Recent Advances in
Primary
Immunodysregulation
Disorders

Bernice Lo

RAPID co-chair

PhD

Dr. Bernice Lo is a Principal Investigator in the Translational Medicine Division at Sidra Medicine and a Joint Assistant Professor at Hamad bin Khalifa University (Doha, Qatar). She has contributed to the discovery, diagnosis, and molecular understanding of inherited autoimmune disorders. Bernice performed her post-doctoral training under the leadership of Dr. Michael Lenardo in the Laboratory of Immunology at the National Institutes of Health in the US. She is trained in cell and molecular biology and genomic approaches for genetic diagnosis. During her fellowship, she helped discover and understand the etiology of two new diseases of immune dysregulation. She received her Ph.D. in Cell Biology at Duke University under the mentorship of Dr. Jo Rae Wright, where she began her appreciation for the immune system and the critical role of immune tolerance and regulation.

Mohammed Karim

RAPID co-chair

MBBChir, MSc, FRCP, FRCPath, FHEA

Chief, Division of Hematology/Immunology/Transfusion, at Sidra Medicine and Clinical Professor in Immunopathology, Qatar University. Yousuf studied medicine at Cambridge University and Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals, qualifying in 1993 with Distinctions in Medicine and Pathology. He was Consultant Immunologist at Surrey Pathology Services 2004-18 and Clinical Lead in Immunology at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals, London 2006-14.

He was previously Chair of the Clinical Immunology Committee of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and is currently Country Advisor for Qatar for the Royal College of Pathologists. He is Steering Committee Chair for the “BASICS” project developing international recommendations for hypogammaglobulinemia secondary to B-cell therapies. He is co-Lead of the Sidra Immune Dysregulation Clinical Research Program. He has authored 100 publications and chapters, and received grant awards totaling $3.7 million.

Elif Karakoc Aydiner

IBB co-chair

MD, Professor

Department of Pediatrics
Marmara University
Türkiye

Prof. Elif is a faculty member in Pediatrics and Pediatric Immunology and Allergy at Marmara University Faculty of Medicine. She contributes to postgraduate education, research, and awareness activities through the Işıl Berat Barlan Academy and the EAACI Center of Excellence. She previously served as Head of Immunology, Pediatric Immunology-Allergy, and Pediatrics, and is completing a PhD thesis in medical education focused on faculty development, quality, and mentorship. Her research includes individualized immunoglobulin replacement therapies, COVID-19 infection, genetic background and targeted therapies in primary immunodeficiencies, food and respiratory allergies, tolerance mechanisms, and hereditary angioedema. She developed the formula for SÜTMEK®, a trademarked baked-milk oral immunotherapy product for persistent food allergy. Her work has received more than 3,000 citations, with an h-index of 33 (WOS). She also serves on several national and international executive committees and subcommittees in immunology, pediatrics, medical education, and patient advocacy.

Ahmet Özen

IBB co-chair

Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Immunology
Marmara University, Istanbul
Turkiye

Dr. Ahmet Oğuzhan Özen, M.D., is Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Marmara University, Istanbul, Türkiye, and Director of the Istanbul Jeffrey Modell Foundation Centre. A graduate of Marmara University School of Medicine, he completed pediatric residency training, subspecialty training in Allergy and Immunology, and postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health.

His research focuses on inborn errors of immunity, monogenic inflammatory bowel disease, complement dysregulation, and congenital protein-losing enteropathies. He helped establish Türkiye’s national monogenic inflammatory bowel disease network and has contributed to the identification of rare genetic immune disorders. His group played a key role in defining CD55 deficiency, or CHAPLE disease, work that supported the development and approval of pozelimab as a targeted therapy.

He founded the Marmara University Işıl Berat Barlan Centre for Translational Medicine and is involved in the MENAT Region Inborn Errors of Immunity Research Consortium Registry.

Safa Baris

IBB co-chair

MD

Marmara University Hospital, Isil Barlan Translational Medicine Research Center
Istanbul, Türkiye

Safa Baris is a physician-scientist and Professor of Pediatric Immunology and Allergy at Marmara University Hospital in Istanbul, Türkiye. His research focuses on the clinical and translational aspects of inborn errors of immunity, particularly disorders of immune dysregulation, including LRBA deficiency, CTLA-4 insufficiency, IPEX syndrome, and STAT1- and STAT3-gain-of-function diseases.

He has made significant contributions to the discovery and characterization of novel IEIs. His work was instrumental in defining STAT6 GOF and demonstrating the efficacy of targeted therapies, particularly JAK inhibitors, in controlling disease manifestations. He also contributed to the identification and mechanistic understanding of a novel homozygous form of CTLA-4 deficiency.

He established one of the largest cohorts of patients with LRBA deficiency and CTLA-4 insufficiency, generating important insights into disease mechanisms and long-term outcomes of targeted therapies such as abatacept. He currently leads international efforts to develop evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines and an ESID-supported treatment consensus for these disorders.

Abdulrahman Ahmed Al-Subaiey

Post Doctoral Fellow • Laboratory of Immunoregulation
Sidra Medicine

Dr. Abdulrahman Ahmed Al-Subaiey is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Immune Dysregulation Research Program at Sidra Medicine, where his research focuses on immune-mediated neurological disorders, pediatric autoimmunity, and the discovery of novel disease-causing autoantibodies using advanced genomic and proteomic technologies. He holds a Ph.D. from Hamad Bin Khalifa University, an M.Sc. in Neuroscience with Distinction from University College London, and a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar with University and College Honors.

Dr. Al-Subaiey has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and is actively involved in advancing precision medicine, rare disease research, and translational immunology. He is the recipient of the inaugural Qatar Foundation Alumni Rising Star Award, awarded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. Beyond his scientific work, he is passionate about fostering partnerships that accelerate healthcare innovation and research impact.

He currently serves as Lead – Business Communications & Outreach for RAPID 2026 and has held the same role for the Precision Medicine and Future of Genomics  (PMFG) Summit for the past two years. In these capacities, he leads strategic partnerships, sponsorship development, stakeholder engagement, and external relations, helping connect researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and philanthropic partners to advance scientific collaboration and innovation.

Bandar K Al Saud

MBBS, FRCPC, GDCE, FAAAAI   

Consultant Allergist/Immunologist
Department of Pediatrics
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center
Associate Professor, Alfaisal University

Dr. Bandar Al Saud, MBBS, FRCPC, is a Consultant in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and an Associate Professor at Alfaisal University. He completed his medical degree at King Saud University, followed by specialty training in Pediatrics and subspecialty training in Allergy and Immunology through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology from McMaster University. Dr. Al Saud has held several leadership roles, including Head of the Pediatric Allergy/Immunology Section, Director of the Fellowship Training Program, and Vice President of the Saudi Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Society. His interests include clinical and basic research, particularly primary immunodeficiency diseases, and he established the Saudi Primary Immunodeficiency Disease Registry at KFSHRC. He has authored 56 peer-reviewed publications.

Aisha Elmarsafy

MD, PhD Pediatrics

Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics, former Head of IEI Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University 

My interest in IEI started as early as 1982-1983 as I received training at Lyon, Hopital Edouard Herriot.

I initiated the first IEI Unit in Egypt in the year 2000.

Member of ESID - ASID - CIS

Contributed to increased awareness about IEI throughout Egypt

Helped in improving diagnosis of IEI i Egypt, including molecular diagnosis.

Helped with providing appropriate therapy/intervention to IEI patients in Egypt.

Hamoud Al-Mousa

MD

Professor & Consultant Pediatric Allergy & Immunology
Department of Pediatric
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center
Riyadh, Saudia Arabia

Hamoud Al-Mousa, MD, is a Professor and Consultant of Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC) in Riyadh. His clinical and research interests focus on primary immunodeficiency disorders and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. He is a clinician-scientist and a co-founder of the Immunogenetics Unit within the Department of Genetics at the KFSH&RC Research Centre. Dr. Al-Mousa currently serves as Head of the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Section. He is deeply involved in clinical care, research, and educational activities, and leads multiple ongoing research projects with numerous publications in the field of primary immunodeficiency disorders.

Maryam Al-Nesf Al-Mansouri

Associate Professor in internal Medicine, college of Medicine-QU
Adj Ass Professor Weill Corneal Medical college-Qatar

Dr. Maryam Ali Al-Nesf Al-Mansouri is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the College of Medicine, Qatar University, and Adjunct Associate Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. She has headed the Allergy and Immunology Division at Hamad Medical Corporation since 2016 and previously served as Program Director of the ACGME-I accredited combined Pediatric and Adult Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program until June 2026. She is also core faculty in Qatar’s Internal Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Al-Nesf earned her MD from Sultan Qaboos University and the Arab Board in Internal Medicine, completed advanced fellowships in Qatar and Cambridge, UK, and holds an MScR in Molecular Medicine from the University of Bristol. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine at University College London. Her work includes multiple Qatar Foundation and HMC research grants, more than 100 publications, guideline contributions, and leadership of Qatar’s pollen and fungal calendar and atlas.

Chiara Cugno

MD

Division Chief - Hematology, Oncology, BMT
Acting Chief Hematology, Oncology and BMT
Director | Advanced Cell Therapy Core

Dr. Chiara Cugno is the Acting Chief of Hematology and Oncology at Sidra Medicine. Since joining Sidra Medicine in April 2014 as Bone Marrow Transplant Program Manager, she has held several leadership roles, including Director of the Advanced Cell Therapy Core, Attending Physician in Hematology and Oncology, and Acting Executive Director of Core Facilities.

Dr. Cugno provides care for children with a wide range of hematological and oncological conditions, including leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumors, bone marrow failure syndromes, hemoglobinopathies such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease, primary immunodeficiencies, and patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. She is also actively involved in the delivery of advanced cell and gene therapies, including CAR-T therapies and Casgevy.

Prior to joining Sidra Medicine, Dr. Cugno worked as an Attending Physician in Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation in Italy at Azienda Ospedaliera Integrata in Verona and IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she leads translational and clinical research programs focused on cell and gene therapy, immunotherapy, and pediatric blood disorders and cancers.

Sharon Bout-Tabaku

MD, MSCE

Division Chief
Sidra Medicine

Dr. Bout-Tabaku is Division Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology. She practiced at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, USA for 8 years. She was a portfolio coach/mentor for medical students at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Her research focused on the effects of obesity on the musculoskeletal system, specifically on pain, function and performance.

Dr. Bout-Tabaku has developed a clinical practice in general rheumatology, and has developed a multidisciplinary clinic to provide ophthalmology screening for patients with juvenile arthritis. She has developed several quality initiatives to ensure high quality patient services.

Dr.Bout-Tabaku teaches pediatric rheumatology to students from Weill Cornell Medical School and from Qatar University.

Dr. Bout-Tabaku research focus at Sidra Medicine has been in the genomics of rare inflammatory disease and in the pharmacogenomics of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Dr. Bout-Tabaku is a peer reviewer for multiple pediatric rheumatology journals and has spoken at regional and international meetings.

Buthaina Al Adba

MBBS, CABP

Senior Attending Physician
Sidra Medicine

Dr. Buthaina Al Adba is a Senior attending physician at Sidra Medicine. Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar . Assistant program director for the Rheumatology fellowship program . The executive committee's chairperson for the Pediatric Rheumatology Arab Group. Member of Qatari Physician Association. Member at American Collogue of Rheumatology . Dr. Buthaina Al Adba is a senior attending physician at Sidra Medicine. She obtained her medical degree at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia, followed by a pediatric residency at Hamad Medical Corporation.  Dr. Al Adba is certified by Arab Board Health Specialization in general pediatric (CABP) in 2011. She completed fellowship training in Pediatric Rheumatology in Sickids Hospital at Toronto, Canada in 2015.

Dr Al Adba established a multi-disciplinary clinic to treat Aicardi Goutieres Syndrome with a team approach.  She won the “Outstanding Patient Experience” award at Sidra.  Dr Al Adba is a peer reviewer for the Pediatric Rheumatology Online

Mehdi Mohammed Al-Adeli

MD, FAAAAI, FACAAI, FAAP, A.B.A.I, A.B.P

Senior Pediatrics, and Allergy, and Clinical Immunology Consultant
The View Hospital

Mehdi Mohammed Al-Adeli, MD, FAAAAI, FACAAI, FAAP, A.B.A.I, A.B.P., is a consultant in pediatrics, allergy, and clinical immunology. He earned his medical degree from Damascus University Medical School and holds board certifications in Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, and the Arab Board in Pediatrics. He worked at Hamad Medical Corporation as Senior Attending in Pediatrics and later in Allergy and Clinical Immunology before joining Sidra Medicine in 2017, where he served as Chief of the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Division, Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program Director, and Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar. In 2024, he moved to private practice at The View Hospital, Qatar.

Dr. Al-Adeli has contributed significantly to allergy and immunology in Qatar, including establishing the Qatar National Neonatal Screening Program for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, the Qatar National Registry for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases, and the Aeroallergens Mapping Project. He also launched the Allergy and Immunology Awareness Program to improve patient education. His academic output includes more than 70 peer-reviewed articles, numerous conference presentations, book chapters, and educational resources in Arabic and English. His work has been recognized nationally and internationally through several awards, including Hamad Medical Corporation Stars of Excellence awards and honors for contributions to primary immunodeficiency and pediatric allergy care.

Deniz N. Cagdas Ayvaz

MD, PhD

Head of the Pediatric Immunology Division
Professor of Pediatrics
Hacettepe University Medical School
İhsan Doğramacı Children's Hospital
Institute of Child Health
Department of Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Immunology
Ankara, TURKEY

After working on pediatric cardiology for four years, she completed Pediatric Immunology/Allergy subspecialty, PhD in Immunology, studied as a visiting scientist at Rockefeller University, Harvard University, and the NIH-NIAID, was awarded a certificate from the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State after completion of the Fulbright Scholarship Program at the NIH-NIAID. She has worked as a professor since 2018, and been working as the head of the Immunology Department since 2022, has more than 40 scientific projects founded by national/international grants. She is interested in autoimmunity/immune dysregulation/lymphoproliferation/cancer pathogenesis/transplantation immunology/aging immunity. She has made contributions to the epidemiological mapping and clinical management of inborn errors of immunity and contributed to defining new primary immunodeficiency genes (RASGRP1, IL6ST, and GIMAP6) with over 600 publications, including over 216 articles in Pubmed (Web of Science: >3000 citations, h index 28).

Yazan Said

MD

Senior Attending Physician
Sidra Medicine, Qatar

Yazan Said is a Senior Consultant specializing in Allergy, Clinical Immunology, and Pediatric Pulmonology at Sidra Medicine since July 2024. He earned his medical degree from University of Jordan in 1991, completed pediatric residency in New York, and obtained American Boards in Pediatrics and Allergy/Immunology by 1999. He further trained in pediatric pulmonology in California. He held leadership roles including heading the Advanced Pediatric Pulmonary Center in Florida and the Pediatric Pulmonary/Allergy section at King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Saudi Arabia. He has served on several international advisory boards and professional societies, organized numerous specialized conferences and had many publications. His expertise and research included: primary immunodeficiency, immunotherapy, cystic fibrosis, chronic urticaria, severe asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, and early onset IBD.

Imen Ben Mustapha

MD

Professor of Immunology
Head of the Laboratory of Cyto-Immunology
Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections
Institut Pasteur de Tunis

Imen Ben-Mustapha is Professor of Immunology at the University of Tunis El Manar and the Pasteur Institute of Tunis.

She received her MD from the University of Tunis and her MSc from Pierre et Marie Curie University in Paris.

She currently leads the National Reference Laboratory for Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) at the Pasteur Institute of Tunis.

She is also a member of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group.

Her current work focuses on uncovering the immunological mechanisms underlying IEI with atypical presentation.

Pere Soler Palacín

MD, PhD, MSc.

Cap del servei de Pediatria.
Hospital Infantil Vall d’Hebron. Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus
Professor agregat. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron, Barcelona

Head of the Department of Pediatric at the Children’s Hospital, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus. Director of the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies. Leader of the Infection and Immunity in Pediatric Patients Research Group at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). Local Coordinator for the European Reference Network on Rare Immunodeficiency, Autoinflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases (ERN-RITA).Scientific output includes over 25 research projects, more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, and over 250 scientific communications. Full Professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Pediatric Expert for the European Medicines Agency. Member of the Spanish Board of Orphanet. President of the Barcelona Primary Immunodeficiency Foundation (PID Foundation). Medical Consultant to the Catalan Association for Immune Deficiencies (ACADIP).

Şükrü Nail Güner

M.D.

Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Necmettin Erbakan University
Konya, Türkiye

Prof. Dr. Şükrü Nail Güner, MD, is a Professor of Pediatrics and a specialist in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Necmettin Erbakan University in Konya, Türkiye, where he currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.
His main clinical and academic interests are inborn errors of immunity (IEI), immune dysregulation, and pediatric allergic diseases. He has extensive clinical experience in the diagnosis and long-term management of children with IEI, including patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy. He has a particular clinical and academic interest in adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency and other severe combined immunodeficiencies, including their diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up.
His other areas of interest include pediatric anaphylaxis, food allergy, and complex immune-mediated disorders. He is actively involved in clinical research and national and international scientific collaborations in pediatric allergy and immunology.

Ahmed Seri

M.D.

Clinical Immunology and Allergy Specialist
Immune Dysregulation Program, Sidra Medicine

Dr. Ahmed Seri is a Clinical Immunology and Allergy Specialist with expertise in inborn errors of immunity (IEI), immune dysregulation, and translational clinical immunology. He holds an MD in Clinical Immunology and has experience spanning clinical practice, research, medical education, and healthcare quality and accreditation.
Dr. Seri is a member of the Clinical Immunology Committee of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) and formerly served as a Board Member of the African Society for Immunodeficiencies (ASID). He is currently involved in establishing the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey IEI (MENAT IEI) Registry as part of the MENAT Region Inborn Errors of Immunity Research Consortium.
His professional interests include advancing IEI diagnosis and management, strengthening specialized immunology services, and fostering international collaboration, research, and capacity building across the Middle East and Africa.

Gehad Elghazali

MD, PhD

Consultant Physician / Head of Laboratory Section

Gehad ElGhazali graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan, and subsequently completed specialist training in Clinical Immunology at Uppsala University Hospital and earned a PhD in Clinical Immunology, Sweden. He is triple board-certified in Clinical Immunology (Sweden), Diagnostic Immunology (American Board), and Transplant Immunology (American Board of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics). Dr. ElGhazali has authored over 100 publications in international journals, including leading journals such as Nature Immunology, Nature Genetics, Cell, and Science.

Raed Alzyoud

MBBCh.

Consultant Pediatrician
Head, Section of Immunology, Allergy, and Rheumatology
Global Clinical Scholars Research Training Program (Harvard Medical School)
Queen Rania Children’s Hospital
Jordanian Royal Medical Services
Amman, Jordan

Dr. Raed Alzyoud is a Consultant Pediatric Allergy and Immunology specialist with extensive clinical, academic, research, and leadership experience across Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. His expertise includes pediatric immunology, allergy, rheumatology, primary immunodeficiency disorders, fellowship training, multidisciplinary care, and clinical research.

He completed fellowships in Immunology, Allergy, and Rheumatology at Queen Rania Children’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital, and completed the Global Clinical Scholar Research Training Program at Harvard Medical School. He is board certified in Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Dr. Alzyoud previously served as Chief of the Pediatric Immunology, Allergy, and Rheumatology Division at Queen Rania Children’s Hospital and founded Jordan’s Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program. He also served at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha and currently works at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi.

He is President of the Arab Society of Primary Immunodeficiency for 2024–2026 and is active in several regional and international professional societies. He has authored more than 50 papers and presented over 60 abstracts and presentations nationally and internationally.

Mohamed Barbouche

Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
College Medicine and Health Sciences
Arabian Gulf University
Manama, Bahrain

Ridha Barbouche is M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Immunology, he trained at the Pasteur Institute and at Necker Hospital in Paris, he was post-doctoral fellow at Cornell University in New York.

He was the head of the Department of Immunology at the Pasteur Institute of Tunis, University of Tunis, Tunisia, and he recently joined the Arabian Gulf University in Manama, Bahrain. His clinical interests are the investigation of immune-mediated diseases, and his research activity is dedicated to the study of Inborn Errors of Immunity.

He is an external member of the Scientific Board of the International Pasteur Network. He sits as an expert in different international committees of the WHO, the NIAID and the International Union of Immunological Societies.

He produced research work in Immunology, including immune deficiencies and immunity to infections with more than 170 peer-reviewed publications. He was awarded the University of Montreal Research Prize.

Waleed Al-Herz

MD

Professor of Pediatrics
Consultant Allergist & Clinical Immunologist
Department of Pediatrics
College of Medicine
Kuwait University, Kuwait

Prof. Waleed Al-Herz is a Professor at the College of Medicine, Kuwait University, and a distinguished clinician-scientist with expertise in clinical immunology, and allergic diseases. He has made significant contributions to clinical research, medical education, and the advancement of immunological sciences in Kuwait and the region with strong international research collaboration.

Prof. Al-Herz’s research focuses on the epidemiology of inborn errors of immunity and mechanisms of various known immunologic diseases and he contributed to the identification of several novel immune diseases.

He is widely recognized for his contributions to patient care, academic leadership, and international collaborations in immunology and related fields through participation in both regional and international committees and conferences.

He has more than 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals about primary immunodeficiencies and allergies and among the top 1% of highly cited researchers for the last several years and received several awards in appreciation of his research activities.

Dr. Mohamed H. Sayegh

Dr. Mohamed H. Sayegh is a leading physician-scientist and academic leader whose career spans medicine, research, and global health strategy. After earning his MD with distinction from AUB in 1984, he trained in Internal Medicine at Cleveland Clinic and completed a fellowship in Renal Medicine and Transplantation Immunobiology at Harvard Medical School, later becoming Professor of Medicine and holding the Grupe-Merrill Endowed Chair. He returned to AUB in 2009 as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Executive Vice President of Medicine and Global Strategy, leading the AUBMC 2020 Vision, which raised $230 million and recruited over 200 faculty back to Lebanon. He later helped establish AUB's Global Health Institute, the first of its kind in the MENA region. An internationally recognized transplantation immunobiology expert with over 350 publications and an H-index of 99–116, he has received numerous honors, including the Mustafa Prize. He now serves as Senior Scientific Advisor to the Director at NIAID/NIH, promoting research collaboration across the MENA region.

Azzeddine Tahiat

 Rouiba University Hospital and Algiers University of Health Sciences, Algiers
Algeria

Prof. Azzeddine Tahiat is Associate Professor of Immunology and Head of the Immunology Laboratory within the Department of Medical Biology at Rouiba University Hospital, affiliated with the Algiers University of Health Sciences. With over 20 years of clinical and academic experience, he is a leading figure in the field of inborn errors of immunity (IEI) in Algeria and across the MENA region.

He trained in immunology at the Institut Pasteur of Algeria and earned a PhD in Medical Sciences, focusing on immune dysregulation in IEI. He played a pivotal role in developing specialized laboratory facilities and diagnostic platforms for IEI in Algeria and currently leads immunodiagnostic and translational immunology efforts at Rouiba University Hospital. He also completed a research fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and remains actively engaged in international collaborations with leading immunology centers.
An internationally recognized expert in flow cytometry, Prof. Tahiat has contributed to training programs across North Africa, Europe, and Asia. He serves as Regional Editor of the Journal of Human Immunity and reviews for several high-impact journals, including Frontiers in Immunology and the Journal of Clinical Immunology. His research includes over 27 international publications, with notable contributions to autoimmune diseases, as well as the phenotypic and genetic characterization and diagnostic strategies of inborn errors of immunity.

Michel Massaad

Ph.D., M.Sc.

Associate Professor of Immunology
Department of Experimental Pathology, Immunology, and Microbiology
Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Research Center of Excellence in Immunity and Infections, Director
Center for Infectious Disease Research
Scientific Advisor to the Lebanese National Newborn Screening Program for SCID
Medical Year 1 Class teaching Committee, Chaireman

Dr. Massaad is a renowned specialist in the study of Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI).

He established programs at the Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and the Faculty of Medicine of the American University of Beirut centered around determining the genetic etiologies of IEI and their functional contribution to disease development. He published more than 80 original articles describing the mechanisms of disease development in IEI.

He also studies the longitudinal T and B adaptive immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination against the virus.

He is also involved in the education of graduate and medical students, and serves on several academic committees for the amelioration of education and healthcare.

Hiba Shendi

MBBS, MD, MRCPCH, MSc, FRCPath, CCT

Consultant Immunologist/Allergist SKMC Hospital, UAE
Assistant Professor, College of Medicine and Heath Sciences,
United Arab Emirates University

Dr Hiba Shendi is Consultant Immunologist/Allergist in Shiekh Khalifa Medical City Hospital (SKMC), Abu Dhabi, UAE.  She completed a Clinical MD in Pediatrics and Child Health, Membership of the Royal Pediatrics and Child Health (London), followed by MSc in Immunology of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and fellowship and higher specialist training in Allergy/Immunology in the UK in 2012.

She worked as Consultant Immunologist/Allergist, Regional Immunology Service, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, UK before joining SEHA hospitals, the largest government hospitals in UAE in 2015, as lead in Allergy and Immunology. She is adjunct assistant professor in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University.  She is responsible for the significant expansion of the Pediatric Allergy/Immunology service, now a tertiary referral centre for children as well as adults with Inborn Errors of Immunity and Allergy in the UAE.  She has been very active on raising awareness about Inborn Errors of Immunity and allergic conditions.

She has various publications, national and international conference presentations and is the main author on the first publication on the spectrum of Inborn Errors of Immunity from the UAE.

Iman Nasr

Senior Consultant Internist, Immunologist and Allergist
Royal Hospital
Head - Adult Immunology and Allergy unit

Dr. Iman Nasr is a Senior Consultant Internist, Immunologist and Allergist at Royal Hospital and head of the Adult Immunology and Allergy unit. She did her fellowship training in Immunology and Allergy at the Royal London Hospital in the UK in 2013. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (UK) and a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).
The Immunology and Allergy unit at the Royal Hospital is recognised as a World Allergy Centre of Excellence, an Urticaria Center of reference and excellence (UCARE), an Angioedema Center of reference and excellence (ACARE), an Anaphylaxis and Food Allergy Center of reference and excellence (ANACARE) and an Atopic Dermatitis Center of reference and excellence (ADCARE) as well as a member of the HAEi (Hereditary Angioedema International).
Dr Iman is the vice president of the Oman Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (OSACI) and cofounder of the Gulf Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (GAACI) and has many publications.

Amel Siddik Elshikh Hassan

Medical Director & Senior Consultant in Pediatric Allergy & Clinical Immunology

• Amel Hassan is a leading Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology Consultant in Qatar, she is the Founder & medical director of (SPIA) the Specialized Pediatric Immunology & Allergy Center. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pediatric and child health (FRCPCH) and an Adj professor of pediatric Immunology and allergy at Qatar University
• She has extensive regional and international experience; She has over 30 years, both in UK and Qatar, with expertise in diagnosis & management of complex primary immunodeficiency (IEI), immune dysregulation and allergic disorders
• she has dedicated her career to advancing specialized care for children with complex immunodeficiency, Immune dysregulation and complex allergies. She integrates advanced immunological diagnostics with evidence-based, precision-driven treatment strategies tailored to each child’s unique immune profile.
• Amel’s clinical philosophy is centered on excellence, innovation, and family partnership. Through SPIA, the first dedicated Pediatric Immunology & Allergy center in the private healthcare sector, she aims to redefine pediatric immune healthcare standards in the private sector, by combining subspecialized expertise, preventive medicine, and long-term disease optimization.
• Her goal is to provide highly specialized, compassionate care while empowering families with knowledge and confidence in managing their child’s condition.
• She maintains active membership in major international allergy and immunology societies and contributes to local & regional medical education initiatives, ensuring that SPIA remains aligned with global best practices.

Mohamed Abuzakouk

MBBCh, PhD, FRCPath, FFPath (RCPI), FRCP, FACP

Consultant in Clinical Immunology and Allergy
Clinical Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio
Chair, Allergy & Immunology, MSI
Cleveland Clinic AbuDhabi

Professor Mohamed Abuzakouk is a Consultant in Allergy and Clinical Immunology and serves as Chair of the Allergy and Immunology Division at the Medical Subspecialties Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He is also a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA. Professor Abuzakouk is the Founder and President of the Gulf Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (GA²CI).

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Professor Abuzakouk was the Lead Consultant Immunologist and Allergist in the Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy at Hull Royal Infirmary in the United Kingdom. During his tenure, he also served as Director of Clinical Studies at Hull York Medical School and as the Clinical Lead for the Northern Autoimmunity Educational Quality Assurance Group. Additionally, he provided immunology consultancy services to several teaching hospitals in Ireland for accreditation purposes.

Professor Abuzakouk has participated in numerous international research studies and has published extensively on various aspects of immunologic and allergic diseases in peer-reviewed journals. He has served as Principal Investigator in multiple European multicenter research projects and has been actively involved in national and regional medical organizations in the UK, including contributing to the work of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Andres Perez Lopez

FAAP, MD

Division Chief | Microbiology

Dr. Andres Perez-Lopez is Chief of the Microbiology Division at Sidra Medicine. Board-certified in Clinical Microbiology and Pediatrics in Spain, he holds a PhD in Pediatrics and a master’s degree in Infectious Diseases and Applied Microbiology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He has more than 30 years of hands-on experience in medical microbiology, general pediatrics, and infectious diseases and has authored over 80 articles in international peer-reviewed journals.

Alex Issam Tout

Dr. Alex Issam Tout is a Staff Scientist in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation at Sidra Medicine (Doha, Qatar). He contributes to the identification, molecular understanding, and discovery of the genetic basis of disease in patients with immune dysregulation and autoimmunity. Trained in immunology, virology, and molecular biology, Alex leverages advanced genomic and cellular approaches to elucidate intricate molecular pathways and reveal novel therapeutic targets and identify innovative drugs for immunomodulation.

Alex performed his doctoral research and technical training at Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 in France, where he earned his Ph.D. in Immunology, Virology, and Molecular Biology. Throughout his career, he has developed a deep expertise in viral hepatitis, cancer research, and immune tolerance with more than 15 publications (h-index 14). At Sidra Medicine, he works closely under the leadership of Dr. Bernice Lo to advance targeted treatments for complex immune-related conditions.

Nima Rezaei

MD, PhD

Professor Nima Rezaei gained his medical degree (MD) from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and subsequently obtained an MSc in Molecular and Genetic Medicine and a PhD in Clinical Immunology and Human Genetics from the University of Sheffield, UK. He also spent a short-term fellowship of Pediatric Clinical Immunology and Bone Marrow Transplantation in the Newcastle General Hospital. Professor Rezaei is now the Full Professor of Immunology and Vice Dean of Research and Technologies, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and the co-founder and Head of the Research Center for Immunodeficiencies. He is also the Founder of the Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN). Prof. Rezaei supervised more than two hundred research projects and designed and participated in several international collaborative projects. Prof. Rezaei is the editor, editorial assistant, or editorial board member of more than fifty international journals. He edited more than one hundred international books, presented more than a thousand lectures in congresses/meetings, and published more than 1,500 scientific papers in the international journals.

İsmail Reisli

Prof. İsmail Reisli graduated from Ankara Faculty of Medicine in 1991 and became a Pediatrician in 1997, an associate professor in 2005 and a professor in 2010.

He has around 200 scientific articles published in international and national journals, and more than 250 national and international panel talks and conferences. The most important of his studies are about CD19 deficiency, which he identified in a Turkish girl for the first time and was published as a "new" immunodeficiency in literature, and his field and carrier studies on this subject, as well as the frequency and awareness studies such as J Project Meetings for physicians on inborns errors of immunity.

He is currently the Dean of Seydişehir Kamil Akkanat Faculty of Health Sciences and the Head of the Department of Pediatric Immunology and Allergy at Necmettin Erbakan University in Konya, Türkiye.

Sara Deola

MD, PhD

Investigator, R&D Gene Therapy and BMT, Advanced Cell Therapy Core, Sidra Medicine
Adjunct Assistant Professor, CHLS, HBKU

Dr. Deola is a clinical scientist with board certification in Hematology-Oncology from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy, and a PhD in Experimental Hematology with a training at the Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (TIGET). Her doctoral research focused on hematopoietic stem cell gene transfer, and her clinical expertise centers on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Within the Advanced Cell Therapy Core, at Sidra Medicine, she leads research programs focused on hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for hemophilia, systemic therapeutic approaches for epidermolysis bullosa, and the development of engineered anti-tumor chimeric antigen receptor T cells for clinical applications. Her work also addresses acute leukemias, and graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, with emphasis on immunology, transcriptomics, and B–T lymphocyte interactions.

Kelly Robinson

BSc (Hons), ErCLG

Principal Clinical Scientist
Sidra Medicine, Qatar

Kelly Robinson is a Laboratory Principal Clinical Scientist with more than 15 years of experience in clinical genomics across the UK NHS and healthcare systems in Qatar. She has led the implementation and integration of advanced genomic technologies, including whole genome sequencing (WGS), non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), and pharmacogenomic testing, supporting the delivery of precision medicine in routine clinical practice. Her expertise spans laboratory leadership, genomic interpretation, and translating complex scientific data into clear, clinically actionable information for multidisciplinary teams. Kelly has extensive experience in the genomic investigation and diagnosis of rare genetic disorders, including inborn errors of immunity, helping to facilitate accurate diagnoses and guide patient management. She brings extensive experience at the interface of laboratory science and healthcare, with a particular interest in the responsible adoption of genomic technologies and their potential to address current challenges, drive innovation, and shape the future of genomic medicine.

Rehana Saleem

Hematopathology Principal Clinical Scientist
Hematology, Immunology and Transfusion Div
Sidra Qatar

Mrs. Rehana Saleem is the Principal Clinical Scientist in the Immunology and Flow Cytometry sections of the Division of Hematopathology at Sidra Medicine.
She has a MSc in Human Immunity with Distinction from the University of Liverpool, and part 1 of the Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists, UK.
She has a major interest in developing specialist assays in Immunopathology, with over 10 years’ experience in the UK and Qatar.
She recently worked with Sidra Research to implement lymphocyte proliferation testing as a clinical service. In 2025, she won a Young Investigator Award at the International Congress on Antiphospholipid Antibodies in Kyoto, Japan.
She previously lectured on the MSc Clinical Immunology module at the University of Manchester, UK.