Invited Faculty

Dr. Amina Rakisheva is a cardiologist and healthcare leader specializing in heart failure. Since October 2025 she has served as Director of Boraldai Regional Hospital and Associate Professor at Kenzhegali Sagadiev University of Business. She was previously Deputy Director of the City Cardiology Center in Almaty and, for seven years, Head of the Cardiology Department at the Scientific Research Institute of Cardiology and Internal Diseases. She graduated with honors from Kazakh National Medical University named after S.D. Asfendiyarov and earned her PhD on the prognostic role of iron deficiency anemia in heart failure. Her international training includes the Postgraduate Course on Heart Failure in Zurich, cardiology programs in Lithuania and Japan, and an EACVI grant fellowship at University Hospital Erlangen, Germany. Dr. Rakisheva is active in the European Society of Cardiology. She has served on the Board of the Heart Failure Association and the ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines, and was national coordinator of the ESC Heart Failure Registry. She is a Board Member of the Kazakh Heart Failure Society and sits on the editorial boards of JACC: Case Reports and Cardiac Failure Review. She has co-authored numerous ESC position papers and consensus statements and speaks regularly at international congresses.

Dr. Arif Albulushi, MD, FACC, FASE, FESC, FRCP (Glasg), is a Consultant Cardiologist specializing in Advanced Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation at the National Heart Center, The Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman. His clinical and academic interests include heart transplantation, MCS, pulmonary hypertension, and advanced cardiovascular imaging. He has played a key role in developing advanced heart failure and transplant services in Oman, including the country’s heart transplantation and LVAD programs. He is actively involved in clinical research, medical education, and international scientific collaborations, with numerous peer-reviewed publications in cardiovascular medicine.

Pr Dania Mohty is a consultant in adult cardiology in King faisal specialist hospital in Riyadh and specialist in cardiac imaging. She is also full professor at Al Faisal university and at the university of Limoges in france. She did her medical school and residency in Montpellier, France. Her fellowship was about echocardiography in Tours, France She performed 2 years fellowship at the Mayo Clinic Rochester USA. She obtained her PhD in 2007 in collaboration with university of Laval in Quebec city in Canada She has great interest in cardiomyopathies and Heart Failure. She worked more than 9 years in the national referral center of AL in Limoges in France with prof Jaccard and helped to establish a center of excellence in Cardiac amyloidosis in KFSHRC She has over 150 publications in peer review indexed journals

Diyar Saeed, MD, PhD, is the Chief of the Cardiovascular Surgery Department at the Heart Center Niederrhein, Health and Medical University Krefeld, since November 2022. He is also a Professor of Cardiac Surgery and Lecturer at Düsseldorf University. Diyar Saeed is a graduate of Sulaimani University. He completed his cardiac surgery training and had the privilege of working at several renowned institutions, including the Heart Center Bad Oeynhausen in Germany, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in the United States, Northwestern University in Chicago, Düsseldorf University, and the Leipzig Heart Center. Dr. Saeed is board-certified in both cardiac and thoracic surgery. His main focus is on minimally invasive cardiac surgery and heart failure surgery. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles. He is a member of several prestigious professional organizations, including the DGTHG (German Society of Cardiac Surgery), EACTS (European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery), AATS (American Association for Thoracic Surgery), and the ISHLT (International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation). He is also a board member of the STS (Society of Thoracic Surgeons) and CTS Net. Furthermore, he serves as a reviewer for numerous scientific journals, including Circulation, JACC, JACC Heart Failure, JTCVS, and the European Heart Journal.

Dr Fakhr has a PhD & master’s degree in clinical pharmacy research as well as master’s in business administration. She is Board certified in clinical poisoning management, Heart Failure, and specialized Arab Board in Cardiology Pharmacy. Dr Alayoubi, is certified as train the trainer for metabolic syndrome (Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease) from the American Pharmacy Association APhA, Meddle East Representative (EMRO) for the Europe pharmacy society FIP (Foundation of International Pharmacy) for Hospital pharmacy and the leader for the global anticoagulation stewardship research, finally the founder and primary investigator of the Saudi Amyloidosis registry (SAMR).

Prof. Feras Bader is a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and the Founder and Chairman of the Middle East Heart Academy. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency followed by a Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine in 2003 and a Cardiovascular Fellowship at the University of Utah in 2006. At the University of Utah, he served as Medical Director of the Heart Failure Program and Director of the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship, and earned a Master’s Degree in Clinical Investigation. From 2015 to 2025, Prof. Bader served at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he established the UAE’s first multidisciplinary advanced heart failure and heart transplant program. He later became Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Oxford and is American Board-certified in multiple specialties. A prolific researcher, he has authored over 175 peer-reviewed publications and is a Fellow of leading international cardiology societies.

Prof. Hasan Farhan is a Senior Consultant Cardiologist, Heart Failure Specialist, Cardio-Oncologist, and Medical Educator. He is the President of the Iraqi Scientific Council of Cardiology, the founder and director of the Advanced Heart Failure Fellowship, and the clinical lead of Heart Failure Services. He is also the founder and director of the Cardiac Imaging Training Program and a faculty member of the College of Medicine, University of Baghdad.

Dr. Ibrahim Jelaidan is a Consultant Cardiologist in Advanced Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation, and Adult Echocardiography at King Faisal Cardiac Center, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Jeddah. He is an Assistant Professor at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, and President of the Saudi Heart Failure Working Group of the Saudi Heart Association.

Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA, is the President of the Baylor Scott and White Research Institute and Senior Vice President for the Baylor Scott and White Health in Dallas, Texas. He currently holds the Maxwell A. and Gayle H. Clampitt Endowed Chair for research. He is also the Distinguished Professor of Medicine at University of Mississippi in Jackson, Mississippi. Prior to joining Baylor Scott and White Health, he served as the Patrick H. Lehan Chair in Cardiovascular Research, and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Mississippi, where he was also Professor of Physiology. Prior to joining the University of Mississippi, he was Charles A. Gargano Professor and Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Co-Director of the Heart Institute at Stony Brook University, New York. He had served as the director for heart failure research at Emory University and director of the heart and heart-lung transplant programs at Vanderbilt University prior to that. He received his medical degree from the Aga Khan University and then completed residency training at Yale University, cardiology fellowship and advanced heart failure and transplant fellowships at Vanderbilt University, and cardiac imaging fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital at the Harvard Medical School. He has completed Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University and Master of Business Administration from Emory University. Dr. Butler is board certified in cardiovascular medicine and advanced heart failure and transplant medicine. His research interests focus on clinical trials in patients with heart failure. He serves on several national committees for the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, and the Heart Failure Society of America. He is the recipient of the Simon Dack Award by the American College of Cardiology as well as the Time, Feeling, and Focus Award by the American Heart Association. Dr. Butler has authored more than 1500 peer-reviewed publications. He serves on the editorial board of several peer reviewed cardiovascular journals. He has been cited numerous times in America’s Best Doctors list.

Dr. Karzan Mohammed Abdullah is a Specialist Physician in Cardiology and Internal Medicine, currently serving as Head of Medicine and Cardiology Services at Zanko Hospital, Erbil. He previously trained in cardiology at University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, UK, and holds an MD from the University of Buckingham and MRCP (UK). His clinical interests include heart failure, cardiomyopathies, echocardiography, hypertension, and cardiovascular risk management. He is actively involved in medical education, research, and international scientific conferences and is the founder and presenter of the Dr. Karzan Podcast on Rudaw Media Network.

Professor, chairperson of Cardiology Department, Hédi Chaker University Hospital & Sfax University Medical School, Sfax, Tunisia. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Sfax University medical school Prof. Abid is an interventional Cardiologist, with specific expertise in multimodality imaging and heart failure, practicing at the Hédi Chaker University Hospital in Sfax, Tunisia. She is Past President of the Tunisian Society of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery (STCCCV) (2018-2020), The past president of the Tunisian college of cardiology and CV Surgery (2021-2024). She is the coordinator of HF working group of the Tunisian society of cardiology (2025-2028). She is a member of the ESC (European Society of cardiology) Task Force North Africa Middle East and a member of the TCT-CRF ( Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF)) Africa plus board. She is the national ESC guidelines coordinator. She also develops and/or coordinates post-graduate Masters courses at Sfax University Medical School (Interventional cardiology, Hypertension, echocardiography, heart failure…) and inter-universities (Senegal…) and with HFA-ESC ( heart failure association of the European society of cardiology . As a seasoned researcher, Prof. Abid is currently the main coordinator of the NAtional Tunisian REgistry of HyperTensioN (NATURE-htn) in Tunisia, the main responsible of the National Tunisian Registry of Percutaneous Coronary Angioplasty (NATURE-PCI)…and the Big 4. . She is also on the steering committee for the NATURE-Heart Failure and NATURE-Atrial Fibrillation registries and is an investigator in two further international registries: FAST-MI (investigating outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction) and EURO-ENDO (the European Society of Cardiology’s international registry of care and outcomes in patients infective endocarditis). Prof. Abid has authored over 150 national and international scientific publications. is a Reviewer for many international journals such as the International Journal of Cardiology, the Journal of Clinical Ultrasound, and the Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research, frontiers. Her professional memberships include: the European Society of Cardiology (where she is also a Fellow), the French Society of Cardiology, the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging and the American College of Cardiology, the TCT-CRF. She is member of the middle east cardiovascular women task force. She delivered many lectures, webinars in many countries around the world (america, asia, europe, africa, …). She is an investigator of many international randomized trials ( victory HF, Trilogy ACS, GRASP HF,…..). She is the principal and national coordinator of GRASPE cardiomypathy ESC registry. During her tenure as President of STCCCV and AMCV ( cardiology doctors of the south of tunisian association) , and as Head of the Cardiology Department, she has organized and continues to organize open-door awareness days for the general public on cardiovascular diseases. As Head of Cardiology, she welcomes doctors from Sub-Saharan Africa and neighboring countries like Libya to her center for advanced training in Interventional Cardiology, Rhythmology, and Cardiac Imaging.

Mahmoud Abdou, MD, FACC, is an advanced heart failure and transplant cardiologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. He serves as Medical Director of the Emory Left Ventricular Assist Device and Mechanical Circulatory Support Program and Associate Program Director of the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship. Dr. Abdou’s clinical and academic interests include advanced heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, cardiogenic shock, pulmonary hypertension, and cardiovascular education. His research focuses on LVAD outcomes, patient selection and optimization of mechanical circulatory support, as well as emerging strategies in donor heart preservation and multicenter clinical investigation. He is actively involved in the education and mentorship of residents and cardiology fellows and has received multiple institutional awards recognizing his contributions to teaching, mentorship, and clinical care.

Dr. Matlouba Alzadjali is a Senior Consultant in Public Health and Cardiology, with a subspecialty in heart failure. She has led an initiative to establish home-based care for patients with heart failure across several regions in Oman at the primary care level. She also initiated and operated a specialized heart failure clinic at the tertiary care level at the National Heart Center for Cardiac Diseases and Surgery. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she served as Head of Therapeutic Services Development at the Directorate General of Specialized Medical Care at the Ministry of Health. She is currently the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Heart and Vascular Center in the private medical sector. Dr. Matlouba has numerous scientific publications and has delivered lectures at national and international conferences within her field of expertise. She is currently an active member of the Board of Directors of the Omani Cardiac Society.

Dr. Mohammed AlReshidan is a Minimally Invasive and Heart Failure Cardiac Surgeon. He graduated from Cardiac Surgery Residency Program from Montreal, Canada and did Fellowship in Advanced Valve Surgery in Canada. He did one year of Minimally Invasive and Heart Failure in West Virginia, USA. Dr. AlReshidan specialized in Robotic and Heart Failure surgeries. Currently, he is the Medical Director of King Salman Heart Center, King Fahad Medical City and the Executive Director, Shared Service Lines, Riyadh Second Health Cluster.

Dr Nizar Attallah finished residency training in Internal Medicine at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan (USA). Subsequently, he finished a fellowship in Nephrology and Hypertension then a fellowship in kidney transplantation at the same hospital. He worked at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan from 2006 till 2008 and at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi 2014 till 2022. He currently practices with Nephrology Associates of Kentuckiana and is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky. His main areas of interest include managing patients with resistant hypertension, kidney transplantation, chronic kidney disease and cardiorenal syndrome. During his career, he published several abstracts and papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Ramzi Tabbalat is Clinical Director of the Cardiology Department at Abdali Hospital in Amman, Jordan, and Director of the Abdali National Amyloidosis Center. He also serves as Co-Director of the Abdali Comprehensive Hypertension Center and the hospital’s Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center. He graduated from the University of Jordan School of Medicine in 1982, completed his Internal Medicine residency at Seton Hall University, USA, in 1988, and completed fellowship training in Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology there in 1991. He is American Board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. Tabbalat has served as an Assistant Professor and part-time faculty member at the University of Jordan School of Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography and the European Society of Cardiology, and a member of the International Society of Amyloidosis. His publications include 49 original manuscripts and 30 abstracts across cardiovascular medicine, including interventional cardiology, valvular and ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, cardiac amyloidosis and coronary computed tomographic angiography.

Dr. Yasmin Rustamova, MD, PhD, FESC is a cardiologist with over 18 years of clinical and academic experience, specializing in heart failure and advanced cardiac imaging (CMR, CT, Echocardiography). She is Professor at Azerbaijan Medical University, combining academic teaching with active clinical practice at leading hospitals and private clinics in Baku. She completed postgraduate fellowships in heart failure at the University of Zurich and the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, and advanced imaging training at Monzino Cardiology Center in Milan and the Institute of Clinical Physiology in Pisa. She holds European Board Certification in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (EACVI/ESC, Level 3). Dr. Rustamova is a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology and has served as Vice-President and Board Member of the Azerbaijan Society of Cardiology. She is the author of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Atlas: 101 Clinical Cases (Springer) and has published over 60 scientific papers, with regular presentations at ESC, HFA, and SCMR congresses.