International Conference of Classical Hematology

Dr. Abdulhakim Al-Rawas is a Senior Consultant in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and President of the Omani Society of Hematology. A founding leader in regional hematology organizations, he trained at Queen’s University and SickKids, Toronto. He is deeply involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in Oman and has authored 33 peer-reviewed publications in pediatric hematology and oncology.

Dr. Abdullah Al Zayed is a consultant hematologist and is the former head of the inherited blood disorders center at Qatif Central Hospital, He is the founder and first program director of hematology fellowship at Qatif Health Network. He championed the sickle cell disease pathway in the eastern health cluster for adult patients. He was trained in Ireland and gained the MRCPI & Hematology fellowship by RCPI. He is the hematology service leader & the manager of the hematology program in the Eastern cluster of the Ministry of Health- Hematology Development program project.

No Bio Available

Dr. Afaf Al Battah is a Consultant Hematologist who graduated with an MBBS from the University of Jordan. She completed her internship and Internal Medicine residency at Hamad General Hospital in 2006, followed by a fellowship in Clinical Hematology at NCCCR. Dr. Al Battah has a special clinical interest in lymphoma and lymphoid malignancies and is dedicated to delivering high-quality, patient-centered hematology care.

Professor Ahmad M. Tarawah is a pediatric hematologist and oncologist based in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. He serves as a consultant at King Salman Medical City and chairs the Madinah Hereditary Blood Disorders Society. Holding a medical degree from King Abdulaziz University (1990), he completed pediatric training in Edinburgh and earned his Arab Board certification in 1997. He further specialized in pediatric hematology/oncology at King Faisal Specialist Hospital, obtaining a fellowship in 2001. Professor Tarawah has authored over 140 publications, contributed to national treatment guidelines, and founded multiple hematology societies and charitable organizations. His work focuses on hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, and bleeding disorders.

Ali T. Taher, MD, PhD, FRCP is Professor of Medicine at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Director of the Naef K. Basile Cancer Institute, and Associate Vice President for Academic Centers and External Affairs. He is an internationally recognized leader in thalassemia and iron metabolism, with major contributions to prevention and clinical care in Lebanon and beyond. Dr. Taher has authored more than 540 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 84; over 32,000 citations) and has led landmark international clinical trials, including a Phase 3 study of oral mitapivat published in The Lancet. His achievements have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the National Cedar Medal of Lebanon, the Sultan Bin Khalifa International Thalassemia Award, and the EHA Education and Mentoring Award. He currently chairs the EHA Scientific Working Group on Red Cells and Iron and serves on scientific committees of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

Dr. Asma Al Olama is the President of the Emirates Society of Haematology and a Consultant Hematologist at Dubai Hospital. She has been actively involved in the field of hematology, particularly in the UAE, and has contributed to various initiatives and best practices in the area. Additionally, she serves as the Program Director of the Adult Hematology Fellowship program at Dubai Health.

Dr. Awni Alshurafa is a Hematology specialist at the National Center for Cancer Care & Research (NCCCR). He graduated from medical school with a Bachelor of Medicine from the Islamic University of Gaza in Palestine. Subsequently, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Hematology Fellowship training at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar. He is certified by the Arab Board in Internal Medicine and obtained certification from the European Hematology Association (EHA) in 2023. Dr. Awni is actively engaged in research and has several publications including blood journals and international conferences like EHA and ASH.

Biree Andemariam, M.D. is Professor of Medicine and the American Red Cross Endowed Chair in Transfusion Medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. In addition to being an internationally recognized clinician, educator, and advocate, she is a physician scientist in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Founding Director of the New England Sickle Cell Institute (NESCI), and Director of the Connecticut Bleeding Disorders Center. Dr. Andemariam has been lead principal investigator of 5 global SCD clinical trials and has extensive experience in clinical trial design, endpoint development, recruitment, and implementation. She also expertise in working with executive leadership, regulatory, and investor teams. During the COVID-19 global crisis, she mobilized and chaired an international committee of experts in the development and worldwide dissemination of guidelines on managing patients with SCD during the pandemic. Dr. Andemariam is the past Chief Medical Officer of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc. During her tenure at the SCDAA, she was awarded the Chairman’s Award three times (2019, 2020, 2022) for her outstanding and dedicated board service centered around national programmatic development, disease education/awareness, and legislative advocacy. She is a member of the 2023 Lancet Commission, a global group of experts selected to develop and publish a set of recommendations to achieve greater political commitment, investment, and partnerships to improve the lives of patients with sickle cell disease globally by 2040.

Dr. Minniti is a board-certified Pediatric Hematologist–Oncologist and Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. Former Director of major sickle cell centers in New York and Washington, DC, she trained in Italy and the USA at Johns Hopkins, NIH, NCI, and NHLBI. A leading clinical trialist and translational researcher in sickle cell disease, she has authored 170+ peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

Prof. David J. Kuter is Distinguished Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. A former Chief of Hematology at MGH, he is a global leader in thrombopoietin biology and immune thrombocytopenia. A Rhodes Scholar, he has authored over 350 publications, delivered 700+ international lectures, and received numerous prestigious teaching and research awards in hematology.

Dr. Drew Provan is Emeritus Reader in Autoimmune Haematology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. He originally studied molecular genetics before training in medicine, and later undertook research at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute in Boston as an MRC Travelling Fellow. Dr Provan is a leading authority in immunohaematology, with a major focus on immune thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and haemolytic anaemia. He helped establish the UK ITP Registry and is a senior author of the International Consensus Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of ITP in adults and children. He has published extensively in the field and is author of several well-known medical texts, including Molecular Haematology, the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Haematology, and the ABC of Clinical Haematology.

Dr. Flora Peyvandi is Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Milan and Director of the Angelo Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center at Milan Policlinic Hospital, Italy. Her research focuses on coagulation disorders, microvascular dysfunction, and innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. She has held leading roles in international scientific societies, including President of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, and currently serves as an advisor to the European Medicines Agency and the Italian Ministry of Health.

Dr. Gerry Dolan is a consultant haematologist and haemophilia centre director at St Thomas’ Comprehensive Care Centre, London, UK, and former centre director at Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, UK. He is former chairman of the UK Haemophilia Centre Directors and president of the British Society for Haemostasis & Thrombosis. He has been an active participant in collaborative European initiatives in haemophilia and has chaired initiatives such as the ADVANCE group and the European Haemophilia Therapy Standardisation Board. His interests include novel agents in the treatment of haemophilia, gene therapy and clinical outcomes.

Dr. Hadeel Saleh Mohammad is a Consultant in Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Hemostasis, and Thrombosis at NBK Specialized Children’s Hospital, Kuwait. She completed the Kuwaiti Board in Pediatrics and fellowships in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Hemostasis and Thrombosis at McMaster University, Canada. She has published and presented research on bleeding disorders and currently serves as President of the Kuwait Hematology Association.

Dr. Hani Yousif Osman graduated from the Faculty of the Medicine University of Khartoum Sudan. He moved to the United Kingdom where he completed his training in internal medicine and obtained his MRCP (UK) degree, Fellowship from the Royal college of pathologists and CCT. He completed his high specialist training in hematology at the University of Cardiff hospital UK. His research focuses on acute myeloid leukemia novel therapy, He has extensive hematology consultant experience in the UK, Saudia Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Osman was involved and the principle investigator for many clinical trials and he has over 30 publications.

Hanny Al-Samkari, M.D. is a classical hematologist and leading international clinical investigator in hemostasis, platelet disorders, and hemolytic anemias. His focus is on the development of novel therapeutics in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, immune thrombocytopenia, chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia and hemolytic anemia. He serves as global principal investigator for many ongoing studies in these areas.

Dr. Hind Salama is a Consultant Adult Hematologist at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, and Assistant Professor at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. She holds an MBBS from Gezira University and MRCP (UK), with fellowship training in hematology and bone marrow transplantation. She leads adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia and histiocytic clinics and established Saudi Arabia’s first adult histiocytic clinic. Dr. Salama has received multiple research awards, authored 46 publications, and is an ASH Choosing Wisely Champion.

Dr. Honar Cherif is Associate Professor and Senior Consultant Hematologist, currently Chair of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at NCCCR, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha. He is Professor of Hematology at Qatar University and has extensive leadership experience in Sweden at Uppsala University Hospital. Board-certified in Hematology and Internal Medicine, Dr. Cherif has authored over 60 publications, led multiple clinical trials, and mentors students and specialists in hematology worldwide.

Dr. Jaffer Abduljabbar Altooq is Chief Resident at the Hereditary Blood Disorder Centre, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain. He leads the Sickle Cell Disease team and serves on the SCD management board and MOH transfusion committee. With extensive experience in hematology and oncology, he coordinates training programs and has published research on sickle cell disease. He also volunteers as Deputy Chairman of the Bahrain Sickle Cell Society and with local charitable organizations.

No Bio Available

Prof. Khaled Musallam MD PhD is currently the Group Chief Research Officer at Burjeel Holdings in Abu Dhabi, UAE where he founded the clinical research function and operations across the Group’s large hospital network. He is also Chief of Cell & Gene and Hematology, Director of the Thalassemia & Sickle Cell Center, and Founding Director of the Center for Research on Rare Blood Disorder (CR-RBD) at Burjeel Cancer Institute located in the Group’s flagship hospital, Burjeel Medical City. He is also Global Research Lead at Burjeel Institute for Global Health in New York, Adjunct Professor at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, and Adjunct Professor at Weill Cornel Medicine in New York. He has authored over 230 articles on hemoglobin disorders with practice-changing papers in leading international peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Nature, Blood, among others. His h-index is 65. He is also editor of the Thalassaemia International Federation management guidelines. Prof. Musallam was the recipient of the 2025 European Haematology Association Clinical Excellence Award.

No Bio Available

Dr. Lulwah Faisal Al-Tourah is a board-certified hematologist at Al-Adan Hospital and the Kuwait Cancer Control Center. She completed specialized fellowships in thrombosis and bleeding disorders at McMaster University, Canada. Her clinical and academic interests focus on thrombosis, bleeding disorders, and cancer-associated thrombosis. She is committed to patient-centered care and advancing hematology through clinical practice, and education.

Dr. Cappellini has been active in the fields of thalassaemia, haemoglobinopathies, and the heme biosynthetic pathway for over 40 years. She focused on the phenotypic expression of thalassaemia major and intermedia and evaluated the genotype-phenotype relationship, taking into account the co-inheritance of modifier genes. She identified the mechanisms underlying the thrombotic risks in thalassaemia. She studies in vitro molecules capable of inducing fetal hemoglobin in view of therapeutic application. She is involved in gene therapy development for thalassemia.

Prof. Prof. Mohamed A. Yassin is a Senior Consultant Hematologist at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research, and Professor of Hematology at Qatar University. His key interests include myeloproliferative neoplasms, thalassemia, and sickle cell disease. He has led numerous international collaborations and clinical trials, focusing on cancer biomarkers and therapeutics, with research partnerships in France and Italy. Prof. Yassin remains deeply committed to advancing hematologic research in Qatar and beyond.

No Bio Available

She is a consultant and head of clinical haematology unit adan hospital MOH kuwait. She is also the Head of examinations committee for clinical hematology fellowship KIMS , she is a Graduate of faculty of medicine kuwait university , done her Internship in internal medicine university of Toronto and has a Fellowship in clinical hematology McMaster university as well as a Number of publications in itp / ttp/ pnh and other benign hematology

No Bio Available

Professor Salam Alkindi is Professor and Senior Consultant in Hematology at Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, and Director of the Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Center. Trained in Ireland and at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, USA, he has published over 140 peer-reviewed articles. His research focuses on sickle cell disease, chronic leukemia, and myeloproliferative disorders. He is Founder and Chairman of the Oman Hereditary Blood Disorders Association.

No Bio Available

No Bio Available