Speakers

Dr. Anastasios Hantzakos, MD, is a Staff Physician in the Surgical Subspecialties Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, as well as the Director of the Voice Clinic.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Hantzakos was a Consultant at the Hellenic National Health System, followed by a fellowship in Phonosurgery and Laryngeal Laser Surgery. He also served as Consultant and Director of the Voice Clinic at NUKA and as a Clinical Associate Professor at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, US.

Dr. Hantzakos received his medical degree from the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (NUKA) in 1991. He completed his basic surgical training at Emory University, Atlanta, US and received his specialist certification in Otorhinolaryngology from NUKA at Hippocration General Hospital of Athens. Subsequently, he received additional training as a Senior Registrar in the UK, with special interest in Rhinology and Otology. He went on to receive a PhD from the NUKA in 2003, as well as a master’s degree in health administration (MHA) from the Hellenic Open University in 2015.

Dr. Hantzakos has been featured in numerous papers in international journals and textbooks. He is an active member of member of various study groups within the European Laryngological Society (ELS) and an examiner and fellow of the European Board Examinations in otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery since 2010. He is also a member of the International Association of Phenosurgeons, the Voice Foundation and European Society for Swallowing Disorders.

Dr. Hantzakos enjoys spending his free time with his family. He is an avid long-distance runner and triathlete and enjoys playing the guitar and drums.

Adamantia Prachali is the Supervisor of Speech Language Pathology at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.She has a BSc in Speech & Language Pathology, a MSc in Voice Pathology and is an MBA 2025 candidate.

She was instrumental into the activation of the first Voice and Swallowing clinic in the UAE, within CCAD. Prior to that she was part of the founding team of the first private multidisciplinary Voice and Swallowing clinic in Athens Greece.

Over the last years Adamantia has created and supported education programs for Graduate trainees in the UAE,has contributed to professional medical books about Voice Pathology and its management in Greece and has participated in Research protocols related to Swallow and Communication disorders in Covid and Neurologic population in the UAE.

Her clinical interests include voice disorders, care of the professional voice, aerodigestive tract disorders, and laryngectomee rehabilitation, as well as swallowing disorders in Head and Neck and Neurologic patients.

Dr. Fadi Hamed, MD, is a Section Head in the Critical Care Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Hamed worked as Associate Staff in the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Hamed is a Diplomate in Critical Care Medicine, Pulmonary Disease and Internal Medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine.

He is also a member of several organizations including the Society of Critical Care Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians and the American Thoracic Society. His specialty interests include advanced lung disease, lung transplant and medical intensive care.

Dr. Hamed earned his medical degree from the University of Jordan in Amman. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, US, where he also served as a Chief Medical Resident for one year on completion of his residency training. He completed his fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, US.

Fatema Nasser is a highly specialist speech therapist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in 2019, Fatema has worked in the UAE and UK with over thirteen years of experience of acute care hospital settings with adult and paediatric population. Over the course of her professional career, she has gained highly specialist skills in complex neurological conditions and treatment of dysphagia. She is competent in Video Fluoroscopy Swallow Studies (VFSS), Fibreoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) and tracheostomy weaning management with experience in fields of respiratory, oncology, surgery and elderly medicine. Fatema is passionate in providing optimum patient care using research-based techniques and principles and experienced in providing speech and swallow therapy services to adults with cognitive, speech, language and swallowing disorders in acute, post-acute and outpatient settings. Fatema has received her speech and language therapy bachelor’s degree from University College London, UK in 2010 and a master’s in international healthcare leadership from Manchester University, UK in 2019.

Dr. Govinda Saicharan Bodi, MD, is an Associate Staff Physician in the Respiratory Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Bodi worked as a Specialist Pulmonologist in various hospitals in the UAE, including Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi for six years. Prior to that, Dr. Bodi worked as an Assistant Professor of Pulmonology for twelve years at the reputable Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, one of the oldest medical institutes in India. He also worked as an honorary consultant during this time at Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad, India.

Dr. Bodi has eighteen years of experience in the field of Pulmonary Medicine, with a special interest in the management of airway disorders, pulmonary infections (including multidrug resistant tuberculosis), sleep apnea and autoimmune mediated lung diseases. His research interests include the health benefits of meditation and yogic breathing and has published journals and presented in various international conferences.

Dr. Bodi resides in Abu Dhabi with his wife, son and daughter and his hobbies include traveling, walking and reading. He is passionate about promoting human wellbeing through spirituality.

Ms. Grace Jasmin Dungog is a Registered Respiratory Therapist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi .

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Ms. Grace was a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Supervisor at King Saud Medical City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

She received her Bachelor’s degree in 2005

Across the span of her career she had been an advocate for Quality improvement projects.

Dr. Jihad Mallat, MD, PhD, is the Interim Chief of the Critical Care Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Mallat worked as a Consultant in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Lens Hospital in France. He also worked as a Consultant in Critical Care Medicine at Arras Hospital in France.

Dr. Mallat is certified by the French Board of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, with additional subspecialty certification in Medical Critical Care Medicine. He is also appointed as a Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, US. He has also a master’s degree in Methodology, Statistics, and Research from the University of Paris-Sud, Paris, France, and a PhD in Clinical Research from the University of Caen Normandy, France.

Dr. Mallat has published more than 110 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and is the author of several didactic reviews. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of many scientific peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Mallat has received his medical degree from the University of Lille II Faculty of Medicine in Lille, France. He completed his residency in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine at the University Hospital of Lille, France, where he also completed his fellowship in Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Khaled Ismail, MD, is a Critical Care Consultant within the Critical Care Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He is also the medical director of respiratory therapy and an IM faculty member.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Khaled worked as the Chair of Critical Care & Anaesthesia at Al Ain Hospital, SEHA, and was then appointed as the Chair of the SEHA Anaesthesia council for two years.

During the Covid -19 pandemic, Dr. Khaled was appointed as the silver commander for COVID-19 pandemic for Al Ain city.

Dr. Khaled received his medical degree from the Katholieke University Leuven, Belgium, with distinction. He then moved to Bristol, UK, where he worked as a registrar at the Royal infirmary. He achieved a CCST in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care and began working as a Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia at the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals, where he was later appointed as the Critical Care Chair.

Dr. Khaled is a fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetist (FRCA) and a fellow of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FFICM), London, UK.

Dr. Khaled has many publications in Anaesthesia and Intensive care and has presented his research at most major international Symposiums in Europe and the US. He has also written a chapter in the Critical Care book.

Dr. Praveen Ghisulal, MD, is an Associate Staff Physician in the Critical Care Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Ghisulal was an Associate Consultant in Critical Care at Medanta - The Medicity hospital, India.

Dr. Ghisulal received his medical degree from Meenakshi University, India, and completed his residency at Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, India.

Throughout his tenure, Dr. Ghisulal has specialized in caring for patients on ECMO support.

Currently, Dr. Ghisulal resides in Abu Dhabi with his wife and son. When not at work, he enjoys traveling with his family.

Mrs. Sheree Umbalin, RRT, is a Senior Respiratory therapist in the Respiratory Care at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Mrs. Umbalin was an Acting-Head of Respiratory Therapy at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where she had established the Respiratory Care Unit.

Mrs. Umbalin received her bachelor’s degree in 1999. Over the course of her career, she’s been an active and passionate in different quality improvement projects, was acknowledged and had received several awards for her contributions.