Speakers

Princess Dina Mired

Princess Dina Mired is a Jordanian humanitarian and health activist. She is a leading global advocate for cancer control and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). She was the President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) from 2018 to 2020 and was the first Arab Muslim elected to lead in such a prestigious global post. Princess Dina is the former Director-General of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation.

Dr. Bassam Abu Hamad

Bassam Abu Hamad has a PhD in human resource management in health, trained in the UK and is Professor of Public Health at Al-Quds University, and currently, General Coordinator of the Public Health Masters and PhD Degree Programs in Gaza.  Bassam is also Associate Director- MENA region, of the longitudinal research programme Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE).

Bassam has over 35 years’ experience in health and education, conducting evaluations and designing programs, including on psychosocial well-being and youth empowerment in post-conflict settings. Bassam focuses on public health policies and programming, social determinants of health, vulnerabilities of refugees, women and children, psychosocial, disability and violence in conflict-affected settings. Bassam is also an active scholar.  He published around 40 referred journal articles, co-authored  a book and wrote 12 book chapters in reputable referred journals and publishing companies.

Yasser Abu-Jamei

Yasser Abu-Jamei is a Palestinian psychiatrist who heads the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP), the leading independent Palestinian non-governmental organization providing mental health services to the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and training for mental health professionals. He became Director General of GCMHP in January 2014, following the death of its founder, Dr. Eyad El Sarraj.

A Palestinian psychiatrist who in 2012 obtained a MSc in Clinical Neuropsychiatry (with distinction) from the University of Birmingham in the UK, Dr. Abu-Jamei is a member of the Task Force which developed the National Mental Health Strategy 2015-2019 in Palestine. He co-led the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Technical Working Group in Gaza Strip and in 2020 co-founded the Palestine Global Mental Health Network. His interests include capacity building, neuropsychiatry, and advocacy. In addition to his research and authorship or co-authorship of some twenty academic papers, he has been certified as a Trainer of Trainers in the field of supervision and care for caregivers by the Free University of Berlin.

Dr. Abu-Jamei has received several honors, including the Best Alumnus Award from the Said Foundation (2015), the Alumnus of the Year award from the University of Birmingham (2016) and the Community Resilience Award from the Rebuilding Alliance (2021).

Since October 7, 2023, Dr. Abu-Jamei has struggled to maintain GCMHP’s ability to provide essential services to a massively displaced population. Many of GCMHP staff employees have lost family members and (like Dr. Abu-Jamei) their homes, and GCMHP clinics have been damaged or entirely destroyed. Under very difficult circumstances, the organization continues to provide mental health interventions and treatment to children and adults in shelters and other areas of displacement.

Eng. Shereen Abu Manneh

Gaza Health Initiative, Secretary General Marketing & Business Development Manager, The Specialty Hospital Academy of Life Sciences, member at the Board of Directors

Eng. Shereen Abu Manneh has 15 years of experience in the healthcare sector. She is one of the founders of Gaza Health Initiative (GHI) that was initiated after the 7th of October 2023 by few healthcare leaders from around the globe. Abu Manneh became the secretary general of Gaza Health Initiative for her devotion to the GHI programs by providing the operational support to the executive committee, conferences, medical missions and others.

She is currently holding the position of the Marketing and Business Development Manager at the Specialty Hospital in Amman, Jordan since 2013. In addition, during the period 2015 – 2022 she have served as one of the main organizers of the Private Hospitals Association conferences and forums that have been attended by around 1000 participants from 50 countries.

Abu Manneh holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and a master’s degree in Business Entrepreneurship.

Eng. Shereen was the first Young Executive Leader from Jordan selected by the International Hospital Federation.

Dr. Hamed AlAyed

With over 37 years of experience as a consultant engineer, Dr. Hamed AlAyed has been the Technical Manager at Holy Rock Consultant Engineers in Jordan since 1990. He earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland in 2002 and has since established a prominent career in the field. As a founder and member of the Board of Directors for the AIOCP, Dr. Hamed AlAyed also leads the Projects Committee, contributing significant expertise and leadership to the organisation.

Dr. Rouba Ali-Fehmi

Dr. Ali-Fehmi is a professor of pathology and the Director of Breast Pathology and Breast Pathology Fellowship at the University of Michigan. She is also a member of Global Reach at Michigan Medicine and a member of the Center of Global Health Equity at the University of Michigan. She previously acted as Vice Chair of the Department of Pathology at Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University, where she also served as the Surgical Pathology Fellowship Director. Dr. Ali-Fehmi serves as a UNICEF USA Midwest board member and is an active member of multiple national and international professional societies. She is also the former president of the Michigan Society of Pathologists (2012-2014). 

Dr. Ali-Fehmi is very interested and dedicated to teaching and research. Over the course of her career, she has mentored many gynecologic oncology and pathology fellows, which ultimately led to more than 140 peer-reviewed publications and presentations, both at national and international meetings. Her research has received many NIH grants in breast and GYN pathology.  

She is also very active in the International Academy of Pathology – Arab Division, where she gives interactive lectures and workshops in most Arab countries. Dr. Ali-Fehmi has served as the liaison to the Middle East at the Global Health Research Collaborative at Wayne State University, where in 2010, she established a Clinical Training Research Associate (CTRA) program, which has helped over 36 young doctors match into residency programs.  

Dr. Ali-Fehmi is also the former president of the National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) and the founder and current chair of NAAMA NextGen. She has also pioneered many research studies to investigate medical and health-related topics in the Arab American population, including obesity in the Arab American population, the rate of HPV in Arab American women, and COVID-19 vaccine attitudes among Arab Americans which was presented at the White House.  

Fawzi Al-Hammouri

Dr. Fawzi Al-Hammouri has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare leadership. Since the 7th of October 2023 he devoted all his resources to support Gaza, from blood donation campaigns, medical missions, medical aid, funding Gazan medical students and many other initiatives. And in November 2023 along with Dr. Omar Lattouf, Dr. Al-Hammouri founded the Gaza Health Initiative (GHI) which works as an aggregator to connect humanitarian organizations to rebuild the health sector in Gaza. In Feb 2024, the GHI launched its first conference, titled “The First International Conference to Rebuild Health Sector in Gaza” which was Under the Patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II in Amman Jordan, co-chaired by Dr. Al-Hammouri. The second conference was held in June 2024, hosted by the American University of Beirut and titled “Justice for Gaza: The Role of International Law in Protecting Health, Education, and Civil Society Amidst Conflict”

Dr. Marwan ALHennawy

Dr. Marwan ALHennawy is the Director of Planning, Programs, and Volunteering at the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO), a position he has held since 2018. He oversees humanitarian initiatives and is a member of key national committees on food security, social protection, and international humanitarian affairs. Previously, he headed JHCO’s Planning and Programs Section and served for 22 years in the Jordanian Police Service, including UN peacekeeping missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Sudan, earning multiple UN Medals. Dr. ALHennawy holds a PhD in Political Science and International Relations (2024), an MBA, and a Bachelor’s in English. He has received numerous awards, including the King Abdallah II Military Entitlement of Merit.

Ali Al-Jaberi

Ali Al-Jaberi is a professional presenter and moderator of high-level events, with a background in journalism and academia. He worked as a TV Correspondent for AP (Europe) and war reporter for De Standaard and Trouw newspapers (Middel-East). In addition, Ali was appointed Lecturer of International Relations at The Hague University. He is the winner of multiple public speaking awards and is fluent in English, Dutch and Arabic. See further www.promoderation.nl

Dr. Ghada Y. Al Jadba

Dr. Ghada Al Jadba is a Chief Field Health Programme with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Gaza field since April 2015. She is Palestinian national and was born in Gaza. She is leading a programme in Gaza that provides basic and lifesaving health services to about 1.3 million Palestinian refugees – equivalent to more than 75%  Gaza’s population.

Dr. Mohammed Alkhaldi 

Dr. Mohammed Alkhaldi  holds a Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Basel, Swiss TPH. He led multinational system analyses of Health Research Systems (HRSs) and Health Technology Assessment systems in different regions, including the MENA region. During the last 10 years, Dr. Alkhaldi investigated various health policy-related issues of the health system in Palestine, including the Gaza Strip.

Throughout his career, Dr. Alkhaldi held leadership and advisory roles with the WHO, COHRED, University of Basel, Swiss TPH, McGill University, McGill University Health Center, Canadian Association for Global Health, Emerging Voices for Global Health, UNICEF, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, Robert Koch Institute, Last Mile Health, and Banbury Center.

He serves as an Editorial Board member of various international journals, lectured in nearly 30 countries; and published over 50 publications.  Currently, as projects lead at McGill University, he is leading different local and international collaborative research projects in digital health technologies, learning health systems, and value-based healthcare in HMLICs.

Dr. Alkhaldi has also served as a regional consultant for the WHO-EMRO and UNICEF-MENARO, providing valuable support in developing hospitals’ readiness and preparedness strategies and advancing preventive primary healthcare acceleration programs under emergencies. Furthermore, he served as a WHO-UHPR TAG expert member advising the WHO-HQ in developing the UHPR process to strengthen the capacity of Member States for effective preparedness.

Dr. Alkhaldi worked for Robert Koch Institute as a global health consultant leading a scoping review to map global public health collaborative surveillance initiatives and programs. Dr. Alkhaldi is an assistant professor at Canadian University Dubai running research projects and teaching various global public health topics. Dr.Alkhaldi is a scientific lead and regional coordinator for the TGHN MENA network and AI in Global Health project where both initiatives are affiliated with the University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Medicine. 

Dr. Mai Al-Kaila

Dr. Mai Al-Kaila, a physician trained at the University of Granada and specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology, has had a distinguished career serving Palestine. After earning a master’s degree in Maternal and Child Health from UC Berkeley, she worked with UNRWA and taught at Al-Quds University. She was the first female from the West Bank to serve as a Palestinian ambassador, representing Palestine in Chile, Italy, and San Marino while also engaging with UN agencies. Dr. Al-Kaila completed her PhD in Public Health from the University of Chile and was the Palestinian Minister of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, receiving global recognition from WHO. Currently, she serves as the Palestinian Representative at the Arab Parliament and is a member of the Palestinian National Council.

Tamer Al-Misshal

Tamer Al-Misshal a Palestinian journalist from Gaza is a senior presenter on Al Jazeera media channel, as well producing and presenting the investigative program (What is Hidden is Greater).   

Currently, during the war in Gaza, Al-Misshal has editorial oversight over the Al Jazeera field journalistic crews covering the war in the Palestinian territories. 

Tamer Al-Misshal a master’s degree holder in media from London and a former BBC correspondent in Gaza for six years prior converting to Al Jazeera in 2008. 

Rasha Al Moghany

Rasha is the Reporting and Quality Manager at Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) in Gaza. She holds a master’s degree in public health from Al-Quds University in Palestine and has extensive experience in health program management within public and international organizations. Currently, Rasha is based in Egypt, where she supports the design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of MAP’s response to the ongoing crisis in Gaza. 

Rasha: “We will continue to work together as national and international agencies to realize a world where every Palestinian can access effective, sustainable, and locally-led healthcare systems. Together, we will rebuild Gaza and restore hope for the future.” 

Tammam Aloudat

Tammam is a medical doctor who has worked in multiple humanitarian and global health organisations for over the last 20 years. Passionate about health equity and reform in humanitarianism and global health, he started with MSF in 2012 as the Head of Public Health Department for Operational Centre Amsterdam (OCA). His next post was as Deputy Medical Director for Operational Centre Geneva (OCG), and then as Deputy Executive Director for the MSF Access Campaign until 2021.

His MSF assignments have brought him to Turkey/Syria, Yemen, and Niger. Tammam has also worked in Iraq, Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Libya/Tunisia, among others, during his time with the International Red Cross. He is a prolific writer and lecturer, and has published various pieces on decolonising humanitarianism and humanitarian aid. He was elected as a Board Member and then as President in 2022.

Dr Ali Ardalan

Dr Ali Ardalan, MD, PhD is a Regional Adviser and Head of Health Systems Resilience Unit at WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, with a focus on integrating health systems and health emergency risk management, health systems recovery from emergencies, humanitarian-development-peace nexus, and health of refugees and migrants. He is a public health professional with about 20 years of experience at various managerial, policy making, advisory and academic capacities. Dr Ardalan was the founding chair and Professor at the Department of Disaster Public Health at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Senior Fellow at Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, and a Visiting Scientist at Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Amrish Baidjoe

Dr. Amrish Baidjoe is an infectious disease (field-)Epidemiologist and Public Health Microbiologist and at current the Director LuxOR, the Operational Research and Epidemiology support unit for of Medicins Sans Frontieres  Operational Centre Brussels. He worked in a large array of humanitarian emergencies and specializes in how medical data should be used in driving operational decision making and advocacy. He is an honorary associate Professor with the London School of Hygiene and tropical Medicine (department of infectious diseases). He previously worked with the World Health Organisation Health Emergencies Department and The International Committee of the Red Cross. 

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi

Member of the Palestinian parliament; 2005 presidential candidate; General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative; former Minister of Information under the first National Unity Government in Palestinian history; physician; social, political, human rights and peace activist; one of the most active grassroots leaders in Palestine; campaigner for the development of Palestinian civil society and grassroots democracy; outspoken advocate of internal reform; international spokesperson for the Palestinian cause; leading figure in the non-violent, peaceful struggle against the Occupation; and organizer of international solidarity presence in the Palestine, Mustafa Barghouthi has made an extraordinary contribution to initiatives to peacefully challenge the ongoing Israeli Occupation of Palestine and bring it to end, as well as efforts to build the institutional framework of Palestinian civil society and promote the principles of internal democracy and good governance.  He writes extensively for local and international audiences on civil society and democracy issues and the political situation in Palestine, as well as on health development policy in Palestine.

Dr. Ibrahim R. Bou-Orm

Dr. Ibrahim Bou-Orm is a medical doctor with extensive expertise in global public health. His research focuses on investigating health systems in fragile and conflict-affected settings, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. In recent years, he has served as a consultant for international NGOs and UN agencies, including WHO EMRO and other WHO offices across the Middle-East. 

Dr. Bou-Orm holds academic affiliations as Senior Lecturer in Global Health and Social Sciences at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in the UK and at St. Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) in Lebanon. He previously held roles at Queen Margaret University (QMU) – Edinburgh, including the Academic Lead of the Institute for Global Health and Development. 

He holds an MD from the St. Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), an MPH from the American University of Beirut (AUB), and a PhD from QMU Edinburgh.  

Sean Carroll

Sean Carroll is an international humanitarian and development leader with nearly 40 years’ experience working in more than 70 countries on five continents. As President and CEO of Anera (formerly American Near East Refugee Aid), Sean leads a staff of 150 in Lebanon, Palestine (West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem), Jordan and Washington, DC, delivering over $150 million of humanitarioan and development assistance annually to refugees and vulnerable communities in the Middle East.

Mr. Adib Chouki

Mr. Adib Chouki is a distinguish business owner based in the state of Connecticut. Mr. Chouki, is currently holding the position of vice president and co-founder of Rahma Relief Foundation. Prior to joining Rahma Relief Mr.Chouki operated varies business entities achieving milestones in  market growth. Mr. Chouki has Bachelors in Business Management, from Southern.Ct  University. His networking skills helped Rahma Relief in expanding its aid partners from around the world. He currently oversees all aspect of operations for our Turkey, Gaza, Kenya, Yemen, Lebanon and Jordan offices. In addition, he is responsible for the overall and logistical business development.

Jennifer Dabis

Jennifer Dabis (F), from the Palestinian NGO Juzoor for health and development, is Senior Monitoring and Evaluating Manager: Ms. Dabis has a Master’s Degree in Public Health (Birzeit University), a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (Amman), and a Bachelor of Science in Biology (Cairo). She is currently responsible to monitoring all emergency and non emergency projects in the organization. She is the organizer of the Palestinian Adolescent Health Coalition and the coordinator of the Palestinian Health Policy Forum. Jennifer is also responsible of business development of new projects in the organization.

Mirjam van Dorssen

Mirjam van Dorssen is Country Director for Oxfam in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel (OPTI) and currently highly involved in Oxfam’s humanitarian response in Gaza. She has held several management positions for Oxfam programs in the Middle East and North Africa and led Oxfam’s program in Zimbabwe during the COVID19 pandemic. She builds on many years of experience in working closely together with civil society partners as program officer with Oxfam and other development organizations. She also has worked with governmental stakeholders as a technical assistant  with KIT when she advised Egyptian health authorities on capacity building for health education in rural Egypt.

Mirjam: “My history of working with marginalised communities and exposure to people standing up in the face of suffering and injustice greatly motivates me to look for opportunities for development and change, either small or large, and work together with others for positive impact.” 

Ambassador Ammar Hijazi

The Assistant Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Mr. Hijazi oversees Palestine’s endeavors at multilateral fora. He has led Palestine’s successful applications to international organizations and accession to multilateral treaties and other international organizations, including UNESCO, Interpol, and the International Criminal Court.

Sigrid Kaag

UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza

Sigrid Kaag is a distinguished diplomat and politician, currently serving as the United Nations Under-Secretary General and Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. With extensive experience in political, humanitarian, and development spheres, she has held prominent roles in the Dutch government, including as the first female Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister. Her UN career has involved key positions in Lebanon and Syria, among others.

Umaiyeh Khammash

Umaiyeh Khammash is a Palestinian medical doctor and Senior Public Health Specialist, with an educational background that includes graduation from Odessa in the Soviet Union, followed by postgraduate training in Epidemiology and Public Health from Montpelier in France, Emory University, and CDC in Atlanta, Georgia. With a career spanning over 40 years in various aspects of primary healthcare, Dr. Khammash currently serves as the Director at Juzoor for Health and Social Development, a leading Palestinian NGO dedicated to health and social sectors. 

He has held key positions in several UN and NGO organizations, including serving as Chief of Health for UNRWA in Palestine for over 15 years and as Chief Regional Technical Advisor for Central Asia with UNFPA. Dr. Khammash is also a founding member of several NGOs and movements, such as JUZOOR, Medical Relief, the Center for Primary Health Care at Al Quds University, the International People’s Health Movement, and the Palestinian NGO Network. Currently, he is the President of the Arab Coalition for Medicine and Health and a founding member of Palestinian and MENA health policy forums. 

Dr. Khammash is a passionate civil society activist, advocating for human rights, democracy, and women’s rights. He serves on the boards of various civil society organizations and has published several articles and books. 

Dr. Hani Q. Khoury

Dr. Hani Q. Khoury is a Professor of Mathematics and the founder of the department of Mathematics, Science, and Informatics at Mercer University’s College of Professional Advancement, Georgia, USA, and served as its chair from 2006-2013. He has been a faculty member at Mercer University since 1994. He is also the founder and president of the nonprofit Laurice Khoury Foundation for the Support of Disabled Palestinian Students (lauricekhouryfoundation.org). The foundation supports college students with their tuition expenses through the offices catering for their needs at Palestinian colleges and universities. Dr. Khoury is a board member of the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace.

Dr. Omar Lattouf

Omar M Lattouf MD PhD FACC FACS, Professor of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine and Medical Director and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Tanner Health System, in the State of Georgia, USA. Dr. Lattouf is Founder and Chair of Gaza Health Initiative, Founder and Chair of the Academy of Life Sciences, and serves as Trustee of Hebron University and the NAAMA Foundation.
Dr Lattouf has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles in the fields of cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, transplantation, graduate medical education, online education and on the intersection between healthcare delivery, education and communication technologies. Dr. Lattouf has published several chapters in medical textbooks and authored a book titled, “Heartfelt Stories. The Life of a Heart Surgeon”.

Professor Mahmoud Loubani

Professor Mahmoud Loubani is a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Honorary Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery in Hull in the UK. He has a large educational and research portfolio as Training Programme Director in Yorkshire, Curriculum Lead on the Specialty Advisory Committee for Cardiothoracic Surgery in the UK and Chair of Research Committe as well as National Cardiac Tutor for the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland. He has been the Chair of PalMed Academy for 2 years and currently the Chief Executive Officer of Gaza Educate Medics Scheme. 

Professor Nick Maynard

Professor Nick Maynard is a Consultant Upper GI Surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Associate Professor of Surgery at Oxford University. He set up the Oxford Oesophagogastric Cancer Centre in 1997 and is the Senior Surgeon and Clinical Lead. From 2021 to 2023 he was President of the Association of Upper GI Surgery for Great Britain and Ireland (AUGIS), demitting in September 2023. 

Nick first visited Palestine in 2008, and since 2010 he has been visiting Gaza regularly. Each October he leads a group of Oxford Consultants specialising in surgery, medicine, paediatrics, and obstetrics to Gaza to teach medical students from the Islamic University of Gaza and Al Azhar University. Nick also works with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP UK) as part of their surgical team to travel into Gaza to carry out and teach advanced upper gastrointestinal surgery for cancer and benign diseases. In December 2023 with MAP Nick led the first UK medical mission into Gaza during the current conflict and worked at Al Aqsa Hospital for 2 weeks. He recently returned from his second Emergency Medical Team mission in Gaza, spending 2 weeks at Al Aqsa Hospital from April 20th to May 6th.  

Nick joined the Board of Trustees of IMET2000 (International Medical Education Trust) in 2016 and has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2018. 

Stephanie Nadi Olson

Stephanie Nadi Olson is a founder, innovator, and disruptor, aiming to change the world’s perspective on building a more thoughtful and inclusive society. Nadi Olson, a former advertising executive with companies including Microsoft and AOL, founded We Are Rosie a marketing community in 2018. She scaled the platform to 40,000 marketers around the globe, and eventually sold the majority of her company to Private Equity. She was the company’s CEO from 2018 to 2022.

She is also a Palestinian-American, the daughter of a Nakba survivor, and a fierce advocate for dignity and freedom for all Palestinians.

Martine Najem

Martine Najem is a public health and development professional, holding a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH), with over 23 years of experience in strategic planning, program management and coordination, program monitoring and evaluation, capacity development and training, policy change, advocacy and communication. Her expertise as an engaged practitioner is in the areas of public health, population issues, social development, ageing, humanitarian response, gender equality and gender-based violence, child protection, human rights, youth health and wellbeing, reproductive and sexual health and rights, and social behavior change communication. Ms. Najem has a track record in building strong networks and partnerships across sectors and with agencies from the public, private, UN and civil society in Lebanon and the Arab region.  

Martine has been serving as Instructor of Public Health Practice at the Center for Public Health Practice (CPHP) and the Department of Health Promotion and Community Health at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) since February 2012. In this capacity, she led several initiatives and collaborations aiming to inform UN agencies’ programs and to undertake evaluation research, contextualize regionally global courses and reference material, and develop capacity building programs. Ms. Najem is also a seasoned trainer, a passionate advocate, and contributes to initiatives and academic activities undertaken by CPHP and FHS.  

Dr. Rik Peeperkorn

In March 2021, Rik Peeperkorn was appointed as Head of OfficeWHO, Office for the West Bank and Gaza (oPt). Rik Peeperkorn, MD, MPH, has been working for over 30 years in the field of international Public Health in Africa, Asia, and Europe, and has extensive experience with Health Systems strengthening, Sector Reforms, primary and referral Health Care, Communicable and Non-Communicable diseases, HIV-AIDS, and Humanitarian support. Rik held various positions at the different layers of the Health System ranging from hospital, provincial to (inter)national level.

Prof. Harold van Rijen

Harold van Rijen is a Full Professor of Biomedical Education and the Degree Director of Biomedical Sciences at the University Medical Center Utrecht’s Education Center. As the Director of the Graduate School of Life Sciences at Utrecht University, he oversees the education of over 1,800 Master’s students and 2,200 PhD candidates. His research is centered on advancing innovation in Master’s education, e.g. on evidence-based selection processes, student supervision and the development of essential, transferable skills for translational life science research. Originally trained as a medical physiologist, his earlier research explored the fundamental mechanisms underlying cardiac arrhythmias.

Mohamed Salha

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) manager at Awda Health and Community Association. Since the abduction of Dr. Ahmed Muhanna by IDF during their raid on Al-Awda hospital december 17^th  2023, he is the acting director of Al Awda hospital, Jabalia, North Gaza.

Ms. Rihab Sandouka/MPH

Mrs. Sandouka, with a master’s in public health and a diploma in management, has extensive experience managing health programs. As Director of Programs at Juzoor for Health and Social Development, she has led key national initiatives, including the “Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative” and co-developing Palestine’s first national GBV referral system. A certified lactation consultant, she helped establish the National Accreditation System for Baby-Friendly Hospitals. She chairs the Palestinian Network for Early Childhood and is active in national health coalitions, contributing to the development of training manuals and research that support health priorities in Palestine.

Lina Shadid

Middle East Health Industries Lead Partner

Lina Shadid began her consulting career in 1994. Since then she has held a series of positions, most recently as the Health Industries Lead Partner at PwC, Middle East. Prior to that, she was the Vice President for an 80B. corporate as the Global Healthcare and life science Centre of Competence serving a number of global healthcare clients. Her responsibilities included setting business and strategic direction, market prioritization and operations for the global healthcare CoC in addition to serving as lead consulting partner for several clients in both public and private healthcare sector.

Dr. Mohammed Shaheen

Dr. Shaheen holds a doctorate degree in public health and currently serves as the dean of College of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at Dar-Alkalima University-Bethlehem-Palestine. One of the founders and former deans of the School of Public Health at Alquds University. He developed and taught several graduate courses in public health and social sciences. Initiated and supervised many research and community health projects. His research interest is mainly around children, adolescents, and youth health risk behaviors and mental health. Dr. Shaheen has been an active supporter and promoter of cultural institutions including contemporary arts and theatre.  

He published several research articles and worked as a consultant with several international organizations, especially in organizational management, project evaluation and in developing organizational and urban strategies. 

Dr. Shaheen: “I was inspired by the quotation of Owen Arthur, former prime minister of Barbados: “For he who has health has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.” “

Dr. Ahmed Shattat

Dr. Ahmed Shattat is a pediatrician, the Director of planning and acting Director of International Cooperation from the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Othman Smadi

Dr. Othman Smadi, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Biomedical Engineering Department at The Hashemite University (HU), Jordan. He received a Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada, in 2012. During his higher education journey, Dr. Smadi received several prestigious awards (e.g., a Doctoral scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) (National Agency-Canada), Doctoral scholarship from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies (FRQNT) (Provincial-Canada), B.Sc. Scholarship from Ministry of Higher Education (Jordan), ….). 

Dr. Smadi has been the principal investigator in several research projects funded by Hashemite University with a total fund of (400,000$). Dr. Smadi mainly focuses on developing diagnosis techniques and models for cardiovascular diseases using Computational Fluid Mechanics (CFD) software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms. 

Dr. Smadi held the administrative position of vice dean for academic advancement and global outreach. He also held the position of department chair for the biomedical engineering department and currently serves as head of the committee for establishing access centers for students with disabilities. 

During the recent war on the Gaza Strip, Dr. Smadi participated in one of the medical missions inside the Gaza Strip and played an important role in maintaining the infrastructure of the health sector, maintaining a large number of medical devices, and re-operating them again. In addition, Dr. Smadi contributed to linking the administrations in the health sector electronically and improving the possibility of access to statistics, information, and the real needs of the health sector in various fields. 

Dr. Paul Spiegel

Dr. Spiegel, a Canadian physician and epidemiologist, is one of the few humanitarians in the world that both responds to and researches humanitarian emergencies and migration. He is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health and Distinguished Professor of the Practice in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Nabil Tabbal

Nabil is a public health professional from Lebanon, holding a Master’s degree in Public Health with a focus on Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the American University of Beirut, and another in Methodology and Statistics in Biomedical Research from the University of Paris. With extensive experience in the humanitarian sector, he specializes in health information and monitoring and evaluation. Currently, Nabil serves as a Health Information and Risk Assessment Officer with the WHO Emergency Programme and acts as the Deputy Incident Manager for the WHO response to the Israel/oPt escalation of violence. In his spare time, he is an avid marathon runner. 

Zaher W. Whaidi

Director of Palestinian Health Information Center in M.O.H

Wafa’a Zeidan

Ms. Wafa’a Zeidan has been the Health Information and Systems Officer at UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) at the Amman Headquarters since January 2004. In this role, she effectively manages the health information system, enhancing data collection, analysis, and dissemination, which has improved evidence-based planning, budgeting, and strategic direction. She leads the development of a standard dashboard (using Power BI) with core indicators to strengthen the Agency’s capacity in generating timely health information, supporting HQ and field operations in planning, prioritization, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of health services. She also coordinates with the Digital Impact, Technology, and Innovation Department (DITID) to establish new reports and make necessary enhancements, while also developing guidelines, manuals, and training materials.

Dr. Ramin Ziwary

Health Economist, World Bank

Dr. Ramin Ziwary (MD, MPH) is a health economist with the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa region, based in Washington, D.C. He supports health finance reform programs in Palestine, Jordan, and GCC countries. Dr. Ziwary has extensive experience in post-conflict health system recovery, having served as Special Aide to the President of Afghanistan and as an Advisor to the Ministry of Public Health, where he focused on health sector governance and provider payment reforms. Prior to his government roles, he worked as researcher at the Center for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME) in the UK, exploring the impact of social inequalities on health outcomes.