Meet our Regional Organising Committee, made up of leaders from across the Middle East who will ensure the Congress reflects regional expertise and addresses regional priorities.
Regional Organising Committee Chair
Dr. Mirza received his medical degree from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon before he relocated to the United States for post-graduate training. He completed a four-year residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tufts University in Boston. He then pursued a three-year fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Columbia University in New York. He subsequently became certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG)in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). He also holds an Executive Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Hult International Business School.
Upon completion of his post-graduate training, Dr. Mirza joined Columbia University as a full-time faculty, where he was active inpatient care, education, and research at its medical center in New York. He later returned to Beirut, where he joined the full-time faculty of AUB and its medical center (AUBMC), raising through the ranks to Associate Professor. He currently practices at the Latifa Hospital of Dubai Academic Health Corporation and is a Professor at the Mohammed Bin Rashid University (MBRU) as part of its clinical faculty.
At an academic level, Dr. Mirza was the Director of the AUB Obstetrics and Gynecology residency training program, a United States ACGME-I accreditedprogram, for three years. He was also a member of the Faculty of Medicine Admissions Committee and served on the thesis committee of a number of graduate students. Currently at Mohammed Bin RashidUniversity (MBRU), he serves as Associate Designated Institutional Officer (DIO) and Site Director of Latifa Hospital, overseeing the hospital’s residency and fellowship programs. He continues to supervise the research projects of a number of undergraduate, medical students, and residents.
At an administrative level, Dr. Mirza currently serves as the Chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health at Dubai Health, the first integrated academic healthcare system comprised of 6 hospitals and 27primary care centers. He also serves as the Medical Director (Chief Medical Officer) of Latifa Hospital, Dubai Health’s flagship women’s hospital. Of note, upon joining Latifa hospital in 2021, he was appointed as Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine, and, in 2022, he was appointed as Director of the Department of Obstetrics. In March 2024, he was appointed as the Chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health of Dubai Health.
Prior to his tenure at Dubai Health, Dr. Mirza previously held a number of senior positions at AUBMC; most notably, he served as the Founding Director of the Clinical Practice Improvement Program and as Co-Chairperson of its Patient Safety Council, working closely with the Joint Commission International (JCI). He was also the Chairperson of the hospital’s Credentialing and Privileging Committee and the Director of Medical Staff Affairs.
Dr. Mirza has presented many scientific abstracts and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles. Given his international recognition, he was invited to serve on a number of local, national, and international scientific committees, including the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO)’s intrapartum fetal monitoring consensus panel. In the United States, he served as an examiner for the Nuchal Translucency Quality Review (NTQR) and Cervical Length Education and Review (CLEAR) programs. In Lebanon, he served as an expert for the Maternal Mortality Committee of the Ministry of Public Health. In the UAE, he serves as the Chairperson of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Subcommittee of the National Institute for Health Specialties (NIHS). He also represents the UAE to the Scientific Committee of the Arab Board-Obstetrics and Gynecology. Additionally, he acts as the European Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology Examination Coordinator in Dubai.
He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Makassed Philanthropic Association for a second term. In the latter, he also serves as the Chairperson of the Board’s Health Committee that oversees a tertiary care medical center and a number of ambulatory centers. HE also sits on the UAE Leadership Board of Fight Cancer Global, based in the US. He has previously served for two terms as member of the managing board of the Lebanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (LSOG) and as Chairman of its Scientific Committee. He has also served as the Co-Chairperson of the Scientific Committee of the Federation of Arab Gynecology and Obstetrics Societies (FAGOS), President of the Emirates Fetal Medicine Society(EFMS), and Vice President of the Lebanese Joint Coalition Against Thrombosis (LJCAT).
Dr. Mirza has been an invited speaker, Course Director, and Congress Chairperson at countless national, regional, and international conferences held in different parts of the world, including Bahrain, China, Egypt, France, Iraq, Italy, India, Jordan, Kenya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. He also serves on a number of advisory boards regionally and internationally. Dr. Mirza is the recipient of many significant awards. Most notably, he was decorated with the National Order of Merit Medal of the Lebanese Government. He is also the recipient of the Berlex Best Teaching Award and the Award of Research Excellence of the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine in the US. He was an invitee to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s “Preparing for a Research Career in Perinatology and Reproductive Medicine” course in the US. Finally, he served on the prestigious Awards Committee of the International Hospital Federation (IHF) and on the Scientific Committee of its World Congress.
Country: UAE
Field: Obstetrics and Gynecology; Maternal Fetal Medicine
Specialties: High Risk Pregnancy; Fetal medicine; Prenatal Ultrasound
Languages: English; Arabic; French
Regional Organising Committee Co-Chair
Dr. Muna Tahlak is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Vice Provost at Dubai Health. Dr. Tahlak is currently the Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Latifa Women and Children Hospital. She is also Adjunct Faculty at Mohamed Bin Rashid University, Dubai, UAE.
Dr. Tahlak is the first Arab Women to hold the position of President for the International Hospital Federation. She was the Regional Trustee for the Africa & Eastern Mediterranean Region for the International Federation of Obstetrics & Gynaecology for the period 2021- 2023. Also, she is the past President of Emirates Obstetrics and gynaecology society. Dr Tahlak is an obstetrics and gynaecology consultant and the first Emirati lady to complete her specialization in obstetrics and gynaecology from the John Hopkins Hospital, United States of America (USA).
In 1997, she graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and topped her class in pathology. She is American Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a fellow of the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology since 2005. She completed Executive Master of Public Administration Program from Mohamed Bin Rashid School of Government in 2020. Prior to joining the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dr Tahlak worked in USA as an obstetrics and gynaecology consultant from 2004 to 2006. Dr Muna joined Latifa Women and Children Hospital, Dubai Health Authority on 15 November 2006 as a Consultant Obstetrician/ Gynecologist. She later held the posts of Assistant Head of Obs/Gyn and Head of Obs/Gyn at Latifa Hospital. During her tenure as the head of the department, Dr Tahlak developed the minimal invasive surgery services at the hospital. She established the outpatient office hysteroscopy procedure at the hospital without the need for hospitalization or anaesthesia as it used to be done previously. She also served as the Director of Obs/Gyn Residency Program of DHA from 2007 till 2010.
She is a member of several esteemed national and international societies and associations which includes:
▪ Member of American Congress of obstetricians and gynaecologists
▪ Member of American Association of Gynaecologic Laparoscopists.
▪ Fellow of International Academy of Human Reproduction (IAHR) Dr Tahlak regularly participates in various conferences as a speaker, she has received various awards for excellence in her field and she provides training for resident doctors. Dr Muna has many publications in peer reviewed journals.
Regional Organising Committee Members
Further members of the Regional Organising Committee will be announced in due course.