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Al Razi Pharmacy Co, Established in 1974 in Abu Dhabi , branches in Dubai & Al Ain and Representation in Gulf countries. well diversified company in the Healthcare sector of UAE having distribution of Pharmaceuticals ,Dialysis equipments & Supplies, Medical Imaging, Lab &Consumer Products and Retail Pharmacies.

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Eamonn Quigley

USA
David M Underwood Chair of Medicine in Digestive Disorders
Weill Cornell Medical College at Houston Methodist Hospital

Eamonn M M Quigley is David M Underwood Chair of Medicine in Digestive Disorders, Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College at Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA and a Principal Investigator at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) in Cork, Ireland.

A graduate of University College Cork, Dr Quigley trained in internal medicine in Glasgow and Manchester and in gastroenterology in Glasgow, the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota and Manchester. In 1986 he joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska where he ultimately served as Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Returning to Cork in 1998 he served as Dean of the Medical School at UCC for 7 years and has been a principal investigator at the APC since its inception. He took up his current position in January 2013.

He served as president of both the American College of Gastroenterology and the World Gastroenterology Organization and is a past editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Clinical and research interests include irritable bowel syndrome, gastrointestinal motility and the role of the gut microbiota in health and in gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders.

DAVID J. BJORKMAN

USA
President
WGO Foundation
Dean
Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine

David J. Bjorkman, M.D., M.S.P.H., is the President of the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO). Prior to that he served as the Treasurer of the WGO.

Dr. Bjorkman served as Dean and Executive Director of Medical Affairs for the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine from December 2011 to January 2016 and remains on the faculty as a Professor. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Bjorkman is a past president of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Prior to joining FAU, Dr. Bjorkman served as the Dean of the University of Utah School of Medicine from 2004 to 2011, Executive Medical Director of the University of Utah Medical Group in Salt Lake City, Utah since 2000, as well as a Professor of Medicine.

Dr. Bjorkman holds a medical degree from the University of Utah, a master’s degree in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health at Harvard University, a master’s degree in Public Health and Health Services Administration from the University of Utah, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah. He is also board-certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine for Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

Dr. Bjorkman is the Deputy Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine’s Journal Watch. He has over 100 scientific publications and has written over 600 critical reviews for Journal Watch. His research interests include upper gastrointestinal bleeding, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug injury to the gastrointestinal tract and clinical outcomes in gastroenterology.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, the American College of Physicians, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American College of Gastroenterology and the American Gastroenterological Association.

Ashley Brown

UK
Consultant Hepatologist
St Mary’s and Hammersmith Hospitals

Dr Ashley Brown is a Consultant Hepatologist at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington and Adjunct Reader in Medicine at Imperial College London. He has a major clinical and research interest in viral hepatitis, has been investigator on more than 40 clinical trials of novel hepatitis therapies and has published nearly 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is currently heavily engaged in developing policy for ensuring access and pathways into care for difficult-to-reach populations, including prisoners and PWID, and looking at the health economics of screening for and treating HCV.

He is former Chair of the London Joint Working Group on HCV in PWID and of the British Viral Hepatitis Group; he sits on the HepC Coalition; and has recently been co-opted onto the European Liver Patients’ Association Task Force.

Carolina Olano

Uruguay
Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology
Universidad de la República

Dr Olano was born in Uruguay in 1966. She received her MD degree from the Universidad de la República in Montevideo in 1993, and achieved a postgraduate degree in Gastroenterology at the same university in 1996. She completed her GI endoscopy training at the Gastroenterology Clinic and associated public hospitals in Montevideo. After an internship at the Gastroenterology, Hepatology and infectious diseases department at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg, Germany in 2008, she specialized in video-capsule endoscopy and enteroscopy.

She has demonstrated deeply interest in GI Education, achieving in 2010 a Master degree (MSc (Ed)) at a private university of Montevideo (Universidad ORT). Dr Olano participates in educational activities from the World Gastroenterology Organization: she has been part of the Spanish “Train the Trainers” program’s faculty since 2010, she was part of the Methodology research committee and she is currently Co-chair of the Scientific Programs Committee.

She is currently in charge of the unique national program to achieve a Diploma in Endoscopy and as part of her position she is involved in postgraduate training in Gastroenterology.

She has occupied several positions at the Uruguayan Society of Gastroenterology, including President, Secretary and National Issues Chair.

Her major areas of interest include small bowel diseases, capsule endoscopy, enteroscopy and medical education.

Christopher C. Thompson

USA
Director of Therapeutic Endoscopy
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Christopher Thompson is the Director of Developmental Endoscopy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also on staff at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital Boston, and is co-director of the DoD funded CIMIT Working Group on Endoscopic Surgery. He is an active clinician with focused interest in advanced endoscopy as it applies to post surgical complications, bariatric endoscopy, reflux, and pancreatic disease. He has also established an active animal lab geared toward device development and industry partnering. The lab currently has several active protocols for Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) and the development of endoluminal devices. His research interests include: Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES), Endoscopic Suturing, GERD, advanced endoscopy research and device development, and bariatric endoscopy.

CIHAN YURDAYDIN

Turkey
President-Elect and Chair
WGO Foundation
Hepatology Institute
University of Ankara Medical School

Professor Cihan Yurdaydin specialized in Internal Medicine at the University of Ankara Medical School, Turkey, after gaining his medical degree from the same establishment. After a year of national service at Gümüssuyu Military Hospital and two years at Van State Hospital, he returned to the University of Ankara Medical School to specialize in gastroenterology. Dr. Yurdaydin has worked for one year on hepatic encephalopathy at the University of Vienna, Austria and was a visiting fellow at the Liver Diseases Section of the National Institutes of Health between 1991 and 1993. Professor Yurdaydin currently is Chief of the Gastroenterology at the University of Ankara Medical School and is also Chief of the Hepatology Institute, University of Ankara.

Professor Yurdaydin was an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Hepatology from 1995 to 2000 and has been Editor-in-Chief of The Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology from 1999 to 2013. He was an associate editor for Liver International from 2007 to 2012. Prof. Yurdaydin has published in peer reviewed journals such as the NEJM, Nature Reviews, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Journal of Hepatology.. He co-organized 2 EASL Monothematic Conferences in Istanbul, one on hepatitis B and the other on hepatitis Delta. An active member of the AASLD, EASL and Turkish Society for Gastroenterology, Professor Yurdaydin is also a member of the Turkish Association for the Study of the Liver and the Turkish Transplantation Society. He was an Executive Member of ASNEMGE and has served in the Scientific Committee of EASL. Prof. Yurdaydin was Educational Councilor to EASL from 2013 to 2015 and is currently serving as president-elect for the World Gastroenterology Organization.

DESMOND LEDDIN

Canada
Professor of Digestive Care & Endoscopy
Dalhousie University

Desmond Leddin is a professor of medicine at Dalhousie University in Canada and adjunct Professor at the University of Limerick, Ireland. He graduated from Trinity College in Dublin in 1978 and completed residency at Queens University in Ontario, and at the University of Toronto, in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology before returning to Queens to complete a Masters in physiology. He has chaired the Royal College of Canada examination board in Gastroenterology and teaches at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Research interests include the humanities, cancer screening, patient access to care, inflammatory bowel disease, and education transfer to developing countries. He is the author of many research papers and a book on the Canadian medical services in WWI.A previous president of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) he currently chairs the CAG guidelines committee on colon cancer screening.He has served as clinical head of the department of medicine in Halifax, head of endoscopy services for Capital Health, and head of the division of Gastroenterology at Dalhousie University.

Geoffrey Metz

Australia
Professor/Director of Medical Education
Epworth Hospital Clinical School, University of Melbourne

Professor Geoffrey Metz is Dean of Medicine at Epworth Clinical School, The University of Melbourne, Australia. He is a specialist general physician with a particular interest in gastroenterology.

Geoffrey qualified MBBS with Honours in 1970 at Monash University (Melbourne) and completed his training in general internal medicine at Alfred Hospital (Melbourne) before travelling to the United Kingdom where he trained in gastroenterology from 1974 to 1978 at the Medical Research Council Gastroenterology Unit and Department for Gastroenterology created by Sir Francis Avery Jones.

He was awarded the T.K. Stubbins Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (London) to perform research into gastroenterology, whilst also completing his clinical training as registrar and then senior registrar in clinical gastroenterology. During that time he developed a new technique for detecting carbohydrate malabsorption through the measurement of expired hydrogen. As a result of this research, he was awarded MD by thesis and MRCP (UK).

On returning to Australia, Geoffrey set up clinical practice at Alfred Hospital and Epworth Hospital in Melbourne and undertook research into nutrition and gastroenterology through Monash University. He has been heavily involved in medical education, clinical medicine and medical administration, initially through Monash University and then over a thirty year period at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

In 2001, he was awarded Order of Australia for services to medicine and education.

Over the past fifteen years Geoffrey has been closely involved in the development of the Train the Trainer modules for the World Gastroenterology Organisation, delivering education workshops to Directors of Gastroenterology Departments around the world.

Geoffrey is now very involved in teaching and administration at the Epworth Hospital Clinical School, where he has been Dean of Medicine since the inception of the clinical school.

Gerassimos Mantzaris

Greece
Coordinator Consultant Gastroenterologist
Department of Gastroenterology
Evangelismos, Ophthalmiatreion Athinon and Polyclinic Hospitals

Dr Mantzaris graduated from the Medical School of the Athens University. He was Board Certified in Internal Medicine in 1984 and completed his specialty in Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the University Department of Therapeutics, Athens, in 1987. He obtained his PhD degree from the Department of Pathologic Physiology, University of Athens in 1987. Between 1987 and 1990, he served as Research Fellow (grant by the Coeliac Trust of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and Honorary Clinical Registrar in the Department of Gastroenterology at the JR Hospital, Oxford, UK.

Dr Mantzaris was appointed as Consultant Gastroenterologist in Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, in 1989. He supervised the Outpatient IBD and the Coeliac Clinic at Evangelsmos Hospital, Athens for many years. In 2006, he was appointed as Head of the A’ Department of Gastroenterology in the same hospital and is now serving as Co-ordinator Consultant Gastroenterology.

Dr Mantzaris specializes in IBD, its pathogenesis and therapy, intestinal immunology, coeliac disease, and Helicobacter pylori infection. He has published or co-authored more than 95 manuscripts in peer review medical Journals and has presented numerous abstracts in International and National medical meetings. He has run many researcher- and industry-initiated clinical trials. He has also been president and/or member of steering committees in International and national Meetings, Symposia and Postgraduate Courses.

Dr Mantzaris has served as President of the Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology, the H. pylori Study Group, and is currently President of the Hellenic IBD Club and member of the Governing Board of the Athens Medical Society. He has served as member and chairman of the Education Committee (2009-2014) and he is now Educational Officer and member of the Governing Board of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization (ECCO); has co-authored the guidelines of ECCO on ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and the European Consensus on IBD Histopathology.

Dr Mantzaris is Fellow of the AGA, and member of UEG, ECCO, BSG, ACG, and the International Organization for the Study of IBD (IO-IBD). He is member of the editorial board of the JCC, IBD Journal, WJG, GRP, and Annals of Gastroenterology, and for several years has been reviewer in many Gastroenterological Journals.

Govind Makharia

India
Professor of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition
AIIMS

Dr Govind K Makharia is presently a Professor in the Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. He is also an adjunct faculty in the Clinical Epidemiology Unit of All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Celiac disease and inflammatory bowel diseases are the area of his active research.

Dr Makharia has published 151 articles in the indexed journals, 35 chapters for different books and edited a hand-book on celiac disease. He is a member of the Governing Body of Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Govt of India.

He has been nominated as a Co-chair of World Digestive Health Day 2016, World Gastroenterology Organization. He has co-chaired the World Gastroenterology Organization and Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology Working Party on Celiac disease. He is a Board Member of International Association for Studies on Celiac Disease. He is a core member of Asia Pacific Working Party on inflammatory bowel disease, and Asia Pacific Colorectal Cancer Study Group. He is the coordinator of national taskforce on inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr Makharia is also involved in the development of medical device innovation and is co-inventor of a device for fecal incontinence. He has received many awards national and international awards. He has received research grants both from national and international funding agencies.

Ibrahim Mustafa

Egypt
Vice President
Theodor Bilharz Research Institute

Dr. Ibrahim Mustafa is the Vice president of Theodor Bilharz Research Institute and Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

He has completed his education from the faculty of Medicine, Cairo Univesity, graduating with an MD. Dr. Mustafa’s key fields of research include Portal hypertension, Hepato-Pancreato-Billary diseases, Esophageal diseases, Colon diseases, Peptic ulcer and Hepatic diseases, particularly focusing on the Pathogenesis and endoscopic management and causes of these diseases. He is also involved in liver transplantation and role of the hepatology team pre and post transplantation.

He is councilor in the European Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Board, where is previously participated as Vice President (2008 – 2010), and President Elect for the Pan Arab Liver Transplantation Society. He is also Head of Liver Transplantation Unit in Wady El Nile Hospital. Dr Mostafa has published several scientific researches in the field of Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and liver transplantation in various major scientific journals either on the national or international levels and was the author of a total of 80 researches published.

In addition, he has participated and presented over 100 papers at major conferences and Liver endoscopy workshops both regionally and globally. He has participated in the establishment of Endoscopy Units and the training of staff in many national hospitals such as National Cancer Institute, El Haram Hospital, Nasser Institute Hospital, and Egypt Air Hospital. Furthermore, he has contributed to the establishment of many Gastroenterology and Hepatology Units in Africa and the Middle East.

James Toouli

Australia
Head of the Department of General and Digestive Surgery
Flinders Medical Center

James Toouli is currently Head of the Department of General and Digestive Surgery, Flinders Medical Center, Adelaide, Australia. He is also Senior Director of the Gastrointestinal Surgical Unit, and Head of the Hepatopancreatobiliary Unit at the same institution. In addition, he has been Head of General Surgery at the Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, Australia, since 1996.

Professor Toouli completed his graduate training at the Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. He also completed his PhD at this university in 1979, on ‘Treatment of Cholesterol Gallstones’.

After graduation, he went on to work at the Alfred and Prince Henry’s Hospitals, Melbourne. In 1975 he took a surgical registrar position at the Prince Henry’s Hospital, and then later became a Senior Surgical Registrar at the Flinders Medical Center and the Glasgow Royal infirmary, Scotland.

In 1983, Professor Toouli became a Lecturer in Surgery at the Flinders University. Here he went on to become an Associate Professor (1986-1989) and Professor (1989-present) in Surgery. Other positions have included being a Professeur Associé at the University of Nice, France (1994-1995), a RACS College Professor of Surgical Science (1995-present), and Head of Gastroenterological Services, Flinders Medical Center (1995-1998).

Professor Toouli is a member of the Victorian Medical Board, the South Australian Medical Board, and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

He is a member of more than ten societies, including the Surgical Research Society, the AGA, Gastroenterological Society of Australia, and the World Association of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery.

Professor Toouli supervises 23 postgraduate students.

He has authored 5 books, 65 book chapters, a CD-ROM, 17 invited reviews, 155 abstracts, 23 press abstracts, and numerous other articles in reviewed journals. He has also been an invited speaker at 118 national and international conferences and 25 local meetings.

Professor Toouli has given a number of named lectureships. He has been involved in numerous local, national, and international committees, including those of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology, and OMGE.

He is currently on the editorial boards of 11 journals, including the European Journal of Surgery, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and Digestive Surgery.

Kelly Burak

Canada
Professor and Director
Calgary Liver Unit
Southern Alberta Liver Transplant Clinic
University of Calgary

Dr. Burak is Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary where he serves as the Director of the Calgary Liver Unit and Southern Alberta Liver Transplant Clinic. He is cross-appointed to the Department of Oncology. His clinical and research interests include hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver transplantation. He has served as the local principal investigator in the pivotal randomized clinical trials evaluating sorafenib for advanced HCC [SHARP], in combination with transarterial chemoembolization [SPACE] and as adjuvant therapy following curative therapy [STORM]. He has been involved RCTs involving brivanib and axitinib for advanced HCC. He currently serves as the Chair of the Interventional Radiology Guidelines Committee for Alberta and recently updated our provincial HCC guidelines.

Dr. Burak was part of the Steering Committee for the 2016 Canadian Liver Listing and Allocation Conference, which lead to Canada adopting total tumour volume (TTV) and alphafetoprotein (AFP) criteria for transplantation of HCC. Dr. Burak has 75 peer reviewed publications, including the Canadian HCC guidelines. He organized the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (CASL) HCC meeting and was the lead author of the meeting proceedings. Dr. Burak has been invited to speak in Canada, USA, Korea and Australia on the management of HCC. Dr. Burak also has a keen interest in Medical Education and has won a number of teaching awards including the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Young Educator Award in 2010. He currently serves as the Director of Teaching Innovation at the University of Calgary and is developing an iPad application to help educate medical trainees and health care providers around the management of liver disease and liver cancer.

Mark Topazian

USA
Professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Mayo Clinic

Dr. Topazian is a gastroenterologist and Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

His professional interests center on pancreatology, EUS, ERCP, and international endoscopy.

He is a recipient of the ASGE Distinguished Educator Award.

D Nageshwar Reddy

India
President
World Endoscopy Organisation

Dr D Nageshwar Reddy is currently the Chairman of Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, India. President of World Endoscopy Organization.

Born on 18th March 1956 at Vishakapatnam, he completed his MBBS from Kurnool Medical College, later obtaining internal medicine degree from Madras Medical College and D.M in Gastroenterology from PGIMER, Chandigarh. He subsequently worked as a Professor of Gastroenterology in Andhra Pradesh Health Sciences before setting up Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, a tertiary care Gastro intestinal Specialties Hospital in Hyderabad.

His main area of research interest has been in G.I. Endoscopy particularly in Therapeutic Pancreatio Biliary Endoscopy and Innovations in Transgastric Endoscopic Surgery. He has published over 400 papers in National & International Peer review journals and has contributed chapters in 7 International Text Books of Gastroenterology and has edited 3 G.I. Endoscopy Text Books. He is on the Editorial Board of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Digestive Endoscopy, World Journal of Gastroenterology, World Gastroenterology News, Gastroenterology Today, The Journal of Chinese Clinical Medicine, and Recent Patents on Medical Imaging, Indian Journal of Gastroenterology and Gastro-Hep.com. He is the peer reviewer of the Journals like Lancet, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Endoscopy, World Journal of Gastroenterology, Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology and Indian Journal of Gastroenterology. He was the President of Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy of India in 2001. He has been a visiting faculty for 112 international endoscopy workshops and forum member of Asian Endoscopy Masters Forum.

He has been recognized for his achievements by several societies. He received the B C Roy Award from the Indian Medical Council in 1995. He received PADMA SHRI AWARD by Government of India in 2002. He has been elected as honorary member for American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in 2004, Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences, New Delhi in 2001, Fellow of Philippines Society of Gastroenterology in 2001, Fellow of Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in 2003, and is a recipient of Honorary Doctor in Sciences (D.S.C) from Nagarjuna University in 2005. He has given several named orations including The Francisco Roman oration of Philippines Society of Gastroenterology 2002, Dr Panner Selvam Memorial Oration of Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology in 2006, Kees Huibregtse Oration of 15th International Symposium on Pancreatio Biliary Endoscopy, Los Angeles 2007, Sir Francis Avery Jones Professorship in St. Marks, London 2008, Peter Gilispje oration, Australia 2010. He received the Master Endoscopist Award from A.S.G.E in 2009, ASGE International Leadership Award in 2011 and Fellow of American College of Gastroenterology in 2012. He received the highest Award Master of World Gastroenterology Organization from World Gastroenterology Organization in 2014. In 2015 he received honorary fellowship from Hong Kong society of Gastroenterology. He was the Secretary General of World Endoscopy Organization from February 2014 to October 2014 and presently he is the President of World Endoscopy Organization. He has been awarded PADMA BHUSHAN AWARD by Government of India in 2016.

Nancy Reau

USA
Associate Professor of Medicine,
Section Chief of Hepatology
World Endoscopy Organisation
Rush University Medical Center

Dr. Nancy Reau is currently Associate Director of Solid Organ Transplantation and Section Chief of Hepatology at Rush University Medical Center.

Dr. Reau received her undergraduate (B.A.) at Oberlin College in Oberlin Ohio and doctorate of medicine (M.D.), cum laude, from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She completed a medicine residency and a gastroenterology fellowship at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She went to The Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, MD, where she did her advanced transplant hepatology fellowship in 2001.

She was employed at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago IL as an assistant professor from 2002 until 2005, when she accepted a position at the University of Chicago Medicine. She became an associate professor of medicine in 2010, Medical Director of hepatology Clinical and Translational Research in 2015 and then joined Rush University Medical Center in 2015. She is a fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association and fellow of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. She has also been the annual honoree of the Illinois chapter of the American Liver Foundation.

Dr. Reau’s research interest is in viral hepatitis, both in drug development as well as utilization. She has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles, invited reviews, editorials and on-line programs, as well as several book chapters, and two books. She is on the editorial board for HEPATOLOGY and is a guest editor for Clinical Liver Disease, for the topic of hepatitis C. She served, as the chair of the public policy committee for the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), was a member of the AASLD practice guideline committee and a member of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) women’s committee. She has been a member of the national board of directors of the American Liver Foundation (ALF) and served as the president of the Illinois chapter of the ALF, a member of the board of directors and a member of the medical advisory committee (MAC). She is currently co-chair of the National ALF MAC and on multiple advisory boards including Medscape and Medivo. She is currently a member of the steering committee for the hepatitis C special interest group (SIG) for the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and a member of the ACG training committee. Effective 2013, she is member of the AASLD/IDSA Practice Guidelines for hepatitis C. Dr. Reau is a member of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases practice guideline committee, the American
College of Gastroenterology women’s committee, and is the vice president of the board of directors of the American Liver Foundation, Illinois Chapter.

Satish Keshav

UK
GI Consultant
John Radcliffe Hospital

Dr Satish Keshav is Consultant Physician in Gastroenterology and Associate Professor, specialising in inflammatory bowel disease, at the John Radcliffe Hospital and University of Oxford, UK.

Dr Keshav’s research encompasses investigation of gastrointestinal immunity and inflammation as well as clinical studies and trials. His main interest is in understanding the mechanisms of organ-specific immunity and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. In particular, Dr Keshav is interested in determining the role of specialised epithelial cells, which maintain host defence and mediate between extrinsic micro-organisms and the innate and adaptive immune systems. He also has an interest in, and has presented widely on, iron deficiency and anaemia in the context of gastrointestinal medicine.

Dr Keshav is a member of the British Society of Gastroenterology, the British Society for Cell Biology and the British Society for Immunology, and he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London.

Shyam S. Varadarajulu

USA
Medical Director
Center for Interventional Endoscopy
University of Central Florida

Dr Varadarajulu is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Central Florida and is the Medical Director of the Florida Hospital Center for Interventional Endoscopy. He was formerly an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Chief of Endoscopy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has more than 250 peer reviewed publications, 25 textbook chapters and is the Editor of the textbook ENDOSONOGRAPHY. He was also a Section Editor (Endoscopy) for the American Gastroenterological Association journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and currently is Deputy Editor-in-Chief for the journal Digestive Endoscopy. He is a reviewer for more than 30 professional journals. He is a Principal Investigator of more than 10 randomized trials related to interventional endoscopy.

Dr Varadarajulu is board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology-Hepatology. He specializes in the treatment of complex pancreatic and biliary disorders with particular expertise in Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) and Therapeutic ERCP.

Hisao Tajiri

Japan
Professor
Department of Innovative
Interventional Endoscopy Research
Jikei University School of Medicine

Professor Tajiri is currently Professor in the Department of Innovative Interventional Endoscopy Research at the Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

He graduated from Hokkaido University School of Medicine in Sapporo, Japan, in 1976, and received postgraduate professional training at the Department of Internal Medicine at Cancer Institute Hospital and the Endoscopy Division at National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo. In 1995, he joined National Cancer Center Hospital East as the Chief of the Endoscopy Division. In 2001, he was appointed to Professor at Department of Endoscopy, the Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. Furthermore, he was appointed to Chairman and Professor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, and Department of Endoscopy, the Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan from 2005 to March 2015.

Professor Tajiri’s specialty and research interests are gastrointestinal endoscopy, as well as biliary and pancreatic diseases. His recent achievements are developments of various new endoscopic diagnosis and treatment for the GI malignancies using narrow band imaging (NBI) system, magnifying endoscopy, microscopic endoscopy such as endocytoscopy and confocal endomicroscopy, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and robotic assisted endoluminal surgery.

He has been in the position of a President of Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society (JGES) since May, 2013. In addition, he has been active as a Chair of Upper GI Cancer Committee of WEO, Vice President of Asian Pacific Society for Digestive Endoscopy (APSDE) and a Chair of Japan NOTES.

Professor Tajiri has been awarded several times for his distinguished research achievements, and received the Japanese Cancer Association Award in 1987, the Japan Pancreas Society Award in 1991, Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society Award in 1984, Tamiya’s Memorial Award (Memorial Award of the First President, National Cancer Center) in 1998, “Crystal Award” (Honorary Member Award) from ASGE in 2007, Tasaka’s Memorial Lecture in World Congress of Gastroenterology 2009 (London), Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund Prize in 2010, and International Service Award from SIED (Sociedad InterAmericana de Endoscopia Digestiva) in 2016.

Professor Tajiri has published 1090 papers (235 international journals and 18 chapters in English Book) and also1380 abstracts have been presented (90 of them as the first author in international societies’ publications).

Marc Giovannini

France
Head – Endoscopy Department
Paoli-Calmettes Institute

Marc Giovannini earned his Medical License at the University of Marseille in 1987, during the same year he also earned his diploma of Gastroenterology. He has been chief of the Endoscopy Unit at the PaolKammettes Institute since 1997 and served as the chief of the Oncology Unit from 2000-2002. Dr. Giovannini is a member of a number of societies, including: the French Society of Endoscopy, the French Foundation of Digestive Oncology, the French federation of Oncology, the European Society of Gastroenterology and the French Club of Endosonography where he served as General Secretary from 1996 – 1998 and President from 1998 – 2000. He was President of Euro-Eus Society from

2008 – 2013. He was member of the Board of the French Club of Endosonography in year 2014. He is also Honorary President of the MENA Society since 2013.

Stuart Gordon

USA
Henry Ford Hospital

Dr. Gordon is Professor of Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine and Director, Division of Hepatology, Henry Ford Health Systems. He trained in clinical hepatology at the University of Miami, under Drs. Leon and Eugene Schiff. His major research interest is in the epidemiology and treatment of viral hepatitis. He has authored or coauthored 200 papers, reviews and chapters, has served as ad-hoc member of several NIH Study Sections, is a reviewer for New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine and other publications, and he is a member of the editorial board of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

He is a Laureate of the Michigan Chapter of the American College of Physicians and was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni award from Wayne State University School of Medicine.

In collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Gordon is the Principal Investigator of the multicenter CHeCS (Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study). CHeCS is a prospective and retrospective study that examines the health burden, spectrum, natural history, epidemiology and treatment challenges posed by chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C in the United States.

Oliver Pech

Germany
Head of Gastroenterology and Interventional Endoscopy
St John of God Hospital Regensburg

Professor Oliver Pech graduated from the University of Erlangen and started his GI training and training in advanced interventional endoscopy with Professor Christian Ell at HSK Wiesbaden, Germany. He became a faculty member and Head of Endoscopy at HSK Wiesbaden. In 2012 Professor Pech became Head of Gastroenterology and Interventional Endoscopy at St. John of God Hospital, Regensburg, Germany – a tertiary teaching hospital of the University of Regensburg.

Professor Pech is an internationally renowned expert in interventional endoscopy and one of the world wide leading experts in endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of early Barrett’s neoplasia. He published more than 60 original articles, co-authored several guidelines and is frequently invited as a speaker and as an expert endoscopist on national and international conferences. Professor Pech is associate editor for the UEG Journal and editorial board member at Endoscopy and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Currently his research focus is on endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of early GI neoplasias, EMR, ESD, POEM, ERCP with cholangioscopy and endosonography.

Ala Sharara

LEBANON

Head of Gastroenterology & Hepatology

American University of Beirut Medical Center

Ala Sharara is Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Gastroenterology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon. He is also a Consulting Professor at Duke University, Durham, USA. With American board certification in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Professor Sharara’s research interests include viral hepatitis, Helicobacter pylori, inflammatory bowel disease, adverse events related to proton pump inhibitors, colonoscopy screening and bowel preparation. He is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and American Gastroenterological Association as well as a member of the International Association for the Study of the Liver (IASL) and the Lebanese Society of Gastroenterology. Dr. Sharara is on the editorial board of leading GI journals including American Journal of Gastroenterology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. He is a frequently invited speaker to local, regional and international scientific events.

Abdulla Alhassani

UAE
Head of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Department
Zayed Military Hospital

Dr. Abdulla Alhassani, MBBS , FRCPC is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Zayed Military Hospital, Abu Dhabi. Currently he is the Head of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Department. He completed his postgraduate studies in medicine and gastroenterology at University of Toronto, Canada in 2005. In addition to this, he obtained American board in general medicine in 2003. Dr. Alhassani completed a fellowship in advanced therapeutic endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound in Nice, France. He published significant articles, abstracts, and learning DVDs in video capsule, liver transplantation, single balloon enteroscopy , therapeutic treatment of UGIB, and endoscopic bariatric therapies in well recognized journals and gastroenterology meetings.

In addition to his participation at national level, Dr. Alhassani joined Emirates Red Crescent in many occasions providing healthcare to refugees in Afghanistan, Libya , and Tunisia. His main interest is endoscopic bariatric therapies and new endoscopic techniques in treating GERD and Barretts Asophagus.

Sameer Al Awadhi

UAE

Head Gastroenterology and
Endoscopy Department
Rashid Hospital

Dr Sameer Al Awadhi is currently head of Gastroenterology and endoscopy department in Rashid Hospital. He is also a lecturer at Dubai Medical college and Vice-President of Emirates Gastroenterology and Hepatology Society (EGHS).

Mohamed Al Zaabi

UAE
Liver Transplant Specialist
Zayed Military Hospital

Dr. Alzaabi graduated from the UAE University (1990-1997). He completed his internship in Tawam and Al-Ain hospitals (1997-1998). After that he joined the UAE armed forces as a general practitioner (1998-2001). He participated in peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo (1999-2000). In 2001 he was appointed the director of Royal Guards Medical services.

He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, (Cleveland, OH, USA 2001-2004). He was awarded the Norman Gordon Award for outstanding performance in internal medicine residency program. Following that he completed Gastroenterology fellowship at Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada (2004-2006). Then he completed his fellowship in advanced Hepatology and liver transplantation at the Icahn School of Medicine of Mount Sinai (New York, NY, USA, 2006-2007). He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

Currently He works as a Consultant Transplant Hepatologist and Gastroenterologist in Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi. He leads the National Project for HCV Eradication among The UAE Local Population. His main interest is liver transplantation, Viral Hepatitis and NASH.

Salim Awad

UAE
Senior Consultant Physician
Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist
Burjeel Hospital

Dr. Salim received his undergraduate degree from Cambridge school in 1968. He was awarded his medical degree from University of Baghdad in 1975 and subsequently awarded a scholarship for further training in Internal Medicne in 1979 at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital where he was a Medical Resident. He subsequently completed his Fellowship in Gastroenterology. Dr. Salim joined the Gastroenterology Division as a faculty member in one of the government hospital in Abu Dhabi and has rapidly become a nationally recognised expert in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The majority of his responsibilities are caring for patients with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’e disease. A large number clinical trials and investigator initiated studies are conducted at the Hospital, and he is either the principal or co-investigator on all of them. He has published numerous articles, abstract and book chapters. Currently, Dr. Salim is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP), American Gastroenterological Associate Fellow (AGAF)and a member of numerous professional societies.

Vivek Kaul

USA

Professor of Medicine

Chief – Gastroenterology & Hepatology

University of Rochester Medical Center

Dr Vivek Kaul is the Segal-Watson Endowed Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. His clinical, research and medical education efforts are focused in Therapeutic Endoscopy, Interventional Endoscopic Ultrasound, advanced therapeutic ERCP, Esophageal Endotherapy for Barrett’s and Hepato-pancreatico-biliary disease. He has specific expertise in complex interventional endoscopy, especially in the patient with GI cancer. He co-directs the Developmental Endoscopy Lab a URMC which is dedicated to education, training and innovation in endoscopy. Dr. Kaul serves on several national Gastroenterology committees with the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). He is a reviewer for several Gastroenterology journals, is a sought after speaker and has authored several publications in the field. He serves as a Governor for the American College of Gastroenterology and co-directs the hands-on endoscopy workshops for the ACG around the country. Dr Kaul also serves on the WGo Endoscopy committee and regularly lectures and shares his endoscopy expertise at centers around the world.

Adnan Abuhammour

UAE
Gastroenterologist
Abuhamour Medical Center (AMC)
Dubai Healthcare City

Dr. Adnan Abu Hammour- Consultant Gastroenterologist and Chairman/Medical Director of our Medical Center located in DHCC-Dubai, He received his medieal degree from the University of Jordan in 1983. He did his post-graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and he was awarded a fellowship in therapeutic endoscopy in 1995. He is an American Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is a board member of Dubai Healthcare City Authority. He is also the chairman of the Academic and Research Council of Dubai Healthcare City Authority, and he is a board member of AMAGE council.

Maryam Al Khatry

UAE
Head of Gastroenterology and
Endoscopy Department
IBHO Hospital
Ministry of Health

Dr.Maryam AlKhatry received her degree MBBS from Dubai Medical College, U.A.E in 2003. Afterwards she finalized an one year internship at Dubai Authority Hospitals. In 2004, she received her post-graduate training at Hillingdon Hospital Trust Uxbridge – London and joined Queen Mary University where she received her Master Degree in Gastroenterology and Hepatology by the end of 2006.

She is President of the Emirates Medical Association (EMA) Gastroenterology and Hepatology Conference and Member of the Irish Medical Council.

Rami Moucari

UAE
Gastroenterologist
Bellevue University Medical Center (Lebanon)
Advanced Cure Diagnostic Center (Abu Dhabi)

Rami MOUCARI graduated as a Gastroenterologist from Saint Joseph University (Beirut) and proceeded to a further subspecialty in Hepatology at the University of Paris. Additionally, he has acquired a PhD in the field of Liver Diseases from the same university.

Dr. MOUCARI has authored / co-authored more than 40 papers published in top ranked international journals in the field of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. He is also a designated reviewer and member of the editorial board of several peer-reviewed journals. He is also recognized as an expert in the field of viral hepatitis by the European Association for the Study of the Liver.

His main fields of interest and research are viral hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver and liver vascular diseases.

He is currently practicing at Bellevue University Medical Center (Lebanon) and Advanced Cure Diagnostic Center (Abu Dhabi).

Tarek Hassanein

USA
Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist
Medical Director of Outreach Services
Liver Transplant Program
UC San Diego

Tarek Hassanein, MD, is a board-certified gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist who specializes in liver disease. He provides care to patients at Southern California GI and Liver Centers, a clinical services collaborator of UC San Diego Health System. Dr. Hassanein focuses his practice on the management of viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and care of patients before and after liver transplantation.

Dr. Hassanein serves as the medical director of outreach services for the Liver Transplant Program Outreach Services at UC San Diego Health.

Before joining Southern California GI and Liver Centers, Dr. Hassanein was director of the Liver Center at UC San Diego Health.

He is fellow of the American College of Physicians, American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Gastroenterological Association.

Dr. Hassanein earned his medical degree from Alexandria University in Egypt. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He completed a research and clinical fellowship in gastroenterology, hepatology, and transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh.

Asad Dajani

UAE
Gastroenterologist & Hepatologist
Dr. Asad Dajani Specialized Center

Dr Asa’d Izziddin Dajani obtained his Medical degree Cum Laude from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University in Egypt. He pursued his postgraduate studies and activities in internal medicine in the UK, and Austria.

Dr Dajani has an experience ofhaving worked at various hospitals in Egypt, Kuwait, Austria and United Arab Emirates, gaining wide experience in his field. In 1984, he relocated to the UAE, where he was instrumental in establishing the Endoscopy service at the Kuwait and Al Qassimi Hospitals in Sharjah. He has Jordanian board diplomate (Highest consultancy diploma in Jordan), Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and surgeons of Glasgow and Fellowship of the American College of Gastroenterologists.

Dr Dajani regularly attends and participates in local, regional as well as international conferences and shares his expertise with his peers all over. He is regularly invited as a guest lecturer to various medical conventions, institutes, and pharmaceutical sponsored meetings locally, regionally and internationally. Dr Dajani has many publications to his credit in reputed local as well as international Medical journals. He has also presented at many conferences and seminars worldwide.

Subrata Ghosh

UK
Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy
Professor of Translational Medicine
Director of the Institute of Translational Medicine
University of Birmingham

Subrata Ghosh is the Director of the Institute of Translational Medicine and Professor of Translational Medicine, University of Birmingham. He took up this position on the 1st of June 2016. He moved from Canada where he was the Professor of Medicine at University of Calgary. He was cross-appointed as Professor of Immunology and microbiology and was an adjunct Professor in the department of veterinary medicine. He was the Head of the Department of Medicine at Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and the Zone Clinical Department Head, Calgary Zone, Alberta Health Services. Previously, he was the Chair of Gastroenterology and Professor of Gastroenterology at the Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital and associate professor of gastroenterology at University of Edinburgh. Dr Ghosh is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a member of the International Organization for the Study of IBD. He is a past editor in chief of the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and associate editor of Gut, and sits on the editorial boards of several journals. He served on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada and Chaired its of Advocacy Committee and he was the chairman of the medical advisors of the Crohn’s and Colitis UK. Dr Ghosh has published over 403 manuscripts (h index 64). He has delivered over 600 international lectures. His research interests are focused on translational immunology of inflammatory bowel disease and novel therapeutic approaches.

Huda Kattaa

UAE
Consultant Physician/Gastroenterologist
American European Medical Center

Dr. Huda Kattaa is a Consultant Physician/Gastroenterologist at American European Medical Center since 2008 .Dr. Kattaa is Certified in UK, with over 20 years of experience in General Medicine, Gastroenterology, Endoscopy and Liver Disease.

Dr. Kattaa received her Postgraduate training ( Arab Board) in General Medicine in Damascus University, and continued her training in General Medicine and Gastroenterology in UK. She is member of the Taskforce Committee for Colorectal Cancer Screening in HAAD, Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Kattaa accredited by JAG ( UK) as an endoscopist and Colonoscopy trainer. From 2ooo- 2008 , Dr. Kattaa was appointed as a Gastroenterologist in Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Dr Kattaa has participated as a speaker and Chairperson in many of Abu Dhabi Gastroenterology, Primary Care and Hepatology conferences over the last few years

Aydamir Alrakawi

UAE
Staff Physician, Gastroenterology,
Digestive Disease Institute

Aydamir Alrakawi, MD, is a Staff Physician in the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Alrakawi worked as a Gastroenterologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic in Manchester, New Hampshire, US.

Dr. Alrakawi received his medical degree from Damascus University in Damascus, Syria, in 1990. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Fairview Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic hospital in Ohio, US. After completing his residency, Dr. Alrakawi practiced as a primary care physician in Mississippi until 1996. He then went on to complete a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Washington University in St. Louis and another fellowship in Biliary Endoscopy (ERCP).

Maher A. Abbas

UAE
Staff Physician, Digestive Disease Institute

Maher A. Abbas, MD, is a Staff Physician in the Digestive Disease Institute, one of the five Centers of Excellence at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Dr. Abbas supports operation of the Institute across specialties including gastroenterology, hepatology, colon and rectal surgery, and general surgery.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Abbas served as the Chair for robotic and minimally invasive surgery at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles, California; Regional Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group; and Director of the Permanente National Center for Excellence in Colon and Rectal Surgery. He also served as Associate Professor at the University of California in Los Angeles and Irvine.

Dr. Abbas has led clinical research efforts in more than 30 investigational studies and has served on several national and international scientific committees, including the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the International Council of Coloproctology. He is the author of more than 100 publications and has delivered over 200 lectures. He currently serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals including Diseases of Colon and Rectum (the official journal of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons). His areas of clinical expertise include minimally invasive and robotic surgery, interventional endoscopy, re-operative pelvic surgery, rectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, pelvic reconstructive procedures and anorectal surgery.

Dr. Abbas received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Chemistry at Emory University and obtained his medical degree from Stanford University in California. He completed his surgical training at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, and his colorectal surgery fellowship at Cleveland Clinic, Florida.

Dr. Abbas represented Lebanon in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, where he competed in the men’s 400 and 800 meters races. He resides in Abu Dhabi with his wife, Randa, and their three children.

Yasir M. Akmal

UAE
Staff Physician, General Surgery,
Digestive Disease Institute

Yasir M. Akmal, MBBCh, is a Staff Physician in the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Akmal worked as a General and Oncologic Surgeon at Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, California. He served as the Associate Program Director of the General Surgery Residency, helped pioneer regional robotic colorectal surgery, and launched the robotic hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery program. He was also awarded the residency teaching award and the departmental merit award.

His areas of expertise include minimally invasive and robotic surgery, complex upper and lower gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery for benign and malignant disease, colorectal cancer, soft tissue tumors, breast, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, and surgery for peritoneal malignancies with intraoperative administration of chemotherapy. Dr. Akmal pursued his BSc degree in Exercise Science at the University of Southern California and obtained his medical degree from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. He performed an internship in surgery at the University of Southern California and completed his general surgical training at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania. He then went on to complete fellowship training in Surgical Oncology at City of Hope National Medical Center in California.

Dr. Akmal is an avid sportsman and video-gamer and resides in Abu Dhabi with his wife and three children.

Saeed Sadiq Hamid

Pakistan
The Ibne Sina Professor of Medicine
Chairman – Department of Medicine
Aga Khan University

Dr Saeed Sadiq Hamid is The Ibne Sina Professor of Medicine and Chairman, Department of Medicine at The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. He graduated from King Edward Medical College, Lahore in 1981, and has been affiliated with AKU since 1990. He completed his postgraduate training in Medicine and Gastroenterology in the UK, and in Hepatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, USA.

His research interests include Viral Hepatitis and Acute Liver Failure.

He has been the recipient of basic and clinical research grants, including clinical trials. He has a total of 145 peer reviewed publications and three book chapters to his credit, and currently serves as an associate editor for Hepatology International, the official journal of APASL.

Dr Hamid has been a Member of the Executive Council, Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver, 2006-2010, and currently also serves as President, Pakistan Society for the Study of Liver Diseases.

He has been a long serving member of the WGO Guidelines and Publications committee and also a member of many guideline development groups of the APASL. He chaired the WHO Guidelines Development Group on HCV treatment guidelines, which were released in April 2016.

Abed Al Lehibi

KSA
Head Gastroenterology & Endoscopy Section
Department of Medicine
King Fahad Medical City

Dr Lehibi is Head of Gastroenterology and endoscopy department at King Fahad Medical City. He has published various papers in journals and has interest in research.

Ahmed Jazzar

UAE
Consultant Gastroenterologist
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City

Dr Ahmad Jazzar is Consultant Gastroenterologist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi.

Alessandro Repici

Italy
Director of Endoscopy Unit
Humanitas Research Hospital

The main field of clinical activity of dr Repici is advanced endoscopy with special interest in procedures like ESD, stenting, POEM, Zenker treatment and ERCP. Dr Repici has teaching responsibilities in different fellowship programs of the University of Torino and University of Milano and since 2015 has been appointed full professor of Gastroenterology at Humanitas Medical School, Milano. Clinical activity of dr Repici complex endoscopic procedures including ERCP, stenting removal of large superficial neoplastic lesions like intestinal polyps, early gastric cancer, dysplastic lesions on Barrett’s esophagus), radiofrequency ablation of Barrett’s esophagus, treatment of Zenker esophagus as well as POEM for patients with achalasia and motility disorders of the esophagus. This advanced clinical and endoscopic activity has been accompanied by a continuous effort in clinical research for developments of new methods of treatment of digestive diseases that have been reported in the most important medical journals (such as Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Gastroenterology, Endoscopy, American Journal of Gastroenterology) and in presentations in the most important meetings worldwide. Dr Repici has been invited to perform advanced endoscopic procedures in many countries including Canada, South Africa, Singapore, United States, India, Brasil, Argentina, Israel, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Korea.

He has been appointed as one of the Associate Editors of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in 2015 and already serves in the Editorial Board of Digestive and Liver Disease.

Ali Khammas

UAE
Consultant General Surgeon
Rashid Hospital

Dr Ali Khammas is consultant general surgeon for Rashid Hospital. He is associated with Dubai Health Authority since 2010. Dr Khammas completed his further medical studies from University Of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Ayman Abdo

Saudi Arabia
King Khalid University Hospital Riyadh

Dr Ayman Abdo is Professor and Vice Dean for Postgraduate Studies and Research, Executive Director of Academic Affairs. He is heavily involved in teaching interns rotating through the gastroenterology unit, rotating Internal Medicine residents, and gastroenterology fellows. He has published articles in various journals.

Damon Bizos

South Africa
Adjunct Professor of Surgery
University of the Witwatersrand

Prof. Damon Bizos is currently adjunct professor of surgery at University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He is also Chair of Train the Trainers program for World Gastroenterology Organisation. His main interest is surgical gastroenterology.

Filippos Georgopoulos

UAE
Consultant Gastroenterologist
Al Zahra Hospital

Dr Filippos Georgopoulos is a Consultant in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Al Zahra Private Hospital in Dubai, UAE since late 2012. He is a graduate of University of Crete in Greece finishing his Gastroenterology Fellowship training in Athens General Hospital in Greece in 2000.

He subsequently subspecialized with a clinical fellowship in advanced therapeutic endoscopy and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in Scotland where later he became Consultant Gastroenterologist up to 2003.

His next step was back in Greece, working as Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist for 10 years up to 2013 at Nikea General Hospital which is a tertiary Hospital in Athens. He was responsible for the advanced therapeutic endoscopy and ERCP lab performing annually hundreds of cases with complex biliary, pancreatic and gastrointestinal lumen procedures.
Dr Filippos Georgopoulos has also huge experience in treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients (Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis) working previously in a Gastroenterology Department which had been awarded by the Greek Ministry of Health as a referral center of excellence for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. His expertise also includes diagnosis and treatment of coeliac disease, motility Gastrointestinal disorders like oesophageal achalasia, colonic inertia as well as common GI problems like Gastroesophageal reflux, chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain etc.

His endoscopic expertise apart from hepatobiliary and pancreatic problems includes Endoscopic Mucosal Resection of large colonic or gastric polyps, percutaneous endoscopic placement of gastrostomy feeding tubes, dilation of strictures, placement of stents in oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestine, haemostasis of gastrointestinal bleeding using various techniques, endoscopic band ligation for oesophageal varices, capsule endoscopy, oesophageal and anorectal manometry, eradication treatment of Barrett’s oesophagus (HALO method, Duette method)

He has published several papers in peer review journals and chapter books and he is invited speaker on various GI topics in local and international scientific meetings on a regular basis. He has full license to practice in Dubai (Dubai Health Authority), UK (General Medical Council) and Greece (Athens Medical Council). He holds the title of Fellow of European Board of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (FEBGH).

He is currently employed at Al Zahra Private Hospital in Dubai in UAE as consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist responsible for the special clinical Gastroenterology as well as interventional endoscopy services that the hospital provides.

Fuad Al Ali

Kuwait
Consultant Gastroenterologist / Hepotologist
Internal Medicine Dept.

Dr Fuad Al Ali is consultant gastroenterologist and Hepatologist in Al Seef Hospital, Kuwait

Guilherme Macedo

Portugal
Head of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department
Centro Hospitalar S.João and Faculty of Medicine

Prof Macedo MD, PhD, FACG, FASGE, AGAF, FAASLD is Vice President of the Portuguese Society of Gastroenterology. He is also Head of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department at Centro Hospitalar S.João and Medical School,University of Porto, Portugal.

Prof Macedo heads WGO Gastroenterology and Hepatology Training Center in Porto, Portugal.

Laila Al Dabal

UAE
Rashid Hospital

Dr Laila is consultant Hepatologist and head of medical department at Rashid Hospital , Dubai Health Authority.

Majid Almadi

KSA
Gastroenterologist, Therapeutic Endoscopy and Endosonography
King Khalid University Hospital
King Saud University

Dr Majid Almadi is currently working as Program Director Therapeutic Endoscopy Program at King Saud University. He is also vice chairman of scientific committee for the gastroenterology training program in Saudi Arabia. He is also regional chairman of central region of the gastroenterology training.

Dr Majid is also President of Saudi Gastroenterology Association since January 2014.

Makki Fayyad

UAE
Medical Director
Advanced Center For Day Care Surgery

Dr Makki Fayyad Is Consltant Physician & Gastroenterologist-Medical Director At Advanced Center For Day Care Surgery. He exams patients and doing gastroscopiues, colonoscopies, fibroscans, video capsules. He is also interested in doing clinical research in his topics of interest
examiner to MRCP I in Dubai. He is also Task force for colorectal cancer.

Maryam Aslani

UAE
Consultant Radiation Oncologist
Gulf International Cancer Center

Dr. Aslani graduated from Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran in 1993, where she received her Diploma in Radiation Oncology in 1996, ranking at the top on nationwide specialty exam. Dr. Aslani joined McGill University, Montreal, Canada in 2002 where she completed her residency in Radiation Oncology. She became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC) in 2007. She is an expert in IMRT and HDR Brachytherapy and specializes in breast and gynecological cancers.

Mohanad Diab

UAE
Consultant Medical Oncologist
NMC Medical Centre

Dr Diab has been working with NMC since May 2014 as Consultant Medical Oncologist. He completed his MD in 2004 from Carolinska University, Sweden. Subsequently, he completed his Certificate in Bone Marrow Transplantation in 2008 from Oncology Hospital, Radiumhemmet.

He was instrumental in setting up the Oncology clinic at NMC hospital, where he implemented updated chemotherapy protocols according to the highest international and European standards.

Dr. Diab has also set up a one of its kind, unique tumor board, which meets weekly to discuss all cancer cases to ensure that each patient’s treatment is personalized and most appropriate to his/her needs. This tumor board is multi-disciplinary and consists of the onco-surgeon, onco-pathologist and onco-radiologist in addition to allied specialties.

Prior to joining NMC he was a Consultant Medical Oncologist since 2008 in the West Gotland Region in Sweden that had 2 hospitals having capacities of 525 and 300 beds respectively. He was also instrumental in setting up and leading the oncology clinics of these hospitals while in Sweden.

Dr. Diab manages his own Medical Oncology study and participates actively in many studies for different Tumor diagnosis.

He is multilingual and can communicate fluently in English, Arabic, Swedish and has knowledge of conversational Norwegian and Danish

Mustafa Sabri

UAE
Consultant Physician &Gastroenterologist
Digestive Diseases Unit
Rashid Hospital- Dubai Health Authority

Dr Sabri graduated from Medical College 1983. He worked as Emergency physician then internal Medicine resident till 1993 in Jordan. In February 1993 obtained Jordanian Board in Internal Medicine, worked as Specialist in Internal Medicine in Al Bashir Hospital in Amman –Jordan. In 1994 moved to Dubai as specialist in Internal Medicine in Rashid Hospital –Dubai.

Since 1995 working in Gastroenterology department Rashid Hospital as Specialist ,Senior Specialist Gastroenterologist then as Consultant Physician and Gastroenterologist. In 2007 he obtained Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) UK, Edinburgh &London
In 2008 was trained in Endosonography (EUS) in Marseille –France. In 2011 elected for Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (London)

He is currently serving as lecturer in Dubai Medical College. He is also Co-Director of Medical Residency Program 2007-2010 and secretary of Emirates Gastroenterology and Hepatology society.

Fields of interest: Interventional Endoscopy, Therapeutic ERCP, Endosonography, Medical Education.

Naima Amrani

Morocco
Secretary General – WGO
Faculty of Medicine & Pharmacy
University Mohammed 5
Rabat

Dr. Amrani is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University-Morocco; Secretary General of World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO), Director of WGO Rabat Endoscopy Training Center (http://wgo-rtc.um5s.ac.ma), and the President of African Middle Eastern Society of Digestive Oncology (AMSDO). She is Honorary President of The Pan-Arab Association of Gastroenterology, since 2011 and member of the following committees: WGO Nominations Committee, WGO Training Centers Committee, Executive Committee of AMAGE (African-Middle Eastern Association of Gastroenterology), Executive Council of IDCA (International Digestive Cancer Alliance), Governing Council of Pan-Arab Society of Gastroenterology, Governing Council of Moroccan Society of Gastroenterology (SMMAD), and Founder Member AAFFCHGE (Association Africaine Francophone de Formation Continue en Hépato-Gastroentérologie). Professor Amrani is currently the head of Hepato-Gastroenterology Unit, Ibn Sina Hospital – Rabat. She is a member of the Editorial Board Member of BMJ Open Gastroenterology, (sponsored by BMJ and the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) – Editorial Board Member of “Journal Africain d’Hépato-Gastroentérologie” (JAHG) – Consultant Member of “Cancéro Digest” – Consultant Member of “HEGEL” – Consultant Member of “ACTA Endoscopica”. Professor Amrani has published many articles in peer reviewed journals and has received many distinctions and awards.

Nawal Nahdi

UAE
Pediatric Gastroenterology
Dubai Hospital

Dr Nawal is pediatric gastroenterology in Dubai Hospital. She has special expertise in hepatitis. She started her studies at Dubai medical College for Girls and studied further at Royal College Of Physicians And Surgeons Of Canada.

Pietro Familiari

Italy
Physician
Digestive Endoscopy Unit
Gemelli University Hospital

Dr. Pietro Familiari was born in 1977. He qualified from the University of Messina, in Sicily, in 2001. He received surgical training in the University of Messina and in the Gemelli University Hospital, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), in Rome. In 2007 he undertook a PhD training, on Biliary and Pancreatic Oncology at UCSC and he completed his GI and biliopancreatic endoscopy training with a fellowship at the Digestive Endoscopy Unit of the Gemelli Hospital, directed by Guido Costamagna. Since 2010 he was appointed Attending Physician at the Digestive Endoscopy Unit of the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

Since 2011 he is a professor with a temporary appointment for the course of Gastroenterology and GI Endoscopy at UCSC. Since 2003, Dr Familiari is Instructor and Permanent Member of the faculty of the European Endoscopy Training Center.

Clinical researches of Dr. Familiari have a major focus on biliopancreatic endoscopy and ERCP, including the endoscopic management of post-operative complications, bilio-pancreatic neoplasms, chronic pancreatitis and its complications, including the use of Self-Expanding Metal Stents and new devices.

In addition, Dr. Familiari is actively performing researches on esophageal motility disorders, with a strong interest on the current and future developments of PerOral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) for the management of achalasia. Currently, he is co-investigator and local responsible of a multicenter clinical trial comparing the effects of POEM and pneumatic baloon dilation for the treatment of achalasia.

His clinical researches also focused on the role of GI endoscopy for primary treatment of obesity and the teaching of colonoscopy using computer based simulators.

Dr. Familiari has authored and co-authored on over 56 peer reviewed publications and text book chapters and has lectured at many national and international meetings.

Waleed Al Azmi

Kuwait
Gastroenterology, Hepatology and
Endoscopy Consultant

Dr Waleed is Endoscopy Consultant with interest in advanced Endoscopic Interventional, biliary Tract Disease and pancreas Disease.

Abdelrahman Nimeri

UAE
Consultant & Head, Division of General, Thoracic & Vascular Surgery
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City

Dr. Nimeri is currently the Chief of Division of General, Thoracic, & Vascular Surgery, Director of Bariatric & Metabolic Institute (BMI) Abu Dhabi, and Surgeon Champion of ACS NSQIP at SKMC. He is an adjunct staff at the Cleveland Clinic’s Endocrine and Metabolic Institute in Cleveland Ohio and an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Surgery at the UAE University. Dr Nimeri is lead Surgeon Champion for the American College of Surgeon’s National Surgical Quality Improvement Program SEHA collaborative in the UAE. Dr. Nimeri is the Associate Program director of the ACGME-I accredited Surgery Residency Program in Abu Dhabi and the Fellowship program director for the MIS and Bariatric surgery fellowship program at SKMC. In addition, Dr Nimeri the Chairman of the Communication Committee for the International Federation for Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic diseases (IFSO).

Dr. Nimeri joined SKMC as a consultant surgeon in May 2009. Prior to that he was an Assistant Clinical Professor at University of California San Francisco. He finished his general surgery residency training at Huron hospital Cleveland Clinic Health System in Cleveland Ohio in 2004.

Dr. Nimeri did his fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis Missouri in 2005. He has been in practice at the University of California San Francisco-Fresno starting in 2005. At UCSF Fresno he was on faculty at the general surgery residency program, and was one of three faculty of the Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship program at UCSF Fresno. Dr Nimeri has interests in Minimally Invasive Surgery, Bariatric Surgery, Surgical Education and Surgical Quality.

Abdulla Al Hassani

UAE
Head – Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Department
Zayed Military Hospital

Sameer Al Awadhi

UAE

Head Gastroenterology and
Endoscopy Department
Rashid Hospital

khaled Ahmed Bamakhrama

UAE

Dr.khaled Ahmed Bamakhrama is consultant Gastroenterologist at Rashid hospital -Dubai He graduated from the college of Medicine, Sana’a University, and obtained membership of the Royal Colleges of Physician (MRCP) in UK in 2006 and Arab Board in Internal Medicine in 2006. He obtained Specialty Certificate in Gastroenterology from UK in 2010, and the Jordanian Board in Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 2012. He obained his fellowship training in Advanced Endoscopy at Herlev Hospital in Copenhagen University, Denmark. He had fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCP) in 2016. He is currently an senior lecturer at Dubai Medical College and in charge of the internship and resident training program at the Gastroenterology unit in Rashid Hospital in Dubai.

Al Razi Medical

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