AMERICAN CENTER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist, Team Leader - Psychology Team ( Dubai & Sharjah )
Ms. Christeena Rose Antony is a Psychologist at ACPN. She completed her Master's degree in Rehabilitation Psychology in 2017 from the National Institute for the Empowerment of the Persons with Intellectual Disability (NIEPID) in India. Her journey in the field began with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Calicut University in 2012 and continued with a Master's degree in Applied Psychology from Bharathiar University, India in 2014. She is a licensed psychologist in Abu Dhabi and India.
Ms. Antony has more than six years of experience working in prestigious healthcare institutions in the United Arab Emirates and India. Her early experience in India saw her appointed as a child psychologist at rehabilitation center for a year till 2015, and eventually joining Ankura Hospital, India, for a year till 2019 after specializing in rehabilitation psychology. She worked extensively with children and adolescents with psychological and behavioral conditions. Moving to the UAE in 2019, she worked as a psychologist at an Autism Center for Rehabilitation in Sharjah, UAE for two years till 2021. Her role there focused on providing rehabilitation services to children with various disabilities. Ms. Antony was then appointed at Burjeel Medical City, a quaternary care facility in Abu Dhabi for a year till 2023 before joining the ACPN family. Her role involved conducting psychological assessments, diagnosis, and therapy plans for individuals of various age groups.
Ms. Antony specializes in assessment and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and other behavioral conditions. She conducts comprehensive assessments utilizing standardized tools to evaluate individuals and provide accurate diagnoses. She works with individuals dealing with anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and develops personalized treatment plans to suit each client's needs. With a deep focus on children's wellbeing. Ms. Antony has a hands-on approach to helping children using evidence-based skill acquisition strategies using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles. Ms. Antony also uses cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) extensively through her therapeutic interventions. In her advocacy for child safety and protection, she has a strong interest in sexual abuse prevention for children; by utilizing family education, counseling, and resources to enhance children's safety and well-being especially those with intellectual disabilities.
Dr. Agnieszka Wilczynska has more than thirty years of experience as a Clinical Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Professor of University and Author of books working in clinical and academic roles in the UAE and Poland.
Prior to joining ACPN, she was a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Coordinator of Counseling at Zimbardo Youth Center (Polish American Foundation). Dr. Wilczynska completed her PhD in Psychology in the year 2000 from the University of Silesia, Poland and went on to complete her post-doctoral studies, PhD in Habilitation (Associate Professor) in Psychology at Jagiellonian University in Poland in 2017. She received the European Certificate of Integrative Psychotherapy from the European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP), Austria in 2009. Dr. Wilczynska holds memberships with the American Psychological Association (APA) and European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP).
While in Poland, Dr. Wilczynska led a well-established practice at the psychological center Partner, providing treatment for individuals and families for eighteen years from 2000 to 2019. Her academic role saw her as Adjunct Professor at the American University in Dubai as well as public and private universities in Poland. Dr. Wilczynska is renowned in the field of psychology having delivered more than 150 public speeches, including TED talks in Europe, Asia, and the United States. She authored three books on psychology and more than 140 scientific articles. Dr. Wilczynska is on the editorial boards of a few international scientific journals.
Dr. Wilczynska's treatment follows the principles of Psychodynamic approach, Gestalt therapy, CBT-Mindfulness, Coherence Therapy, Systemic Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy and other evidence-based approaches. She works with adolescents over 16 years of age and with adults with depression, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), burnout syndrome, career and personal development, mood disorders, identity and self-esteem, dealing with traumatic experiences in childhood including physical and sexual abuse, family and marriage relationship counseling, and more. Dr. Wilczynska's interests cover multidisciplinary perspectives in psychology including psychophysics, biochemistry and the latest research and developments in medicine and psychotherapy.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Psychiatrist
- Specialist
Dr. Chadi Al Alam is Specialist Pediatric Neurologist at ACPN. Completing his MD qualification in 2011, he went on to specialize in Pediatrics from the Lebanese University in 2015. He completed Pediatric and Adolescent Neurology fellowship at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), Lebanon in 2018. Dr. Al Alam also holds a University Diploma in Principles of Medical Research, Lebanese University held in collaboration with the Foundation-Medical Research Institutes of Switzerland in 2015.
Dr. Al Alam's experience marks more than three years as a Consultant in Pediatrics and Adolescent Neurology at many university hospitals and NGOs in Lebanon. Before moving to the UAE, Dr. Al Alam also worked in genetic research and rare diseases in collaboration with University College London, UK, and Haykel Hospital, Lebanon, 2021, and in sickle cell research and drug trials, Nini Hospital, Lebanon, 2021.
Dr. Al Alam treats children and adolescents presenting with headaches, seizures, epilepsy, sleep disorders and neuromuscular diseases. He also works with children with autism spectrum disorders, tic disorders, attention deficit and hyperactive disorders, and has a special interest in rare genetic diseases.
Dr. Charles is a consultant psychiatrist at ACPN. In 2008 he completed higher training in adult psychiatry from St. Joseph University and Paris Diderot faculty of medicine (France). He also specialized in Addiction medicine in Paris Descartes Faculty of medicine, France. He has a diploma in Cognitive Behavioral therapy.
Dr. Charles' experience spans over a decade of specialized care in psychiatry in Lebanon, France, Saudi Arabia, and currently in the UAE. In 2009, he joined the psychiatry and behavioral department at Bellevue Medical Center, Lebanon, with outpatient and inpatient privileges as well as liaison psychiatry, where he continued to practice until his move to UAE in 2021. He also held posts as a lecturer in medical universities including the Lebanese University for twelve years since 2008, as well as training sharing clinical expertise and best practice at NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders and MENHARA.
In 2017, Dr. Charles started up multi-disciplinary home-based treatments of addictive disorders and mental disorders as Medical Director of Reset Clinics, an outpatient treatment and rehab center for dual diagnosis of Addiction/psychiatry. He was the psychiatrist of the bariatric and eating disorder department at Middle East Institute of Health University Hospital, Lebanon for 10 years since 2010.
Dr. Charles has long-standing experience in managing psychiatric illnesses such as PTSD, panic disorder, OCD, Chronic anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, psychosis, sexual disorders, sleep disorders, eating disorders, and addictions. Experienced in psychiatric care in both inpatient and outpatient settings, he has a special interest in treating co-morbid Neuro-psychiatric conditions and psychiatric dual diagnoses.
Dr. Fungisai Muchenje is an Educational Psychologist at ACPN. She completed her Doctoral program in educational and child psychology at The University of Manchester, UK, in 2020. Prior to her doctoral study, she completed a Master's degree in development disorders and clinical practice at the University of York, UK in 2017, with distinction. Her undergraduate studies were in psychology from the University of York, UK, in 2012. She holds a postgraduate certificate, with Distinction, in education from Canterbury Christ Church University, UK in 2016. She maintains in registration with the HCPC, UK and is a licensed educational psychologist with DOH, Abu Dhabi. She is dually licensed as a teacher, holding a QTS with the Department of Education, UK.
Starting her post-graduate career as a psychologist in 2018, Dr. Muchenje delivered training, consultation, assessments, and intervention in several schools and specialized care settings concurrently in Manchester, UK. She worked closely with children experiencing emotional and behavioral difficulties, learning difficulties, autism, and complex health needs. Post qualification, she provided assessment services to authorities in the UK, alongside consultation and training to home care providers for young people with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties. With over four years of experience in the field, Dr. Muchenje joined ACPN as psychologist in 2023.
Dr. Muchenje works with a wide age-range, from early years programs up to twenty-five years of age using consultation and therapeutically informed interventions alongside diagnostic interviews, psychometrics, and a range of cognitive assessments to understand the child's strengths and needs. She holds a special interest in attachment in the early years, as well as group supervision. Having a unique viewpoint from a clinical and educational stance, she combines a clinically driven approach coupled with a close understanding of how interventions work best for learners in practice. She is a keen academician, completing her doctoral and master's studies with distinction. She also held several academic posts in teaching and research and aims to foster independence and self-reliance in her students and clients.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Psychiatrist
- Specialist Psychiatrist
Dr. Hania Butt comes to ACPN from Australia where she worked as Consultant Psychiatrist for eleven years. She completed her Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 2010 after training at North Western Mental Health at The Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia. In 2008, she obtained Master of Psychological Medicine degree from Monash University, Melbourne. She maintains active registration as Consultant Psychiatrist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority.
Dr. Butt started her early career in medicine in Australia in 2003. After reaching sub-specialist status in psychiatry in 2010, she worked in both in-patient and out-patient community care settings in territories across Australia for six years. She practiced as Consultant Community Psychiatrist in North-West Tasmania for four years prior to moving to Abu Dhabi in 2021. Her experience spans eleven years in high-risk, high-workload and challenging scenarios across diverse clinical settings. She has experience in managing a variety of mental illnesses including anxiety, mood disorders, personality disorders and psychosis.
Her experience in such diverse settings enable her to manage complex and demanding clinical challenges. Dr. Butt is a skilled consultant psychiatrist with special interest in psychopharmacology and psychotherapy. She has extensive experience in helping adults manage mental illness and has particular interest in perinatal and women's mental health, psychiatric rehabilitation, and community care. She has remained actively involved with teaching medical students and trainee psychiatrists in tertiary hospitals and teaching centers in Australia for over ten years.
Job Titles:
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacist - in - Charge ( Abu Dhabi )
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Specialist Pediatric Neurologist
Dr. Jehan Suleiman is Consultant Pediatric Neurologist at ACPN. Graduating in medicine in 1996 from University of Jordan, she completed her Pediatrics and Pediatric Neurology specialization at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, Australia in 2004 and 2011 respectively. She attained a fellowship of Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) in Pediatrics and Pediatric Neurology in 2012. Rounding out her education and training in pediatrics, she completed PhD in Medicine for autoimmune epilepsy in childhood from the University of Sydney in 2013. She has subspecialist training in Epilepsy and Neuroimmunology Research Fellowship in Australia. Dr. Sulieman is a licensed pediatric neurologist from DoH, Abu Dhabi and AHPRA, Australia.
Moving to the UAE in 2013, she joined the Department of Pediatrics at UAE University as Assistant Professor focused on academics and research as well as clinical roles. Taking on the role of Consultant and Division Chief Pediatric Neurologist at Tawam Hospital from 2015 to 2022, she was promoted to Adjunct Associate Professor in Pediatrics from UAE University in 2017. As a team lead, her role involved oversight of departmental functions in outpatient, inpatient and diagnostics for pediatrics while also managing academic teaching and liaison.
Dr. Suleiman devotes herself to giving the best care to children with neurological disorders including general neurology, neuroimmunology, neurogenetic and neurodevelopmental disorders, motor disorders, cerebral palsy, stroke, neuromuscular disorders, as well as headache and epilepsy. She has special interest and expertise in areas of neuroimmunology including pediatric multiple sclerosis and complex epilepsy and its management including medications, ketogenic diet, and vagus nerve stimulation. She has academic and research interests in the field of pediatric neuroimmunology and neurogenetics with many publications in high impact journals, and a syndrome named after her in recognition of discovering this syndrome's key characteristics (Suleiman-El-Hattab Syndrome or SULEHS). She is a speaker on many international and national conferences on pediatric neurology, and a reviewer for many distinguished journals including a role in the editorial board of Frontiers Pediatrics and Frontiers Neurology.
Languages: English, Arabic
Dr. Joseph Guirguis is Consultant Psychiatrist at ACPN. He was elected member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK in 2000 and subsequently awarded the Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST, UK) in General Adult Psychiatry focused on Substance Misuse in 2003. He is a licensed consultant in the UK and UAE.
Dr. Guirguis held several senior posts including Executive Medical Director, Lead Clinician in the UK and UAE. His particular focus was on leading, developing, and progressing clinical services to treat eating and addiction disorders in adults and adolescents. Dr. Guirguis's last assignment was as consultant psychiatrist and medical lead for an award-winning NHS community eating disorder service - Forward Thinking Birmingham for four years until 2023. He simultaneously worked as consultant psychiatrist and provided clinical leadership for a community general adult psychiatric service; in addition to a regional inpatient adolescent eating disorder unit before joining ACPN in 2023.
Dr. Guirguis's has extensive experience managing general psychiatric illnesses in adults and children including depression, anxiety, phobias, and eating disorders. His areas of professional interests are adolescent psychiatry, autism, ADHD, and addiction management including gambling, internet gaming disorders where he has worked for many years in senior appointments. He is an avid medical educationist having lectured in many international conferences, academic and public settings while receiving recognition in the NHS, UK for his contributions to advancing service provision in mental health.
Job Titles:
- Consultant Psychiatrist, Clinical Lead - Dubai Psychiatry Team
Job Titles:
- Marriage and Family Psychologist
Job Titles:
- Senior Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Lead - Psychology Services, Deputy CMO
Job Titles:
- Occupational Therapist, Clinical Lead
Job Titles:
- Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Clinical Lead
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer
- Consultant Neurologist, Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Alsaadi is a Chief Medical officer and the Chair of the Neurology Department at the American Center of Psychiatry & Neurology (ACPN). He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Neurology at Khalifa University. He was trained in Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology at the University of California San Francisco and was a research fellow in Epilepsy there. He is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and by the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology and the American Board of Neurology in Clinical Epilepsy.
Before joining ACPN, Dr. Alsaadi was the Chief of the Neurology Department at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City for 11 years. He previously held a position as an Associate Professor of Neurology and the Director of the Adult Epilepsy Program and the Clinical Research Program at the University of California Davis. His research has focused on conducting drug study trials for new antiepileptic drugs for patients with epilepsy, quality of life in patients with epileptic and non-epileptic disorders, migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, and neuropsychiatric comorbidities. Dr. Alsaadi has been honored with several prestigious awards for his work in the field of epilepsy. He has served on the Advisory Board of the Northern California Epilepsy Foundation and the membership committee of the American Epilepsy Society. He has previously served as the President of the Western Clinical Neurophysiology Society in the United States and as the Vice President of CEMA (Commission of the Eastern Mediterranean Affairs). He is currently the President of the Emirati League against epilepsy and the Chair of the ILAE Commission for epilepsy in the elderly. He serves as a member of the Guideline Development Group (GDG) for the WHO. He also serves on the Editorial Board for BMC Journal of Neurology and Journal of Neurosciences. He has authored and co-authored more than 80 papers and book chapters and has served as a peer-reviewer for more than 15 scientific journals.
Job Titles:
- Specialist Pediatric Neurologist
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist
- Psychologist
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist, Team Leader - Psychology Team ( Dubai & Sharjah )
Job Titles:
- Psychologist
- Clinical Psychologist / Mohammed Raiyes
Mr. Abdelwahab Elgendy completed his education at Mansoura University, Faculty of Pharmacy, in May 2004 in Egypt. He began to work with the Government Department of Pharmacy from 2004 to 2008 in Egypt.
He then transferred to Abu Dhabi where he was employed as pharmacist in charge at a private pharmacy until 2010. Currently, he has joined the American Center team and is working as a pharmacist at the American Center Pharmacy
Mr. Ahmad Alkhatib is Occupational Therapist at ACPN. Prior to his appointment at ACPN Mr. Alkhatib was Head of Rehabilitation at Ultra Medical Center in Abu Dhabi. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy from Jordan University Of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan in 2008. Mr. Alkhatib holds his licensure as an Occupational Therapist with the Ministry of Health in Jordan and the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi.
Upon completing his education, Mr. Alkhatib worked at the Autism Academy of Jordan as Occupational Therapist and Head of Vocational and Pre-vocational department for a period of two years until 2010. He then moved to Saudi Arabia where he worked for two years at the Alhanan Rehab Center for Children prior to moving to the UAE in 2011. His first assignment in the UAE was at the Emirates Down Syndrome Association in Dubai specializing in Pediatric Occupational Therapy for over three years. He then moved in to i-Care Clinics in Alain city catering to a range of cases such as geriatric, pediatric, as well as injuries of the hand and splint cases for two years until October 2017. He then moved into Ultra Medical Center in Abu Dhabi where he was Occupational Therapist & Head of Rehabilitation.
He is well experienced in occupational therapy for a range of different cases from pediatric, adult as well as geriatrics. He is also skilled at treatment and rehabilitation of hand injuries, ADHD, Down syndrome, development disorders, hand injuries, and neuro-developmental disorders.
He is trained in sensory integration, as well as applied behavior analysis.
Nationality: Jordanian
Job Titles:
- Pharmacist - in - Charge ( Dubai )
- Pharmacist in - Charge at ACPN Dubai
Mr. Ahmad Awad is pharmacist in-charge at ACPN Dubai. He is qualified as a Doctor of Pharmacy
(PharmD) from the University of Sindh, Pakistan. He is a licensed pharmacist in Dubai.
Mr. Awad previously held positions of Senior Pharmacist in various reputable pharmaceutical chains
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Mr. Anthony S. Nhlapo is a licensed clinical psychologist at ACPN. He graduated with a Master of
Ms. Amna Javaid is a Clinical Psychologist at ACPN. She completed her post-graduate degree in
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist
- Clinical Dietitian and Nutritionist
- Clinical Psychologist / Christelle Hamouche
Ms. Christelle Hamouche is a Clinical Psychologist at ACPN. Completing her undergraduate program in clinical psychology in 2012, she went on to obtain her Master's degree in clinical psychology & psychopathology at Université Saint Joseph, Lebanon, in 2015. She remains a licensed psychologist in Lebanon and Dubai.
Ms. Hamouche has over ten years of experience in Clinical Psychology with her previous practice in Lebanon until 2022. Before joining ACPN in 2023, she worked at Dubai Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Center for a year. Her therapy caseload included adults and children of varying ages and cultural backgrounds, presenting a diverse range of complaints and conditions in both outpatient and inpatient settings. She has been working in diverse settings including private practice, NGOs, and incarceration center in Lebanon.
She works closely with patients who have experienced various kinds of trauma, psychopathology including depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, panic attacks, phobia, psychosomatic disorders, personality disorders… inter and intra relationship issues, family problems…; focused on improving their mental health and well-being through the analytical inspired psychotherapy, for all age groups and backgrounds. Ms. Hamouche is skilled in conducting comprehensive psycho- diagnostic assessments and therapeutic interventions to reach underlying issues in developing effective treatment plans for her patients.
Ms. Dayana Mourad is a Clinical Psychologist at ACPN. She completed her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology at The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon in 2018 and was part of an International Exchange Program between the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik and University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Before moving to Abu Dhabi, Ms. Mourad was a Clinical Psychologist at Cenacle de Lumiere Rehab Center, Lebanon for three years until 2022, helping beneficiaries recover from addictions employing counseling, coaching, and mending relationships between the beneficiaries and their families. She also worked as a prevention agent spreading awareness about drug abuse and providing life skills sessions to the youth and caregivers. In her five years of training as a clinical psychologist, she worked with children, adolescents, and adults in different schools, at the Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Lebanon and La Tuile, Switzerland.
Ms. Mourad's areas of expertise include but are not limited to, working in addiction recovery and its psychological comorbidities, helping struggling families and couples, and aiding patients with sexual dysfunctions whose conditions pose significant psychological distress on them and their partners. She uses integrative approaches in psychology and psychotherapy involving analytical, behavioral, and cognitive techniques along with systemic family/couple counseling based on each case's requirement(s).
Nationality: Lebanese
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Lead - Dubai Psychology Team, Director of Eating and Weight Disorders Program
Job Titles:
- Consultant Psychiatrist, Clinical Lead - Psychiatry Services, Deputy CMO
- Consultant Psychiatrist, Director of Dubai Clinic
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist, Team Leader - Psychology Team ( Dubai & Sharjah )
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist, Head of Clinical Supervision Program ( Dubai & Sharjah )
Job Titles:
- Educational Psychologist, Clinical Lead - Educational Psychology Services
- Specialist Psychiatrist
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist
- Clinical Psychologist, Team Leader - Psychology Team ( Dubai & Sharjah )
Job Titles:
- Physiotherapist
- Pharmacy Manager