Dr. Ruba Benini

Dr. Ruba Benini is a Pediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist, currently serving as Medical Director of the Neurodiagnostic Laboratory and Program Director of the Pediatric Neurology Fellowship at Sidra Medicine. She is also an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar.

Dr. Benini is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC). She earned her PhD in Neuroscience from the Montreal Neurological Institute in 2006 and her medical degree from McGill University in 2008. She completed her pediatric neurology residency at McGill University Health Center in 2014 and a fellowship in Pediatric Epilepsy at Ste. Justine Hospital in 2016.

Before joining Sidra Medicine in 2017, Dr. Benini practiced at Montreal Children's Hospital and King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Her research focuses on the genetics of pediatric epilepsy, aiming to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes for affected children.

Dr. Khalid Al-Kharazi

Dr. Khalid Al-Kharazi is a senior pediatric neurosurgeon at Sidra Medicine with nearly 20 years of neurosurgical experience. Before joining the medical team in Qatar in 2014, he practiced in Canada, Germany, Jordan, and Yemen. He holds neurosurgery certifications from Canada, Germany, the UK, and Jordan, and completed a clinical fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at the University of British Columbia (BCCH, Vancouver).

A Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Dr. Al-Kharazi also earned the German board certification after training in Berlin. He has pioneered several neurosurgical interventions in Qatar, including minimally invasive craniosynostosis and epilepsy surgeries.

He serves as a core faculty member and Site Director (Sidra) of the HMC Neurosurgery Residency Program. In addition, he is a member of the Neurosurgery Committee and an examiner for the Qatar Board of Medical Specialties (QBMS). Dr. Al-Kharazi also holds an MBA from the University of Manchester, UK.

Dr. Ian Pople

Dr. Ian Pople has served as Chief of Neurosurgery at Sidra Medicine since September 2018. He has led the development of a safe, sustainable emergency neurosurgery service for children in Qatar and established advanced surgical programs in pediatric epilepsy and lower limb spasticity. Before joining Sidra, Dr. Pople was Senior Pediatric Neurosurgeon at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children in the UK, where he led epilepsy surgery and SDR services. He graduated from Sheffield University and completed neurosurgical training in Leeds, London (Great Ormond Street Hospital), and Bristol, followed by a fellowship at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, USA. His clinical interests include complex hydrocephalus, neuro-endoscopy, brain tumors, and tethered spinal cord. Dr. Pople has performed over 180 SDR procedures and more than 2,000 pediatric neurosurgical operations. He has also conducted innovative research on hydrocephalus in premature infants, which he plans to continue in Qatar.

Dr. Khaled Zamel

Dr. Khaled Zamel is a Pediatric Neurologist specializing in Epileptology and Clinical Neurophysiology. Born and educated in Alexandria, Egypt, he earned his medical degree from Alexandria University. He completed his residency in pediatric and child neurology and a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at the State University of New York. Dr. Zamel holds dual American Board certifications in child neurology and clinical neurophysiology.

In January 2021, he became Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology and Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar. From 2014, he served as Chief of Child Neurology and Senior Attending at Sidra Medicine in Doha. Before that, he spent 14 years as an epileptologist and neurophysiologist at Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Zamel established a pioneering Pediatric Neurology and Epilepsy unit in the UAE and received the Teacher of the Year Award at Ohio State University. He has numerous peer-reviewed publications and co-authored a textbook on intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring.

Dr. Mahmoud Fawzi

Dr. Mahmoud Fawzi is a senior attending physician in pediatric neurology at Sidra Medicine and Hamad Hospital. He also serves as an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar. Previously, Dr. Mahmoud worked as a consultant in pediatric neurology at Hamad Hospital from 2006 until 2017. He then joined Sidra Medicine as a senior attending physician in pediatric neurology. He specializes in treating patients with muscle disease, multiple sclerosis, and tuberous sclerosis. He got research grants in congenital brain anomalies and muscle diseases, hereditary spastic paraplegia and microcephaly, and spinal muscular atrophy. He is widely published and has lectured at local and international conferences. Dr. Fawzi has extensive experience in pediatric neurology since 1995. He has more than 50 publications in international journals.

Dr. Husam Kayyali

Dr. Husam Kayyali is the Chief of the Pediatric Neurology Division at Sidra Medicine. He is also serving as the Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Sidra Medicine. Dr. Kayyali is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Pediatric Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy. Before joining Sidra Medicine, Dr. Kayyali was an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and he co-established the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Missouri. Then he moved to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Saudi Arabia, where he served as the Head of the Pediatric Neurology Section and the Director of the Pediatric Neurology Fellowship Program.

Dr. Farouq Thabet

Dr. Farouq Thabet is an Attending Pediatric Neurologist at Sidra Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. Before joining Sidra. Dr. Thabet worked as a Consultant Pediatric Neurologist at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. He is an adjunct Assistant Professor of Specialty Medicine at Des Moines University in Iowa, USA. He is American Board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Pediatrics. Dr. Thabet is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Khalid Sidahmed

Dr. Khalid Sidahmed is a Senior Attending Physician in Pediatric Neurology and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. He is a fully trained pediatric neurologist specializing in complex disabilities and movement disorders, with expertise in gait analysis and botulinum toxin injections.

From 2004 to 2006, Dr. Mohamed served as lead clinician for clinical governance at Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool, and was appointed Chief of Pediatric Neurology in 2010. He holds a postgraduate diploma in medical education and is recognized as a leading authority in pediatric and neurology education. He has served as program director for both the Pediatric and Neurology Residency/Fellowship programs.

Dr. Mohamed is a certified Level 1 coach with the Dartmouth Institute’s Microsystems Academy and an International Quality Fellow with IHI. He has developed quality improvement projects targeting no-show reduction and referral management in outpatient services. He has authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles and presented at regional conferences, focusing on improving access to care and coaching for healthcare improvement.

Jenny Sacree

Jenny Sacree. With more than 40 years of neuroscience experience, Jenny is presently the CNL for Movement disorders, rehabilitation medicine, and spines. She has been in Sidra Medicine for 5 years, completing the rest of her neuroscience experience in Bristol, UK. She is passionate about education and teaches neuroscience with the ISPN around the world.