. George Tadros

Deputy Chief Medical Officer

Consultant Psychiatrist

American Centre of Psychiatry and Neurology

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Prof. George Tadros

Prof. Tadros, MD, is a Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Consultant Psychiatrist at the American Centre of Psychiatry and Neurology (ACPN), UAE. He brings over 20 years of experience to the field, having obtained his MD degree from Keele University, United Kingdom. A Member and Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, he specializes in geriatric psychiatry, organic psychiatry, and memory clinics. His previous roles include Consultant Psychiatrist for the elderly and Liaison Psychiatrist at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust in the UK.

Prof. Tadros has received recognition for his clinical work, including Bronze and Silver National Clinical Excellence Awards. He has also held academic positions as Professor of Psychiatry and Dementia at Aston Medical School, Aston University, UK, and as a visiting professor at various institutions. With a focus on providing holistic care and support, he is dedicated to managing dementia and associated behavioral problems in older individuals.

Dr. Joseph El-Khoury

Consultant Psychiatrist

Co-Founder and CEO

The Valens Clinic

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Dr. Joseph El-Khoury

Dr. Joseph El Khoury is a Consultant Adult and Addiction Psychiatrist. He is the co-founder and CEO of the Valens Clinic, a Dubai based wellbeing clinic established in 2023. He is the former head of the Department of Psychiatry at American Hospital Dubai and has held faculty positions at several universities, including the American University of Beirut. He combines international clinical experience with an extensive track record in teaching, research and mental health advocacy.

Dr. Judy M. Lee

Medical Director for Quality and Safety
Director for Global Services
Johns Hopkins Medicine International

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Dr. Judy M. Lee

Dr. Judy Lee is the Medical Director for Quality and Safety at Johns Hopkins Medicine International who has also been on faculty in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics since 2000 after finishing her residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has previously served as Deputy CMO within SEHA-Abu Dhabi Health Services Company in the United Arab Emirates as well as the CMO under JHMI for Corniche Hospital, the largest maternity hospital in the UAE, from 2009 to 2013. Honors have included teaching awards from Johns Hopkins residents and medical students, inclusion in Baltimore magazine’s Top Doctors issues, recognition as SEHA Chief Medical Officer of the Year, and valedictorian of her MBA class.

Dr. Kheirat Habbal

Assistant Professor
Khalifa University

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Dr. Kheirat Habbal

Dr. Kheirat Habbal is passionate about designing programs to address health challenges innovatively. The programs combine her expertise as a family physician, a medical educator, a global health consultant and a researcher. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Khalifa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is the course director of Medicine and Society and the Director of the KU-BALSAM Community Health Program both of which provide students with educational and experiential opportunities to address health using the biopsychosocial model and the social determinants of health framework. Her research interests include health and social determinants of health throughout the life course, medical education and empathy.

Prof. Medhat Al Sabbahy

Consultant Psychiatrist - Beautiful Mind

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Prof. Medhat Al Sabbahy

Prof. Al Sabbahy is a consultant psychiatrist in Beautiful Mind Medical Center. He is the founder and head of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Community – Psychiatry Department at BSP, SKMC, a member of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA) International Committee, and the Advisory Council of the PRA Academy.

He is a former Head of Scientific Sections and Head of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Division of the Arab Federation of Psychiatrists. International Fellow of APA (IFAPA), Associate Professor of Psychiatry G.M. University, Ex-Regional Vice President; Eastern Mediterranean Region WAPR. He managed to initiate new chapters of WAPR in UAE, Oman and KSA, to activate the Egyptian chapter, and working on initiating chapters in Tunisia, Qatar and Kuwait.

He initiated the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Division in the Arab Federation of Psychiatrists since 2010. He organized many regional and international conferences and chaired WAPR World Congress 2021 and WPA Thematic Congress 2023 held in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He was nominated for the President Elect elections of WAPR 2022 and Chair of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Section in the World Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Muez Siddiq

Consultant Psychiatrist

National Rehabilitation Center, UAE

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Dr. Muez Siddiq

Dr. Muez Siddig is an experienced psychiatrist dedicated to improving mental health. He earned his Arab Board Certificate in Psychiatry in 2016 and completed his training at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. In 2019, he gained membership from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom (MRC Psych).

With 12 years of experience, Dr. Siddig has treated various psychiatric disorders, including mood, psychotic, anxiety, and addictive disorders. He worked at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City’s Behavioral Science Pavilion from 2012 to 2018 and currently contributes his expertise to the National Rehabilitation Center.

Dr. Rasha Abbas

Consultant Psychiatrist & Clinical Lead
Mental Health Service - Healthplus Specialty Centres Danat Al Emarat Hospital

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Dr. Rasha Abbas

Dr Rasha Abbas has been working as Consultant Psychiatrist in Abu Dhabi since 2012. She has previously held the position of Consultant Psychiatrist in NHS (National Health Service) Scotland in the UK. She completed her basic psychiatry training in London Charing Cross Hospital and her higher training in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych). She was awarded the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in General Psychiatry with Endorsement in Addiction Psychiatry. She complemented her training with a Certificate of Management of Substance Abuse from Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Scotland.

Throughout her experience, she was actively involved in teaching as well as public education. She was clinical supervisor, examiner and lead tutor for medical students in Scotland. She held the academic position of Honorary Senior Clinical Lecture in Dundee University, Scotland. She has given numerous talks, presentations, and workshops on various mental health related topics both to the public and the medical community.

Dr Rasha is passionate about using a holistic patient-centered approach to treatment of mental disorders, incorporating biological, psychological, and social perspectives. She has extensive knowledge of psychopharmacology and has been trained in delivering cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Her main clinical areas of interest are affective disorders, addiction, and perinatal psychiatry.

Ms. Susan Patridge

Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Maudsley Health

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Ms. Susan Patridge

Ms. Susan Partridge has more than 40 years of experience of working in adult mental health services, both in the UK and in Abu Dhabi. She is currently working as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Maudsley Health in Abu Dhabi. Before moving to the UAE in 2010 she was a Senior Lecturer at the Hull-York Medical School and the Clinical Director of the Clinical Psychology PsyD training programme at Hull University. Following research and clinical experience in substance use services in her early career she has also worked in forensic services and severe and enduring mental health services in both a community and residential setting in the UK. Since moving to Abu Dhabi she has worked in outpatient settings and has a particular interest in Adult ADHD and in third wave CBT, in particular Compassion Focused Therapy. She is passionate about the importance of clinical supervision and values-based practice.

Prof. Tai Broach

Professor of Psychology

Zayed University

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Prof. Tai Broach

Prof. Tai Broach is an organization development consultant, executive coach, mindfulness trainer, program designer and educator. He is a native Californian and is currently an Associate Professor of Practice in Psychology at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. As the CEO and Founder of Taibu Global, LLC, she serves as a global Organizational Development and Executive Leadership Consultant. Dr. Broach holds a dual Ph.D. in Clinical and Industrial/Organizational Psychology. She comes with a broad range of professional work experience in the military, academic, hospital & health care industries.

Dr. Vedrana Mladina

Clinical Psychologist

Associate Director of Counselling - NYUAD

Director of MEPA-UAE Chapter

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Dr. Vedrana Mladina

Dr. Vedrana Mladina, PhD, is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with 20+ years of experience. Originally from Bosnia, Dr. Mladina obtained her undergraduate and postgraduate degree from Karl Franzens University of Graz, Austria. Before joining New York University Abu Dhabi, 7 years ago, she spent 14 years in the Netherlands working for International Criminal Tribunal for Ex Yugoslavia and International Criminal Court in The Hague, providing psychological support for victims of war crimes worldwide. She also taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Webster University in Leiden, Netherlands and worked with expat clients in her own private practice.

She’s an experienced international workshop facilitator/lecturer on topics of psycho-social aspects of investigative interviewing, stress management and self-care for practitioners. Dr. Mladina is trained in CBT, ACT and Schema Therapy and certified in Nutritional Psychology.

She is experienced in treating a wide range of disorders such as trauma, anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, ADHD, relationship, family and identity issues, personality disorders, eating disorders (trained in CBT-E and Schema Therapy for Eating Disorders), body image and self-esteem related difficulties.

Dr. Mladina currently serves as the first Middle East Psychological Association UAE Chapter Director, and she was the Course Director of the inaugural Mental Health Upskilling Course for Primary Care Providers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Waleed Ahmed

Clinical Director and Consultant Psychiatrist

Maudsley Health - Abu Dhabi

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Dr. Waleed Ahmed

Dr. Waleed Ahmed is a senior consultant psychiatrist with 18 years of experience in the United Kingdom, both in the National Health Service (NHS) and private inpatient and outpatient settings. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych), United Kingdom. Dr Waleed has held various clinical roles in the Scotland, United Kingdom, including in the regional adolescent in-patient unit, inpatient forensic unit, and the Specialist Eating Disorders Unit at the Priory Hospital. Recognizing his expertise in psychiatry and the treatment of mental disorders, Dr Waleed was appointed as a Designated Medical Practitioner by the Mental Welfare Commission of Scotland to provide second opinions regarding the treatment of mental disorders. He was also selected as a panel member of the esteemed Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland. Currently, he is a Consultant in Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry and Clinical Director at Maudsley Health, Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Nahida Nayaz Ahmed Conference Chair

Dr. Samer Makhoul Conference Co-Chair

Dr. Emad Farrag

Dr. Fatema Rashed Almansouri

Prof. George Tadros

Dr. Joseph El-Khoury

Dr. Judy M. Lee

Dr. Kheirat Habbal

Prof. Medhat Al Sabbahy

Dr. Muez Siddiq

Dr. Rasha Abbas

Ms. Susan Patridge

Prof. Tai Broach

Dr. Vedrana Mladina

Dr. Waleed Ahmed

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