Committee

Steering Committee

DR. WAEL ALMAHMEED

Steering Committee

Consultant Cardiologist
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Biography

Dr. Wael Al Mahmeed, MD, is a Staff Physician within the Cardiovascular Medicine Department of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Al Mahmeed served as Head of Cardiology at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi. He was also the Deputy Chief Medical Officer during his time at SKMC. Dr. Al Mahmeed received his medical degree from the University of Southampton, Southampton, England. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and his fellowship in Cardiology and Echocardiography at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is also a fellow of The American College of Chest Physicians, The American College of Physicians, The American College of Cardiology, The European Society of Cardiology and The Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology.

DR. AIMAN SMER

Steering Committee

Associate Professor of Medicine, Program Director, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Biography

Dr. Aiman Smer, is a Consultant Cardiologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he also serves as the Cardiology Fellowship Program Director. Before joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, he spent a decade in the United States as Academic Cardiologist at Creighton University and as Associate Program Director for the Cardiovascular Fellowship at Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska. A native of Libya, Dr. Aiman earned his medical degree from the University of Tripoli and completed his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Creighton University. He holds multiple American Board certifications, including internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases, echocardiography, and nuclear cardiology. Dr. Aiman's research focuses on quality improvement, atrial fibrillation, the impact of sleep apnea on heart disease, and 3D echocardiography. He has contributed to several international trials and has over 100 publications and abstracts in peer-reviewed journals. A Fellow of both the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography, he is a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences. Residing in Abu Dhabi with his wife and four children, Dr. Aiman enjoys family time, community volunteering, sports, and exploring Abu Dhabi’s attractions.

DR. FIRAS AL BADARIN

Steering Committee

Consultant Cardiologist and Multimodality Cardiac Imager, Head of Imaging Working Group, Emirates Cardiac Society
Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Biography

Dr. Firas Al Badarin, MD, is a consultant cardiologist at the Heart and Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and the Head of the Imaging Working Group of Emirates Cardiac Society. Dr. Al Badarin trained at Henry Ford Hospital/ Wayne State University, Mayo Clinic, and University of Missouri, Kansas City/ Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in USA. He also completed a Cardiovascular Outcomes Research fellowship and received a master's degree in Clinical Bioinformatics/Clinical Research Focus from the School of Medicine, Department of Health and Bioinformatics, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA. During training, Dr. Al Badarin developed interest and expertise in various non-invasive imaging modalities, including PET and SPECT radionuclide cardiac imaging Cardiac CTA. He also became particularly passionate about understanding how different imaging technologies can be used to improve the efficiency of care for patients suspected to have coronary artery disease. He has published several peer-reviewed articles on how information from non-invasive imaging can be used to optimize outcomes and quality of life for patient.

Scientific Committee

DR. MOHAMMED KHALIL

Scientific Committee

Section Head for Clinical and Imaging Services
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Biography

Mohammed Khalil is the Section Head for Clinical and Imaging Services within the Heart & Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He is also a member of the Heart Failure team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Khalil was the Director of Imaging Services at UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. Furthermore, he helped establish the heart failure program and cardiopulmonary stress testing program in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A native of Jordan, Dr. Khalil graduated from medical school at the University of Jordan before moving to the US to pursue his postgraduate studies, beginning with specialty training in Internal Medicine at the Bronx Lebanon Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, US. Following this, he completed three years of subspecialty training in Cardiovascular Disease at Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, US. He has also pursued an advanced imaging training post fellowship focusing on cardiac MRI and CT. Dr. Khalil has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals. His research focuses on modalities to improve diagnostic imaging quality. He holds several American Board certifications, including Cardiovascular Diseases, Vascular Medicine, Echocardiography and Nuclear Cardiology.

DR. JOHN RICKARD

Scientific Committee

Department Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Biography

Dr. John W. Rickard, MD,MPH, MBA is the Department Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine within the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Rickard worked as a Staff Physician for over 9 years at the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, US. Prior to that he was an Assistant Professor of Medicine/Cardiac Electrophysiology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, US. Dr. Rickard received his medical degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He completed an Internal Medicine residency at Duke University in Durham, NC, and completed fellowships in Cardiovascular Medicine and Cardiac Electrophysiology from Cleveland Clinic, Ohio. He also has an MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, MA, and an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management/Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Rickard has written over 100 peer reviewed manuscripts, many in top medical journals, has been a co-author on multiple international guidelines, and has significant experience in the care of patients with complex cardiac rhythm disorders.

DR. MAHMOUD TRAINA

Scientific Committee


Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Biography

Dr. Mahmoud Traina, MD, is a Staff Physician within the Cardiovascular Medicine Department of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute. He is also Section Head of Interventional Cardiology. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Traina was an Associate Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), California, US. He was also Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, where he doubled the capacity of the laboratory and introduced complex coronary interventions and the radial catheterization approach. During this time, Dr. Traina performed over 6,000 cardiac catheterizations, using advanced techniques and minimally invasive approaches. Dr. Traina was the Associate Program Director of the Cardiology fellowship at UCLA, overseeing the training of over thirty fellows annually. He also served as core faculty of Internal Medicine Residency, supervising over eighty residents every year. He is known as a dedicated educator and has won several teaching awards. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, US and received his medical degree from the University of California, Davis, California. His postgraduate training was at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he completed his training in Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Traina's research interests include optimization of radial access approaches, evaluation and management of cardiomyopathies and novel management of acute heart failure and atrial fibrillation. He has participated in multiple international multicenter trials and has over forty publications and abstracts in peer-reviewed journals. He has also been an invited speaker at both national and international conferences. Dr. Traina enjoys spending his free time with his wife and two children.

DR. HOUSSAM YOUNES

Scientific Committee

Consultant Vascular & Endovascular Surgeon
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Biography

Dr. Houssam Younes, MD, is the Chairman of the Department of Vascular Surgery in the Heart & Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Younes worked as a vascular surgeon and an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, USA. During his tenure, he treated a wide spectrum of complex vascular diseases, utilizing new minimally invasive endovascular surgery technologies including image-guided and catheter-based therapies, and traditional open surgery techniques. Dr. Younes also served as a teaching faculty at the medical school and the general and vascular surgery residency programs. Dr. Younes received his medical degree from Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty in Istanbul, Turkey. He then completed his surgical training at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical Branch. He later completed a Vascular Surgery fellowship at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center. Dr. Younes’ clinical interest is in limb salvage therapies and hybrid procedures, which extend the range of vascular diseases treated and expand the patient population, which will benefit from minimally invasive surgery. His research interests include limb salvage, dialysis access and endovascular surgery outcomes. Dr. Younes has presented multiple national presentations and authored numerous published articles.

DR. MITESH BADIWALA

Scientific Committee

Staff Physician
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Biography

Dr. Mitesh V. Badiwala, MD, PhD, FRCSC is the Surgical Director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Dr. Badiwala was a Staff Cardiovascular Surgeon at Toronto General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto from 2014 to 2023. He served as the Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation and Fellowship Director for Cardiovascular Surgery. Dr. Badiwala received his MD and PhD degrees from the University of Toronto. He also completed his residency in Cardiac Surgery at the University of Toronto. He completed a fellowship in Advanced Cardiac Surgery at Northwestern University as Chief Fellow, specializing in advanced valve repair, heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support.

DR. NADYA ALMATROOSHI

Scientific Committee

Staff Physician,Head of Heart Failure Working Group, Emirates Cardiac Society
Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Biography

Dr. Nadya Almatrooshi is a Consultant Cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabispecializing in advanced heart failure and cardiac transplant. She holds a Bachelor ofMedicine from the Arabian Gulf University. She completed her Masters's Degreein leadership in health professions education, from the Royal College of Surgeons. She completed her internship and fellowship at Sheikh Khalifa Hospital and Mafraq Hospital. She also supplemented her credentials with a Fellowship program for Advance Heart Failure and cardiac transplantation at the University of Ottawa in Canada. She is Arab board-certified in internal medicine and general cardiology. She also holds board certification from the European College of Heart Failure. She is also a member of theThe Canadian Heart Failure Society, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, and the American college of cardiology

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