Moderators

Dr. Mohammad Ghanbar is a Consultant Pulmonologist and Critical Care Physician with subspecialty expertise in pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, and lung transplantation. He graduated from the University of Manchester and completed his Internal Medicine training at Mount Sinai in New York, followed by advanced fellowship training at Johns Hopkins University, where he holds an appointment as Assistant Professor. Dr. Ghanbar currently co-leads the national initiative for lung transplantation in Kuwait and is actively assisting in developing the country’s respiratory research infrastructure.

Professor of Medicine at the department of Medicine , Kuwait University.  Consultant physician , respiratory division , Mubarak Al Kabeer hospital and Al Salam International Alasima hospital.   Dr. Behbehani obtained his medical degree from  Royal college of Surgeon, Ireland in 1988.  He completed residency training in Internal Medicine and fellowship training in respiratory  Medicine from University of British  Columbia, Vancouver , Canada in 1995. He was awarded in 1988 , The Dominic Corrigan Memorial  Prize for proficiency in Medicine, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland ( 1st place in Clinical medicine) as well as The Robert Mc’Donnell Memorial Prize for proficiency in Surgery, Beaumont hospital,  Dublin, Ireland ( 1st place in Surgery).  He was awarded Kuwait foundation for advancement of sciences (KFAS)  annual award for  publications in medical sciences 2006.   He has more than 60 original articles published in peer reveiwed indexed journals as well as several review articles and book chapters.   His reasearch interest mainly focus on epidemiology of asthma and he published several articles about sarcoidosis in Arab Population.  He dveloped an interest into Evidence based medicine through practice .    He is also one of the founding member of The Evidence based medicine society which is the under umberalla of Kuwait Meidical association. He is the current president of Kuwait Thoracic soceity.

Dr. Sulaiman Khadadah is a Consultant in Respirology, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, and Head of the Interventional Pulmonology Unit at Chest Diseases Hospital, Kuwait. He also serves as Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Kuwait Hospital and is Secretary General and Treasurer of the Kuwait Thoracic Society. Dr. Khadadah completed the CETOC Fellowship in Interventional Pulmonology in 2019. His work focuses on advanced bronchoscopy, lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, and sleep medicine. He leads the development of interventional pulmonology and multidisciplinary respiratory services in Kuwait. 

Dr. Younis Al Balushi is a senior consultant pediatric pulmonologist and sleep physician at Royal hospital in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. He is the president of Oman Respiratory society. He obtained his MD certificate from Sultan Qaboos university and specialty certificate from Oman medical specialty Board before getting the Arab Board certificate in pediatrics in 2010. He then finished his fellowship in pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine from Sydney children's hospital network in Sydney, Australia in 2015. 

Dr. Younis has publications in medical journals and good history of participations in local, regional and international conferences. 

Dr. Reyadh Salman is Chairman of the Internal Medicine Department and Director of the Sleep Laboratory at Ibn Nafees Hospital, Bahrain. He is a Senior Lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and a graduate of the Global Clinical Scholars Research Training (GCSRT) Program at Harvard Medical School, USA. Dr. Salman is a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, with advanced fellowships in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine from the University of Miami and Interventional Pulmonology from Cleveland Clinic. He is also a member of the American Association of Bronchology and holds Arab Board certification in Internal Medicine.

Mona Allangawi  is a Senior Consultant Pulmonologist at Hamad Medical Corporation and ass. Professor of medicine at WCMC/Q . She is founder of adult cystic fibrosis program in state of Qatar and director of adult pulmonary fellowship program . She has been graduated from Arabian Gulf University from Bahrain , completed residency and fellowship training in Qatar followed by two courses of clinical attachment in UK and Canada. 
She is arab board certified in internal medicine Dr. Allangawi plays a central role in extending  respiratory service  in state of Qatar. She  currently serves as chief of adult pulmonary and sleep medicine in HMC and director of adult CF program . She also chairs and member in multiple corporate and constitutional committees .  She continues to
contribute to the advancement of respiratory medicine through clinical practice, leadership, and medical education.

Dr Maryam Ali Al-Nesf Al-Mansouri, MD, ABHS, PhD, is Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Corporate Head of Allergy and Immunology at HMC, and Senior Consultant. She holds leadership positions in WAO, QAIS and ARAPID. She has published several internationally recognized manuscripts, secured competitive research grants and contributed to international guidelines. Her research focuses on utilizing precision medicine, OMICs approaches, for work o immune disorders, respiratory diseases, airborne allergens and environmental health.

Professor Ashraf Alzaabi, MB, FRCPC, FCCP, EMHCA is a senior respiratory physician who served at Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 2006 to 2025. He was elected President of the Emirates Thoracic Society (ETS) in February 2019. At Zayed Military Hospital, he served as Chief of Medicine in 2021, then as Chief Medical Officer in February 2022. In 2024, he was appointed Director of the Defence Health Support Administration (DHSA) at the UAE Ministry of Defence.

Professor Alzaabi graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1997, and completed six years of residency training in internal medicine and respirology at the University of Toronto, Canada (2000–2006). He is board-certified in both specialties in Canada and the United States.

Appointed Full Professor of Medicine at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University in 2018 (joining the faculty as Assistant Professor in 2007), he has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Murray Muirhead Award (2001) from the University of Toronto and the Abu Dhabi Medical Distinction Award in Clinical Performance (2013) from the then Health Authority–Abu Dhabi (HAAD).

As Director of Medical Education at Zayed Military Hospital (2007–2010), he secured Arab Board accreditation for the hospital’s first Internal Medicine Residency Program and established a formal academic affiliation with UAE University, designating the hospital as a teaching site for undergraduate and postgraduate training.

He completed an Executive Master in Health Care Administration at Zayed University in 2010 and chaired the Internal Medicine Examination Committee at HAAD from 2010 to 2014. Professor Alzaabi has published more than 40 peer-reviewed studies on asthma, COPD, and sleep-disordered breathing.

Dr. Al Nuaimi is the first  UAE national pediatric pulmonologist; worked to establish this medical  field in UAE  , currently based at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City SKMC, she is American, Canadian and European board certified in the field of pediatric pulmonary with  special interest in cystic fibrosis and chronic non CF bronchiectasis. 

She held multiple administrative posts including the chair of the department of pediatrics at Zayed military hospital (ZMH) and Deputy CMO at ZMH, and currently deputy CMO at Sheikh Khalifa medical city, she completed an Executive Masters in Healthcare Administration in 2010 with honors, and then a master degree in biomedical ethics and law from the Royal college of Ireland in 2014; she has special interest in military medical ethics and currently she chairs SEHA oversight IRB in Abu Dhabi. 

Dr.al Nuaimi has received Abu Dhabi medical distinction award for best clinical performance in 2012, she participated in teaching at many levels of undergraduate and post graduate, and she is involved in putting the guidelines for the health authority of Abu Dhabi for common respiratory diseases.

Dr Helen Garthwaite is a Consultant Respiratory Physician specialising in interstitial lung disease (ILD), with over 20 years’ NHS experience. She was Clinical Lead of the ILD Unit at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), where she led service development, education and clinical research, with a particular interest in systemic sclerosis-associated ILD. She relocated to Abu Dhabi in 2026 and is developing her clinical practice across the UAE while maintaining an honorary academic appointment with UCL. Her interests include holistic models of ILD care, patient support, disease genetics, research and innovation, with a focus on improving outcomes for patients today while contributing to the future direction of the field.

Dr. Rania Abusamra has more than 17 years’ experience within Paediatrics in the United Kingdom. She became a pulmonologist at Cambridge University Hospital and has been working as a paediatric pulmonologist consultant at King's College Hospital, London for five years where she led the non-invasive ventilation for children service. She also worked at a number of London's leading hospitals, such as Great Ormond Street Hospital, Royal London Hospital, St George's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital. Dr Abusamra has moved to Dubai to join Mediclinic City hospital in 2020. Dr. Abusamra offers expertise in difficult and rare lung disease and complicated cases. She has several peer reviews and scholarly publications and has been a speaker in a number of international conferences. Dr Abusamra was a senior lecturer for the King's College London advanced paediatric MSc program. She has also initiated several programs to work with cystic fibrosis NGOs and patients in the Arab world.

Zaid Zoumot, MBBS, MSc, PhD, FRCP, is Division Chair of the Division of Pulmonology at the Integrated Hospital Care Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) of Case Western Reserve University. His sub-specialist fields of interest are Interventional Pulmonology, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Asthma, Sleep Medicine, and Lung Cancer. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Zoumot worked as a Consultant Respiratory Physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK.

Dr. Zoumot trained in the UK receiving his medical degree from the King's College London School of Medicine in London. He completed his fellowships in Respiratory Medicine and General Internal Medicine and later subspecialized in Interventional Pulmonology at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK. He was awarded a PhD in Respiratory Medicine by Imperial College, London, UK for his thesis examining lung volume reduction for the treatment of severe emphysema.

Dr. Fabrizio Facchini is Lead Consultant Pulmonologist at Mediclinic City Hospital, Dubai. He obtained MD in Italy in 1995. He was Clinical & Research Fellow at University College London and Specialised in Pulmonary Diseases and Phtisiology. He is Board Certified from ODM-Italy; GMC-UK; DHA–UAE.

Dr. Fabrizio Facchini is ETS Culture Chairperson, Deputy President ETS ILD-Group, member of ERS, AIPO, IRS. He is Reviewer for Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine. He has published book-chapters, educational-sets & journal-articles

Dr. Facchini is expert at treating patients with asthma, respiratory allergies, interstitial lung diseases & sleep breathing disorders. He cares for patients of any age.

Dr Marwan Najib is a consultant Pulmonologist and Division Head with over 25 years experience across Respiratory Medicine . He completed his Medical Training and Fellowship in the UK and currently is a Consultant Physician in Respiratory Medicine at Sheikh Kalifa Medical City Abu Dhabi UAE with a previous clinical experience in United Kingdom. Dr Marwan hold a Doctor of Medicine (MD) and also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) . He has special interest in treating severe asthma and Interventional Pulmonary Medicine. 

Dr. Goran is a Consultant Pulmonologist and Internal Medicine physician with 18 years of experience in respiratory medicine. He is Danish Board Certified in Internal and Pulmonary Medicine and completed his fellowship training at several tertiary centers within Copenhagen University Hospitals, Denmark.
From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Goran served as Program Director of the Adult Pulmonary Fellowship Program and Clinical Education Leader for Adult Respiratory Medicine at Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde. He has extensive clinical expertise in Interventional Pulmonology and Interstitial Lung Diseases and has held senior leadership positions, including Head of Respiratory Diseases at Odense-Svendborg University Hospital, Denmark. He was also actively involved in medical simulation and postgraduate education through the Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation (CAMES).
Since moving to the UAE in 2021, Dr. Goran has served as a Consultant Pulmonologist at American Hospital Dubai and Rashid Hospital, Dubai Health. He currently leads Interventional Pulmonology, the Interstitial Lung Diseases Clinic, and the Adult Respiratory Fellowship Program.
He was appointed Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at MBRU in January 2025. He is also a Board Member of the Emirates Thoracic Society and Chairperson of its Scientific Committee. His research interests include lung cancer diagnostics, Interventional Pulmonology, and Interstitial Lung Diseases.

Dr. Ramzi Khashkhusha graduated from Tripoli University, Libya and completed his Post-Graduate training in the UK. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and he has completed a CCT in Pulmonary and General Medicine. Dr. Khashkhusha previously worked as a Respiratory Consultant at the Mid-Yorkshire NHS Trust then joined Tawam hospital in 2013. He is a Faculty Member of the Internal Medicine Residency-Training Programme at Tawam Hospital. He has committed to presenting at Local and National Conferences. Dr. Ramzi has been involved in many audits and multiple research publications and presentations. 

Dr. Manjush Karthika is an Associate Professor of Respiratory Care at Batterjee Medical College, Dubai. He is a clinical academic and researcher with expertise in acute and critical care, health professions education, and workforce development. His interests include Respiratory Critical Care, Extracorporeal Life Support, Thoracic Ultrasound, and Interprofessional Education. He is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA), a FAIMER Fellow (IFI Philadelphia), and currently serves as President of the Respiratory Care Group of the Emirates Thoracic Society. He is committed to advancing healthcare education, clinical excellence, and patient-centred care through scholarship, innovation, and leadership.

Abdulkadir Noorshe is the Manager of Respiratory Therapy, Clinical Social Work, and Clinical Psychology Services at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He also serves as the Respiratory Therapy Program Advisor at Liwa University in Abu Dhabi.

He holds a post-grad degree in Health Management from the University of Phoenix and a graduate degree in Respiratory Therapy from the University of Cincinnati.

Abdulkadir brings extensive international experience, having worked as a Respiratory Therapist at King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Minnesota, USA.