Dr Carl-Johan Ramberg is presently a Consultant Neurologist and Director of the Stroke Program in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Ajman, AHA Certified Primary Stroke Center. Dr Carl did his training in Sweden: Medical School in Umeå University and residency in Neurology in Linköping University Hospital. Dr Carl later worked in Innlandet Hospital Trust in Norway, reducing the door-to-needle time from 75 to 23 minutes. He is also interested in Movement Disorders, having introduced DuoDopa pump treatment for Parkinson’s patients in Innlandet Hospital trust, Norway, and spent the autumn of 2010 in The National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, U.K. 

Professor Ahed Al Najjar is Chairman EMS Education Mideast Africa Committee at International Society of Remote Medical Practitioners and a member of the UAE Ministry of Interior’s Bin Wereeqa Committee. He holds a Ph.D. in EMS Education, a Master’s in Health Education and Management, and is a certified EMS Medical Director (Abu Dhabi DOH). A globally recognized expert, he has delivered training in 32 countries and serves as Adjunct Professor at Oxford College and Vice Chairman of NAEMSE’s International Committee. He is also Program Director for NREMT, an AHA Regional Faculty for MENA since 2008, and has consulted for the UN and Malacañan Palace. His accolades include multiple international EMS and resuscitation awards. 

Hadeel Saeed is a Senior Specialist in Special Program Pathways with 25 years of distinguished nursing experience spanning clinical practice, workforce development, quality improvement, and healthcare program leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and previously served as a Clinical Resource Nurse. Her professional expertise encompasses stroke systems of care, integrated special pathways, and healthcare quality. In her current role, she leads the strategic management and continuous advancement of stroke, rehabilitation, and mental health Emergencies pathways across Abu Dhabi. At the Congress, she will present “State of Stroke in Abu Dhabi,” highlighting system developments, achievements, priorities, and future strategic opportunities. 

Mrs. Crystal Bradbury is a Senior Neuro Occupational Therapist and the Occupational Therapy Lead at Optimal Clinic in Dubai. Qualifying as an OT in England in 2012, she holds a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Occupational Therapy, bringing 14 years of dedicated experience and 18 years in healthcare. Specializing in neurological rehabilitation, Crystal has developed neuro service lines across two major Abu Dhabi hospitals and established an outpatient community neuro-rehab service in Dubai. She is deeply passionate about holistically enhancing the physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being of individuals navigating life after stroke and brain injuries. 

Dr Nuzha Ishak is a Speech Therapy Supervisor at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City in Abu Dhabi and holds a PhD in Speech Pathology. With more than 20 years of experience across acute, post-acute and long-term care settings, she provides clinical leadership in the assessment and rehabilitation of adults with post-stroke swallowing and communication disorders. Her expertise includes FEES and VFSS, tracheostomy management, neurogenic communication disorders and multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Dr Nuzha advances evidence-based speech-language pathology through professional education, team development and the integration of research into clinical practice. She is committed to strengthening collaborative, patient-centred care and improving outcomes through clinical excellence, innovation and service leadership.

Dr Gaba is a graduate from King Edward Medical College, Lahore with more than 20 years of experience and Board Certified from UK in Acute Medicine, Internal Medicine and Stroke Medicine. He has Stroke Fellowship from London. He is a Fellow of Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh and a Fellow of American College of Physicians. He is a former clinical lecturer for King’s College, London and Honorary Senior Lecturer for University of Leeds. He is Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor for UAE and Khalifa University. He has simulation expertise from Harvard Medical School.  

He worked as Stroke Consultant in UK where he received clinical excellence award before joining in SKMC, Abu Dhabi. He is Stroke Lead and Program Director for Internal Medicine Residency at SKMC. He is RCPE Regional Advisor for UAE and Chair of Examiners for MRCP at Abu Dhabi. 

Dr. Roger Barranco Pons is an experienced Interventional Neuroradiologist and Interventional Radiologist with nearly 20 years of clinical experience across Europe and the Middle East. He holds a PhD in Interventional Neuroradiology and European Board certification in Interventional Radiology (EBIR).

His expertise includes mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke, intracranial aneurysm treatment, and complex neurovascular interventions. He has held senior clinical and leadership positions in Spain and the UAE, contributing to the development of neurointerventional services.

Dr. Mohammed Alkuwaiti is an Assistant Professor and Consultant Vascular Neurologist at the Department of Internal medicine in the College of Medicine and Health sciences at United Arab Emirates University. His clinical practice is based at The Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohammed Medical City (STMC), the regional stroke center of Alain city in UAE. Following completion of his medical school training at UAE University he travelled to Montreal, Canada where he completed Adult Neurology residency training at McGill University (2016). He later also completed Acute stroke fellowship (2017) and Stroke-Net Fellowship (2018) at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, United States. 
Dr Alkuwaiti is an active member in local stroke committees, and Co-chairs the CEPAR Department of Health Stroke SPP. He also Chairs the National Institute of Health Subspeciality (Emirates board) Neurology Committee. 
He is interested in acute stroke care and secondary prevention research. He is currently working on Stroke related projects in collaboration with UAE University and Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute.

Dr. Maryam Almansoori is the Chief Medical Officer at National Ambulance, with extensive experience in prehospital emergency care, clinical governance, healthcare leadership, and emergency medical services development. Dr. Almansoori has led numerous initiatives in emergency preparedness, clinical innovation, and workforce development, with a particular interest in advancing prehospital care through technology, telemedicine, and evidence-based practice. She actively contributes to national and international healthcare forums and collaborates with healthcare organizations to enhance emergency and critical care systems. Her work focuses on improving patient outcomes, strengthening clinical standards, and fostering innovation in emergency medical services.

Dr. Maitha Alfalasi is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, with extensive experience in emergency and prehospital care. She holds the Arab Board certification in Emergency Medicine and has contributed to advancing clinical governance, patient safety, and quality improvement within ambulance services. Her work includes leading the development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines, supporting Tele-EMS services, clinical education, and research. She is passionate about strengthening the connection between evidence-based guidelines and frontline practice to improve patient outcomes across the emergency care system. 

Julia Mora is the Senior Science and Health Advisor for Healthcare Certification and 
Quality Programs at the American Heart Association. With more than three decades of 
healthcare leadership experience, she specializes in stroke and cardiovascular quality 
improvement, healthcare certification, and evidence-based program implementation. 
Julia provides scientific and clinical leadership for certification standards and quality 
initiatives that help healthcare organizations improve patient outcomes. A registered 
nurse with a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration, she has spent her career 
advancing systems of care and supporting excellence in stroke treatment and 
prevention.

I am a Family Medicine Specialist Arab board certified working currently at the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, where I lead the Special Pathway Program within the Emergency Preparedness and Response Sector. The program oversees Abu Dhabi's time-critical care pathways, including stroke, STEMI, trauma, Burn, and more. My work focuses on strengthening how the health system responds to these emergencies, from hospital readiness to system-wide coordination and quality of care. 

Prof. Ahmed Nasreldein is Professor of Neurology at Assiut University, Egypt. He is a Fellow of the WSO and ESO. He serves on the World Stroke Organization Board of Directors, representing Africa and the Middle East, and is a member of the WSO Research and Education Committees. He also holds leadership positions in the MENA Stroke Organization, MENA-VINS, and African Stroke Organization. He is actively involved in international stroke research, education, guideline development, and capacity building. He is Section Editor for InterSECT at Stroke, an Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Stroke, and leads the IJS Paper to Practice podcast

Dr. Saeed Saleh AlZahrani is a Consultant Cerebrovascular Neurologist at the National Neuroscience Institute, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, and Program Director of the Saudi Stroke Fellowship. He serves as Director of the National Telestroke Program and National Lead of Virtual Neurology Services at SEHA Virtual Hospital, Ministry of Health, where he designed and implemented Saudi Arabia's first nationwide telestroke network, extending 24/7 hyperacute stroke coverage to underserved regions across the Kingdom. He also holds leadership roles with the Saudi Stroke Society and serves as Chairperson of the Saudi Fellowship Scientific Committee.

Dr. Ali Al Balushi earned his MD degree from Sultan Qaboos University (2006). He completed Adult Neurology residency at St. Louis University, serving as academic chief resident. Further, he completed fellowships in Vascular Neurology and Endovascular Neurosurgery/Interventional Neuroradiology from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. He's dual board-certified in Neurology and Vascular Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Currently, he heads Department of Neurology and Stroke Unit at Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Oman, and is the lead-person for neurology and stroke programs development in Oman. 
Dr. Al Balushi's impactful publications in Vascular Neurology and Neurointerventional Surgery are noted, along with his role as a peer reviewer for many elite journals in the field.

Dr. Seby John, Consultant Vascular Neurologist and Neurointerventional Surgeon at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, is a Clinical Associate Professor at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, USA, and Khalifa University College of Medicine, UAE. Trained in Neurology and Vascular Neurology at Cleveland Clinic Ohio, he holds American board certifications. With vast expertise in cerebrovascular diseases, he's a prolific researcher, contributing to international trials and authoring over 75 publications. Dr. John is engaged in MENASO and MENA-SINO, chairs UAE Vascular Neurology for Mission Thrombectomy 2020+, reviews for multiple journals, and serves on the Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery editorial board.

Dr. Maria Junaidi is a neurologist practicing in Rashid Hospital, Dubai for the past 12 years. She is a graduate of the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan and completed her post graduate training from the same institute. She holds a fellowship in vascular neurology and is one of the founding members for MENA stroke organization. She is also an avid researcher and has a number of publications in international peer reviewed journals. 

Dr. Mohammed Alskaini completed the training in Adult Neurology Residency, followed by a Stroke Fellowship at King Abdulaziz Medical City (National Guard Hospital, Riyadh). In 2023, he completed an Advanced Vascular Neurology Fellowship at the University of Toronto–University Health Network (UHN). Currently, he serves as Head of the Stroke Division and leads the Telestroke Program at the Ministry of Defense Health Services.

Dr Aishah Ibrahim Albakr, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam.

Dr. Albakr is an associate professor of neurology at College of medicine in Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), Dammam. She is a consultant neurologist/stroke ologist in King Fahd University Hospital, Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia. She is the program director of Neurology fellowship in Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam.

She obtained her MBBS with honor from IAU in 2010. Finished her Neurology residency at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in 2014. She did her clinical and research fellowship in stroke at Ottawa University, Canada in 2017. She has been the head of stroke unit in King Fahad University Hospital from 2017-2023.

Selma Kesraoui : professor of neurology at the Saad Dahlab university in Blida, Algeria. Graduated with an MD from Algiers university and trained in neurology in Mustapha Bacha hospital Algiers

After the master degree i mooved to Blida Hospital University to establish a thesis in cerebrovascular deseases and to become a head of stroke unit and a head of neurology department . I also trained in cerebrovascular desease and ultrasound echodoppler in Paris and Lille (France).

In collaboration with the department of neuroradiology we created the first stroke center in Algeria performing endovascular treatment (mechanical thrombectomy, endovascular treatment of arteriovenous malformations, aneurysm). My main clinical interests are stroke, neuroepidemiology and reperfusion therapy.

Member of the editorial board of the European Journal of Neurology
y National coordinator of the SITS (Safe implementation of treatment in stroke) registry

Prof. Tamer El-Serafy is a Professor of Neurology at Zagazig University, specializing in stroke medicine (acute management, secondary prevention, and cerebrovascular disorders). He serves as Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa Organization for Cerebrovascular Diseases and Neurointervention, Assistant Treasurer of the Egyptian Society of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, and a member of the Egyptian Health Council for Neurological Diseases. He has authored numerous scientific publications and combines academic teaching, clinical practice, and research.

Dr. Nouran Taher is Stroke & Neurology Consultant at MNGHA-Riyadh and Stroke fellowship director at KAMC-Riyadh, KSA. 
 
She served as a member of the MOH Stroke Committee in the Western Region, Director of Virtual Care at the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Stroke Project Leader at KAMC-J, Neurology Program Deputy at KAMC-J, and Chief Resident at NGHA Jeddah. Dr. Nouran completed her Bachelor’s degree from the College of Medicine at Taibah University, Al-Madinah, in 2009, and subsequently completed her residency training in Adult Neurology at King Abdulaziz Medical City – National Guard Health Affairs, Jeddah.