Conference Keynotes

Conference Guest Keynotes (Alphabetical Order)

Prof. Ashraf A. El-Harouni

Saudi Arabia

Professor of Clinical Genetics, Consultant of Neurogenetics & Inherited Neuromuscular Disorders,  Clinical Genetics Department, Division of Human Genetics and Genome Research, National Research Center, Cairo

  • Professor of Medical Genetics, Consultant of Neurogenetics, Department of Genetic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2010 till now.
  • Deputy Chairman of Department of Genetics Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2010 till January 2021.
  • Principle investigator of the project of New Horizons in the Diagnosis of (Duchenne/Becker) Muscular Dystrophies. Granted by The National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt
  • Member of The Middle East Genetics Association of America (MEGA).
  • Member of The Egyptian Society of Child Neuro-Psychiatry (ESCNP).
Dr. Caroline Collins

Global Medical Director Chiesi

Caroline Collins has more than thirty years in corporate, charity and academic healthcare. She was most recently Global Medical Director for Dermatology with Chiesi Global Rare Diseases.

She has more than ten years’ experience of working in the field of epidermolysis bullosa having previously been Research Director at the charity DEBRA organizing the first world congress in EB in 2020. She will be continuing her work moving forwards with DEBRA research as a consultant.

She qualified in immunology and is a professional member of the Institute of Clinical Research and an elected member of the Society of Biology. Over the years of her career she has worked in many areas of dermatology and oncology.

Dr. Cristina Skrypnyk

Bahrain

Cristina Skrypnyk is a distinguished Senior Consultant Medical Geneticist at Arabian Gulf University, Center of Princess Al-Jawhara Manama, Bahrain. with extensive expertise in the evaluation, diagnosis, testing, and management of genetic and genomic disorders. 

She is holding a Ph.D. in Medical Genetics and European Board certification in Medical Genetics and Genomics, she has undergone advanced international postgraduate training in cytogenetics, molecular cytogenetics, genetic and genomic counseling, nutrigenomics, pharmacogenomics, and functional medicine. A member of several prestigious international genetic societies, Dr. Skrypnyk also serves as an expert member of the WHO Collaborative Global Network for Rare Disorders. She is a strong advocate for ethical medical practice and is deeply committed to raising public awareness about genetic knowledge. Her approach emphasizes personalized, integrative genomic medicine to enhance health, prevent disease, and promote quality aging. Dr. Skrypnyk is actively engaged in medical genetics research and is a dedicated volunteer supporting international organizations for genetic disorder patients. She is the founder of the Rare Disease Movement in Bahrain, which has spearheaded public awareness campaigns each February since 2013. With a profound dedication to education, Dr. Skrypnyk has extensive experience in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training and empowers students to achieve their goals, build meaningful careers, and contribute to transforming their communities. Her unwavering commitment to advancing genetics, serving patients, and fostering education makes her a distinguished figure in the field of medical genetics and genomics.

Prof. Dima Darwish

Qatar

A dedicated expert in scientific literacy, specializing in healthcare, research, and development. Currently, she leads the Genomics Education department at QPHI, working to advance the understanding of precision health.

Her work focuses on knowledge transfer through education, creating programs tailored for a wide range of stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, university students, and K-12 students. As part of her efforts to close global knowledge gaps in precision health, Darwish launched “Tanawwo”, a precision health and genomics networking platform, designed to fill critical gaps in precision health knowledge and provide practical, up-to-date insights into genomics and its application in clinical settings. By offering tailored learning experiences, she ensures healthcare professionals are equipped with the latest tools and knowledge to implement precision health strategies effectively in their practices.

Darwish is also passionate about building the next generation of scientists. She developed mentorship and internship programs that provide hands-on experience and career guidance for aspiring researchers. Through these initiatives, she helps young scientists gain real-world experience, fostering their professional growth and supporting them as they pursue careers in genomics and related fields. With a B.Sc. in Genetics and an M.Sc. in Biotechnology, Darwish combines academic rigor with practical expertise.

Her work also extends to the creation of The Genome Heroes, an innovative game application designed to engage and educate users about genomics in a fun and interactive way.

Prof. Khaled Amer

Egypt

A Professor of General Surgery and Consultant of Hepatobiliary, and Liver Transplant Surgery at the Military Medical Academy. His career is marked by significant contributions to medical education, research, and surgical practice in Egypt.

In 2013, Dr. Amer spearheaded the establishment of the Armed Forces College of Medicine (AFCM), serving as its Founding Dean.

He was instrumental in leading the institutional build-up and developing academic curricula that met the highest global standards for higher medical education.

His visionary leadership continued in 2018 when he was tasked with founding the Egypt Center for Research and Regenerative Medicine (ECRRM).

This innovative research facility houses the National Reference Lab for the Genome, which serves as a central genomic laboratory for Egyptian genome research studies.

Dr. Amer currently holds the crucial role of Principal Investigator (PI) for the Egyptian Genome Project (EGP)

Prof. Kypros Nicolaides

UK

Professor of Fetal Medicine, King’s College, London University and Founder and Chairman of the Fetal Medicine Foundation, UK. Published 1,709 peer-review papers in Scientific Journals and his h-index is 209, which is the highest of any obstetrician in the world.

His main areas of research are screening and diagnosis of fetal abnormalities, prediction and prevention of preeclampsia and preterm birth and fetal therapy. 

Received many awards, including the Eardley Holland Gold Medal of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Ian Donald Gold Award of the International Society Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Eric Saling Award of the World Association of Perinatal Medicine, European Maternity Prize of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, Spinoza Chair of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and the Chesley award of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. He has received Honorary Doctorates in Medicine from 13 Universities. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III, which is the Highest award of the Republic of Cyprus and the Gold Cross of The Order of the Phoenix of the Republic of Greece.

Prof. Mahmoud M. Sakr

Egypt

Mahmoud M. Sakr was awarded a professorship in Plant Biotechnology in 2006 and has over two decades of cumulative experience in shaping and managing Egypt’s high-level science, technology, and innovation policies.

  • He got his PhD from Tanta University, Egypt, in 1995 (with experimental work carried out at Pavia University, Italy, through fellowships from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ICGEB). He received the State Encouragement Award in Science and Technology, the National Research Center Award for Scientific Encouragement and Excellence in Biotechnology, and the award of the International Council for Small Businesses (ICSB). Sakr has over 140 scientific publications to his name in the field of biotechnology and STI policies and management, has authored and co-authored 5 books and two encyclopedias (Egyptian Medicinal Plants and Egyptian Traditional Foods), and has supervised 35 master’s and PhD students from Egypt, Sudan, and Algeria.  Sakr has occupied many high-level STI positions at both national and international levels. Notable positions include:

    • Former President, Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), Egypt
    • Former Science and Cultural Counsellor and Head of the Egyptian Education Mission, Embassy of Egypt in Tokyo, Japan
    • Former Executive Director, Science, Technology, and Development Fund (STDF), Egypt
    • Former Vice President, ASRT, Egypt
    • Former Dean, Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, NRC, Egypt
    • Former Secretary General, Arab Association of Biotechnology, Federation of Arab Scientific Research Council, Arab League
    • Former Director, Center of Scientific Excellence (Road to Nobel Project), National Research Center, Egypt
    • Co-chair of the Arab-German Young Academy (AGYA).
    • Chairman of BOD, Arab Society of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
    • Co-chair and plenipotentiary of Egypt in Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Russia
    • Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Elsevier
    • Advisor of Banha National University for Research and Innovation
Prof. Mohamed Hamed

Egypt

Prof. Mohamed Hamed is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology at the German University in Cairo (GUC) and leads the Integrative OMICs Analysis Group at Rostock University Medical Center, Germany.

With prior industry experience directing computational biology in cancer immunology at a leading European pharmaceutical company, he combines academic and applied expertise. He is the director of the German-Egyptian partnership projects EG-CompBio and GED-PerMedAI, advancing computational biology capacity in the MENA region, and coordinates the German-Arab Research Network for Computational Life Science (GARN-CLS) to foster cross-regional collaboration. Dr. Hamed’s multidisciplinary background spans biomedical informatics, computer science, and high-throughput data analysis. His research interests include biomedical data science, computational immunology, radiogenomics, drug combination prediction, and AI-driven multi-omics analysis. He has received multiple fellowships and research grants from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), reflecting his contributions to international scientific cooperation and advanced biomedical research.

Prof. Mohamed Salama

Egypt

Mohamed Salama obtained his Medical Degree in 1999 from Mansoura University. Through a GERSS – DAAD scholarship he performed part of his Ph.D. degree in Neurotoxicology in 2011 at Philipps University in Marburg, Germany.

Mohamed’s collaborative research led to the establishment of the Egyptian Network for Neurodegenerative Disorders. Mohamed was selected as an SOT Global Senior Scholar in 2013 and Translational/bridging awardee in 2016. Through three large DAAD awarded funds (EGI-PD, GeneFINDER and EM-age) he was able to study determinants of aging-related morbidities like neurodegenerative diseases.

He was awarded by Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Foundation (PMDF) for his continuing research in the field of neurodegeneration. Then through a Bartlett Fund for Critical Challenges from the AUC, Mohamed started an exposome project to evaluate the totality of environmental exposure in Parkinson’s disease.

Mohamed is a professor at the Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology and the director of the Master of Global Public Health (MPH) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and an Atlantic Senior fellow for Equity in brain health at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI). Additionally, he is a member of the steering committee of the African Population Cohorts Consortium (APCC). Also, he is a member of the steering committee of the International Parkinson’s Disease Genome Consortium (IPDGC)- Africa.

Prof. Musarrat Hasan

Pakistan

Ultrasound consultant and Director, Institute of Ultrasound Imaging Karachi.

Visiting Fellowship from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

  • Fellow, American Institute of ultrasound in Medicine.
  • Co-opted councilor AFSUMB (Asian Federation of Societies of Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology).
  • Chairman History and Archiving Committee (AFSUMB).
  • Member Board of Governor Institute of Business Management.
  • Former President Ultrasound Society of Pakistan.
Prof. Noor A. Shaik

Saudi Arabia

Professor Noor A. Shaik is a distinguished Professor of Genetic Medicine and Bioinformatics at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), with over 18 years of expertise in genomics, AI research, and clinical diagnostics.

Holding a Ph.D. in Human Genetics from Osmania University and an MBA in Management, he is a certified Medical Genetic Counselor (AMBGCI) and Fellow of Biotechnology and Pharmacy. Dr. Shaik has authored 113 peer-reviewed articles, 16 book chapters, and 3 bioinformatics books, with an H-index of 25 and over 2,000 citations. As a principal investigator, he has secured 24 competitive grants, fostering collaborations across the UK, Canada, China, and the USA. His leadership extends to academic mentorship, quality assurance committees, and innovative research in familial hypercholesterolemia, cancer genomics, and rare genetic disorders. Recognized with multiple awards, including the Distinct Scientific Study Award, Dr. Shaik is an active member of global genetics societies and a passionate advocate for advancing precision medicine through interdisciplinary research.

Prof. Ramy K. Aziz

Egypt

Professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, which he chaired from 2016-2021. He is currently the head of M.A.R.C. Bioscience Laboratories, a research center in Giza, Egypt.

Dr. Aziz received his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Tennessee, Health Science Center in Memphis TN, and has performed postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago, San Diego State University, and the University of California San Diego (2008-2013). From 2021-2024, he directed the Microbiology and Immunology research program at the Children’s Cancer Hospital of Egypt. His research interests span several areas of microbiology and immunology, microbial pathogen and phage genomics, microbiome research, and pharmacomicrobiomics (drug-microbiome interactions). Since 2001, he has published > 120 peer-reviewed articles, a book, nine book sections, and he maintains the PharmacoMicrobiomics databases. His research work has been nationally and internationally acknowledged through several awards, including the TWAS, COMSTECH, and Shoman Awards.

Prof. Rokhaya Ndiaye

Senegal

Prof. Rokhaya NDIAYE is Professor of Human Genetics, holding the Chair of Human Genetics at the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odonto-stomatology at Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal.

She completed her basic training in Pharmacy at Cheikh Anta Diop University and obtained Master’s and PhD degrees in Human Genetics at Paris 7 University in France.

She is the current President of the Senegalese Society of Human Genetics (S2GH), member of the Executive Committee of the African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG). She is a WHO expert, member of the Technical Advisory Group on Genomics. She is also a fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacy.

Prof. NDIAYE’s research interests focused on the role of genetic variation in cancer predisposition with a focus on breast/ovarian and oral cancers. She is also interested in unravelling the genetic diversity of the West African population to pave the way for the implementation of personalized medicine in the near future. She is the principal investigator of the SEN-GENOME project, which aim is to establish a Senegalese reference genome.

Prof. Sameh Ali

Egypt

Dr. Sameh Ali is currently the Tumor Biology Research Unit Head at 57357 Children’s Cancer Hospital and was the Founding Director of the Center for Aging and Associated Diseases, Zewail City of Science and Technology.

Dr. Ali obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. Degrees from Tohoku University (ranked # 70 on the world). He spent 3 years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Technical University, Graz (ranked in the top 300, 2017) and Washington University in St. Louis (ranked # 18, 2017).

He returned to Egypt from the University of California in San Diego (ranked in the top 20, 2017) June 2012 to participate in the establishment of Zewail City.

His work produced over 70 highly cited articles in high-impact journals including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, etc. His work also contributed to the production of four U.S. Patents.

Dr. Ali acts as an Executive Editor, Editor, and regular reviewer for tens of internationally reputed journals.

He is a member in several national committees including the Egyptian Genome and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Prof. S. Adam

USA

Prof. S. Adam is an Associate Professor of Medicine, hematologist in Durham, North Carolina and is affiliated with Duke University Hospital. She currently works at the Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center.

She received her medical degree from Cairo University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

She is a Fellow, MEDICINE – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Medicine.

Prof. Adam currently works at the Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center. She does research in Hematology. Her most recent publication is ‘iPSC modelling of severe aplastic anemia reveals impaired differentiation and telomere shortening in blood progenitors’.

Member of the American Society of Hematology

Member of the North Carolina Medical Society

Member of the Royal College of Pathologists, London, UK

Member of the Durham/Orange County Medical Society

Prof. Solomon Fiifi Ofori

USA

Solomon Ofori is a Ghanaian native. He is the Calvin Smyre Endowed Chair, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, Director of the Georgia Solve Sickle Cell Initiative at Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Morehouse School of Medicine.

He is a member of the NHLBI Advisory Council in the US.

He developed the first animal model of the acute chest syndrome of sickle cell disease (SCD). He is Founding Director of the West African Genetic Medicine Centre, Director of the SCD genomics of Africa network of the H3Africa consortium and Director of the Ghanaian Genome project, which is focused on developing graduate genetics training programs and genetic health professions in Ghana, public lectures and public health screening for genetic disorders in Ghana and West Africa. He is conducting genome-wide association study (GWAS) in SCD and the first population DNA sequencing project in Ghana currently focused on 1,000 children with SCD.

Prof. Wael El-Rifai

Egypt

Dr. Wael El-Rifai received his Medical Degree from Ain Shams University, Egypt. He started his career in Egypt as a researcher in the Department of Human Genetics at the National Research Center in Cairo.

He moved to Finland in 1993 where he earned a Ph.D. degree in Cancer Genetics from the University of Helsinki and became an Assistant Professor in 1998. Dr. El-Rifai relocated to the University of Virginia in the United States in 2000 where he was Associate Professor and Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology Research. In 2005, he was recruited to Vanderbilt University as a Professor and Director of Surgical Oncology Research. In 2017, Dr. El-Rifai moved to Miami where he is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. He is also the Associate Director of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. He holds the John and Judy Schulte Senior Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. Dr. El-Rifai is an elected fellow of the American Association for Advances in Science. He is the principal investigator on several National Cancer Institute grants and has published more than 230 papers. Dr. El-Rifai’s laboratory provides unique training experiences in diverse areas of cancer research that include molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, drug resistance, and targeted therapy.  His research utilizes functional and translational oncogenomic approaches in upper gastrointestinal carcinomas. Dr. El-Rifai’s research investigates the roles of infection, inflammation and oxidative stress in tumorigenesis for the development of therapeutic approaches that target molecular and redox vulnerabilities in cancer cells.

Prof. Hesham F. Kayed

Conference President

Hesham F Kayed MSc, PhD Professor of Cytogenetics, Dean of Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute (HGGRI), National Research Centre (NRC).

Prof. Kayed started his research career in Human Genetics Dept., National Research Centre (NRC), and progressed through the posts until he became a professor, then head of the Human Cytogenetics Dept. department, vice Dean of the institute (HGGRI), and finally Dean of the Dean of Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute (HGGRI).

He gained his experience in cytogenetics and molecular cytogenetics in HGGRI), National Research Centre (NRC) and Institut Gustave Roussy Paris-France. 

He published 40 articles in national and international journals in the fields of cytogenetics, molecular cytogenetics, cancer cytogenetics and. reproductive genetics.

Prof. Ghada Elkamah

Conference General Secretary

Ghada El-Kamah MBBCh, MSc, PhD Professor of Clinical Genetics, coordinator of The Hereditary Blood Disorders (HBD) and Genodermatoses clinics and research team, Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute (HGGRI), National Research Centre (NRC).

She is mainly involved in the study of medical genetics with focus on inherited rare disorders, dysmorphology, community genetics, science management and genetic education. She received her clinical training at the HGGRI, NRC, training in molecular diagnostic techniques (NRC & Gaslini hospital, Genova, Italy), tissue engineering (Neuss, Germany) and in health research ethics at the NRC. Professor El-Kamah is the founder of the Genetics of Hereditary Blood Disorders (HBD) and Genodermatoses as specialties in the HGGRI. She is the former secretary general of the genetics promotion committee, head of the Clinical Genetics department and HBD Research Team in the Centre of Scientific Excellence of Human Genetics, NRC, ethical coordinator between HGGRI and NRC-IRB and head of scientific and cultural relations committee of the HGGRI. She is also involved in training activities and capacity building in the field of human genetics. She is currently board member of the Executive Committees of; the National Strategic Programs for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering in the ASRT in Egypt, the African Society of Human Genetics, Arab Association for Genetic Research (AAGR), the Egyptian Committee for Pathology Training (ECPT)-Genetics. El-Kamah is representing Egypt at the Global Globin Network (GGN), Human Variome Project (HVP) and served as expert member of the Genodermatoses Network Scientific Committee, from 2000-2018. Her research interests are reflected in peer-reviewed publications, as well as 30 national and international research grants concerned with clinical, diagnostics, educational, and ethical aspects of human genetics.

Prof. Yehia Z. Gad

Scientific Committee Advisor

Emeritus Prof. of Molecular Genetics, NRC. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University in 1979. He got M. Sc. And M.D. degrees in Pediatrics from the same Faculty in 1983 and 1992, respectively.

He started his research career as a fellow in Human Genetics Dept., National Research Centre (NRC) in 1981 then was promoted along the years up to the post of Professor of Molecular Genetics in 2003. He is a fellow of Johns Hopkins University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA. He published 42 articles in national and international journals in the fields of molecular genetics, genomics, endocrinology and paleobiology. He is a PI of several national and international projects. He is currently an Emeritus Prof. of Molecular Genetics in the NRC and the Scientific Supervisor of the ancient DNA lab at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

Prof. Ekram Fateen

Head of Abstract Review Board

Professor of Biochemical Genetics (2000 till now). Former Vice President and Dean of the Human Genetics and Genome Research Institute (2006 – 2010)

Founder of Biochemical Genetics Department (2003).

Founder & Head of Enzyme Replacement Unit (2014 till now

Former Vice President of the National Research Centre (2010 – 2014)

Member of the National Committee for for Genetic Sciences (2016 till now )

President of the National Committee for Genetic Sciences (2018 – 2022)

Prof. Khaled R. Gaber

Scientific Committee Advisor

Khaled R Gaber, Professor of Prenatal Diagnosis, is the founder and former Head of the first integrated prenatal diagnosis and fetal medicine department in NRC and Egypt (2003-2021).

In addition, he established Outpatient clinics, for Maternal-Fetal care and recurrent pregnancy loss. The researches performed in the department include clinical, ultrasonographic and cytogenetic in addition to biochemical and molecular studies. Prof. Gaber had his basic education at the Peres Jesuites School and graduated from Faculty of Medicine Cairo University (1981). He obtained his MSc Degree from Cairo University in Obstetrics and Gynecology and his Ph.D. Degree in Human Genetics from Alexandria University. He got his experience in the field of prenatal diagnosis during his stay in Germany (Ulm University). He has over 60 peer-reviewed publications in national and international journals, supervised and reviewed over 50 M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses in his field. In addition to his contribution in over 25 projects either as a principle or participant investigator.