LOCALSPEAKER

Dr. Muhammad Zuheir Al-Kawi is currently a professor of neurology at Alfaisal University, Riyadh. Dr. Al-Kawi has distinguished career as teacher of neurology at King Faisal University in Dammam, KSU, Riyadh, University of Texas, Houston and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.  He  earned his MD at the university of Damascus, Syria and residency at Indiana University School of Medicine, USA.  Dr. Al-Kawi has several certifications to his credit which include, Vascular Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurosonology and MRI from American certifying institutions. He has been active in professional organizations at different levels and currently director of Research Ethics Monitoring Office, KACST, Riyadh. Dr. Al-Kawi is on editorial boards for severalnational and international journals.

Dr. Arabi obtained his Internal Medicine Training at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA (1992-1994), then he was the Chief Medical Resident at the same institution (1994-1995). He obtained pulmonary and critical care training at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA (1995-1998). In 1998, he joined King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is currently the Chairman of the Intensive Care Department and the Medical Director, Respiratory Services. He served as a member of several institutional committees including being the member of several international committees for the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), American College of Chest Physician (ACCP), and a member of the administrative board of the Saudi Society of Critical Care.

He received multiple grants and awards and he is currently the principal investigator on the PREVENT trial (Prophylaxis of Thromboembolism in Critically Ill Patients Using Combined Intermittent Pneumatic Compression and Pharmacologic Prophylaxis Versus Pharmacologic Prophylaxis Alone: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial); the MIRACLE trial (MERS-CoV Infection tReated with A Combination of Lopinavir /ritonavir and IntErferon beta 1B: a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind randomized trial); the Anti-MERS-COV Convalescent plasma Therapy and the Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Biological Sampling Study. He is also a co-investigator on several multicenter international trials including the ADRENAL (ADjunctive coRticosteriod trEatment iN criticAlly ilL patients with septic shock); SPICE III (A Prospective Multicentre Randomized Controlled Trial of Early Goal Directed Sedation Compared with Standard Care in Mechanically Ventilated Patients in Intensive Care); the OSCILLATE Knowledge Translation – An Audit of ARDS Management ; the PHARLAP study (A multi-centre randomized controlled trial of an Open Lung Strategy Including  Permissive Hypercapnia, Alveolar Recruitment and Low Airway Pressure in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome ) and the SPRINT-SARI (Short PeRiod IncideNce sTudy of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) among the several others.

Furthermore, he has more than 250 publications including articles in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), JAMA, Lancet, and Critical Care Medicine.  He is currently a Section Editor for Intensive Care Medicine and a reviewer of more than 40 high impact international journals as well as granting agencies.

He has also received the following international awards:

Distinguished Scientist Award from Almarai Award for Innovation, Saudi Arabia (2017)

Lifetime Achievement Award from the Saudi Critical Care Society, Saudi Arabia (2013)

Bary A. Shapiro Memorial Award for Excellence in Critical Care Management, Society of Critical Care Medicine, USA (2011)

King Abdullah International Medical Research Center Senior Research Award, Saudi Arabia (2010)

Al-Ghad College Medical Innovation Award, Saudi Arabia (2010)

Dr OMALKHAIR A. ABULKHAIR, M.D. , Section Head & Consultant – Adult Medical Oncology (King Abdulaziz Medical City), Assistant Professor – King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences
Fellowship:
– University of Toronto, Canada
– Toronto General Hospital
– Princess Margarette Hospital
– Sunny Brook Hospital
– Mount Sanni Hospital
Major Contributions to the Care of Breast Cancer in KSA/Region:
– Launched the Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in Riyadh
– Active member of the first screening program (Abdulateef Cancer Screening Program). The first manuscript on this regard is already submitted for publication.
– Initiated the 1st Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Symposium in 2006. The second symposium was organized on October 2008
– Selected as the Chairman for MENA-NCCN Guidelines Committee for Breast Cancer. This committee aims to unify the guidelines for breast cancer management in the region.
– Member of the Women in High Places (WHIP) – an international organization of distinguished women whose aim is to fight cancer – this organization was introduced in the region on October 2008
– Leader – National Committee for Breast Cancer by the Ministry of Health, Riyadh
Other Hospital Memberships/Tasks (King Abdulaziz Medical City)
– Multidisciplinary Meetings

• Co-Facilitator – Breast Tumor Board
• Member – GI, Thoracic, HCC, Head & Neck and Neuro-Oncology , Tumor Board

Barbara Slusher, Ph.D., MAS, is Professor of Neurology (primary), Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Medicine and Oncology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Director of Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery (https://drugdiscovery.jhu.edu/).
Dr. Slusher received her undergraduate degree from Dickinson College where she graduated valedictorian, majoring in Chemistry. She received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences from John Hopkins School of Medicine while simultaneously earning her Master’s degree in Administrative Science from the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business (formerly the Hopkins’ School of Continuing Studies).
Before joining Johns Hopkins in 2010, Dr. Slusher spent 18 years in the pharmaceutical industry, including several years at the level of Senior Vice President of Research and Translational Development. She has extensive experience in drug discovery through early clinical development and was involved in the successful development, launch and/or post marketing support of several branded medicines including SeroquelTM, AloxiTM, DacogenTM, LucedraTM.
At Johns Hopkins, Dr. Slusher leads the largest integrated drug discovery program on campus with a veteran team of medicinal chemists, assay developers, pharmacologists, toxicologists, and pharmacokinetics/drug metabolism experts. The team is engaged in identifying novel drug targets arising from the faculty’s research and translating them into new drug therapies for clinical development.
Dr. Slusher has published over 190 scientific articles and is the inventor on 80 patents and applications. She has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international scientific meetings and has served on the board or as a scientific consultant of multiple biotechnology companies. She is a co-founder of Cerecor, a CNS-focused biopharma company in Baltimore (www.cerecor.com/) and recently founded Dracen Pharmaceuticals focused on immuno-metabolism. She also founded and is leading the first-ever International Consortium of Academic Drug Discovery (www.addconsortium.org) with over 150 university-led translational centers and 1500 members in an effort to coordinate and enhance academic drug discovery efforts.

Dr. Saadeddin is currently a Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Clinical Tutor and Education Supervisor for Adult Oncology section at the Oncology department of King AbdulAziz Medical City/Riyadh with a special interest in Metastatic Breast and Prostate Cancers. He was recently appointed as an Assistant Professor of Oncology at King Saud Bin AbdulAziz University for health science/Riyadh.
Prior to this he was At Prince Sultan Medical Military City between 2000 and 2013 where he served as Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Clinical Tutor and Director of Oncology for many years.

Dr. Saadeddin has completed his training in Clinical Oncology at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London, and he was the first Physician from the Gulf region to obtain the Royal College Fellowship in Clinical Oncology in1999.
Dr. Saadeddin is very much involved in many national, regional and International Educational Activities related to Breast and Prostate Cancers, he has delivered more than 200 presentations in clinical oncology at national, regional and international platforms.
Currently he is a member of many oncology organizations, and he sets on many national and regional guideline groups for breast and prostate cancers, also he is a member of almost all research groups addressing breast and prostate cancer in the region.
Dr. Saadeddin’s dream is to see oncology patients served with quality and equity. His longstanding passion towards the initiation of a patient support and advocacy program by the name; (WE CARE) is an effort to see this dream coming true.

Proposed Lecture: “Breast Cancer Research Opportunities in Saudi Arabia and Beyond”.
ADDRESS: King Saud University Medical City, Department of Medicine, Division of Onco-Hematology.
Professor Nabholtz moved recently to the Division of Oncology-Hematology/Department of Medicine of the King Saud University Medical City in Riyadh with the mission to build a National and International Cancer Research Program. French trained, He spent 16 years in North America as Professor of Medicine and Oncology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), USA, and Director of the Cancer Therapy Development Program as well as Director of the Solid Tumor Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA. He held as well a Professorship at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. During the last 5 years, he was Chairman of the Department of Medicine and Director of the Division of Clinical and Translational Research at the Jean Perrin Regional Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.

He is also the Founder and past Chairman of one of the largest global breast cancer clinical research group (Breast Cancer International Research Group / BCIRG). He is focusing on cancer patient care and the development of new biologic therapies in oncology as well as on the integration of global clinical and translational research and care processes. As Breast Cancer medical oncology specialist than 1100 international presentations.

Dr. Abumaree is an associate professor of Reproductive Biology & Immunology at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences and a Director of the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Department at King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre (KAIMRC), Saudi Arabia. He received his PhD in Reproductive Biology and Immunology from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Auckland in 2005. Dr Abumaree’s research has focused on the development of Stem Cell Therapies for Cancers, Diabetes, Neurological and Cardiovascular Diseases. He has 35 peer reviewed papers and 30 published abstracts. Dr Abumaree organized three stem cell conferences “Placental Stem Cells from Characterization to Clinical Application” in 2012, “Stem Cells in Science and Medicine” in 2014, Saudi Arabia, and “New frontiers in Stem Cell Basic Research, Translation and Clinical Application, in association with the International Placenta Stem Cell Society in 2016, Saudi Arabia.”. He also organized KAIMRC Stem Cell Workshop (2015) and was an organiser and presenter at the Stem Cell Workshop IFPA Brisbane, Australia (2015) and the Stem Cell Workshops at IFPA, Whistler, Canada (2013). Dr Abumaree has given platform presentations at many international and national conferences. He has also participated in reviewing many research grants for King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology (KACST) and KAIMRC, Saudi Arabia. He is a member of the International Placental Stem Cell Society (IPLASS).

Dr ALSHUKAIRI HOLDS A BACHELOR DEGREE OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY, KING ABDULAZIZ UNIVERSITY, JEDDAH, 1997

• SAUDI BOARD OF INTERNAL MEDICINE 2003
• ARAB BOARD OF INTERNAL MEDICINE 2003
• MRCP 2003
• CLINICAL ADULT INFECTIOUS DISEASES FELLOWSHIP, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, VANCOUVER, CANADA 2006
• DIRECTOR INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM IN NATIONAL GUARD HOSPITAL, JEDDAH, 2009-2010
• DIRECTOR ADULT INFECTIOUS DISEASES FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IN KING FAISAL SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTER, JEDDAH, 2011 UNTIL 2014
• ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FEBRILE NEUTROPENIA GUIDELINES AND CLINICAL PATHWAY IN King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of NATIONAL GUARD Health Affairs, JEDDAH (2010) AND KING FAISAL SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTER, JEDDAH (2011).
• Establishment of the outpatient IV antibiotic program in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs