ASPETAR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- NSMP Deputy Executive Director
Abdurrahman is a highly motivated Qatari sportsman and sports management consultant, with more than 21 years of experience in management and media organisations, business administration, project-based organisations, planning, and implementing, with a specific background in communication advocacy and social development for diversity of sports and public organisations. Abdulrahman was the Administrative Manager of the Sports Medicine Center from 2001 to 2007, when Aspetar was softly opening. He then played a key role in supporting and establishing the National Sports Medicine Programme (NSMP) as its Executive Manager. Previous positions include Director Editor at Al Watan Newspaper, Consultant in Communication and Media and Marketing, and Media Advisor at AZF President office, and Editor and Presenter at Al Kass TV.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Surgeon
- Co - Founder of the Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute
- Specialist
Associate Professor Parker is an internationally recognized Specialist in disorders and surgery of the knee joint. He has particular interests in sports injuries, ligament reconstruction, realignment surgery and cartilage pathology, and knee replacement surgery. He works at Royal North Shore, North Shore Private and the Mater Private Hospitals in Sydney. He is actively involved in a number of international orthopaedic and sports medicine organisations, including being the current Vice-President of ISAKOS (International Society for Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine), and a board member of the International ACL Study Group.
Associate Professor Parker is an active member of many other organisations, including the Australian Knee Society, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. He is also a Past President of APKASS (Asia Pacific Knee & Arthroscopic Surgery Society).
Associate Professor Parker is a co-founder of the Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute, established in 2002, and has built up an extensive research portfolio with major strengths in knee surgery which is recognized nationally and internationally. He has a strong publication record, with more than 100 peer reviewed publications, and is a regular invited speaker at national and international Orthopaedic Conferences and symposia, having given over 100 invited presentations around the world. He is currently involved in a range of projects concerned with improving the understanding of knee pathology, assessing and improving the outcomes of knee surgery, and studying the development and evaluations of new surgical procedures and technologies.
Examples of specific areas of research include computer navigated and robotic surgery designed to enhance longevity of the prosthesis and optimize patient outcomes, realignment surgery as a treatment for younger patients with arthritis, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, patellofemoral pathology, cartilage regeneration procedures, and complex multiligament injuries of the knee joint. He also is director of the Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute Fellowship program, which has trained many surgeons from around the world. (Further information on research can be found at www.sori.org.au )
Job Titles:
- Chief of Surgery - Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Bashir Zikria arrives to Aspetar from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the USA, where he has been an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery for the last 13 years, and served as the Director of Sports Medicine Education and the Articular Cartilage Restoration Program. Dr Zikria has internationally recognised research and education in over 60 publications, several text books and book chapters, and serves as an editor and reviewer for several prominent orthopaedic journals. including Lead Editor for Johns Hopkins High Yield Review Book. He has taught orthopaedics and surgical techniques around the world, winning numerous teaching awards both nationally and internationally in the process.
Dr Zikria served as a team physician for the Johns Hopkins Department of Athletics and the Head Physician for the Afghan national sports teams. Previously, he was a team physician for the professional football Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Orioles, and several major colleges.
Job Titles:
- Surgeon
- French Orthopaedic Surgeon
- Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Bruno Olory is a French Orthopaedic surgeon. He played hand-ball at national level during his medical studies (N3). He is president of the sports committee of a tennis club of nearly 1000 licensees with a leading team in the first national division. For over 10 years, he has cared for professional athletes and high-level sportsmen and women with lower limb pathologies in France. He qualified in foot and ankle surgery in 2003 and has furthered his training in Spain in order to practise foot percutaneous surgery. He is also Member of the French Society of Foot and Ankle Surgery (AFCP), Member of the European Foot and Ankle Society (EFAS), Member of the French Society of Orthopaedic and Traumatology surgery (SOFCOT) and Member of the French Society of Arthroscopy
Job Titles:
- Consultant Hand & Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Elisabet Hagert is a world-renowned hand, wrist and peripheral nerve surgeon who joins Aspetar from Stockholm, Sweden. She is a dual board-certified Hand- and Orthopedic Surgeon and has been an associate professor in Orthopedic Surgery at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm since 2014. She did her postdoctoral training at Stanford University, USA. Dr Hagert has over 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has contributed over 20 book chapters in international text books. She is a popular speaker and teacher, with numerous conference contributions and over 150 international presentations.
Dr Hagert's field of expertise include hand, wrist and elbow surgery, hand and wrist arthroscopy and peripheral nerve surgery. She is a globally recognized specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral nerve compressions and wrist disorders. She has served as hand surgery consultant to the Swedish Olympic Committee as well as to the world's first Center of Excellence in Tennis Medicine, at H.M. Queen Sophia Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Dr Hagert is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the American Association of Hand Surgery, the International Wrist Arthroscopy Society and the Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand.
In addition to her contributions in hand surgery, Dr Hagert has pioneered the use of wide awake hand surgery for nerve and wrist interventions, the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound for diagnostics and treatment, as well as the interaction between hand surgeon and hand therapists in the application of proprioceptive training techniques.
Job Titles:
- Surgeon
- Orthopaedic Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Head of Elite Performance and Development
Job Titles:
- Consultant Hand and Wrist Surgeon - Visiting Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Sports and Exercise Medicine Physician
Job Titles:
- General Medicine and MSK Physician
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Dr. Alkuwari is an Arab board certified orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in the treatment of complex spinal disorders,including spinal trauma, spinal tumours (extradural pathology), adult and paediatric deformities, scoliosis, and severe degenerative diseases. His training involved orthopaedic surgery followed by formal spine training in paediatric and adult spine services, and he is accomplished in minimally invasive spinal surgery as well as open complex spine surgery.
Dr. Alkuwari completed medical school at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, before doing an orthopaedic residency at Hamad Medical Corporation. This was followed by a two year Complex Spine Fellowship at University of Western Ontario, Canada, where he also completed a Masters in Spine Biomechanics.
Dr. Alkuwari started practicing at Aspetar in 2014, when he was appointed Assistant Programme Director of Orthopaedic Surgery. He also has an interest in teaching and research.
Dr. Alkuwari chaired the 3 rd Qatar International Spine Conference., and has taken part in many local and international spine conferences. He is also a member of AOSpine.
Job Titles:
- Biostatistician
- Biostatistician / Epidemiologist
Abdulaziz Farooq is currently employed as a Biostatistician/Epidemiologist in the office of Athlete Health and Performance Research Centre at Aspetar.He joined Aspetar, following 8 years working as a statistician at Hamad Medical Corporation, where he helped to coordinate several clinical and population based studies. He currently provides statistical consulting for experimental and epidemiological studies to researchers regarding study design, methodology and conducting statistical analyses. His research interests are varied and include works related to epidemiology of sports injuries, effects of Ramadan fasting and interventions to improve physical activity and health among school children. He also provides statistical training with researchers and health care staff.
Qualifications
MPH, University of Manchester
MSc, University of Newcastle, Australia
Job Titles:
- Sports Medicine Physician
Job Titles:
- Surgeon
- Complex Knee Surgery - Visiting Surgeon
Dr. Alan Getgood is an orthopaedic surgeon and clinician scientist specializing in complex knee reconstruction. He completed his primary medical degree at the University of Edinburgh followed by orthopaedic residency and a research Doctorate (MD) at the University of Cambridge. His fellowship training included time in London (Ontario), Banff (Alberta) and Coventry (UK). In September 2012 he moved to Canada to work at the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic, University of Western Ontario.
Dr. Getgood's clinical practice focuses on complex soft tissue reconstruction of the knee. He has been successful in securing over 3 million dollars in peer reviewed and industry funded grants to build his pre-clinical and clinical research program focusing on joint preservation. Particular achievements include being awarded the ISAKOS/OREF multicentre research grant in 2014, the Ontario Early Researcher Award in 2016 and most recently the Albert Trillat Young Investigator award at ISAKOS 2017.
Dr. Getgood has authored over 60 peer-reviewed articles and numerous book chapters.He has given over 100 national and international conference presentations, lectures and demonstrations. He is a General Board Member of the ICRS, is Deputy Chair of the Sports Medicine Committee of ISAKOS and sits on the Education Committee of AOSSM. Dr. Getgood is also a founding member of the International Meniscus Reconstruction Forum (IMReF), and a member of the ACL study group of ESSKA.
Dr Asmaa obtained her Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Technology at Kuwait University, her MSc in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Westminster in London, UK, and her PhD at the Sheffield University Medical School. She holds additional degrees in management and diplomatic relations.
Dr Asmaa looks back at a decade-long career at Hamad Medical Corporation with continuously increasing responsibility. For the last years, she expanded her skills to include comprehensive experience in clinical research and quality control. She is a member of the College of American Pathologists' laboratory accreditation in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Common Cluster.
Dr Asmaa also is a Clinical Coordinator at Qatar University teaching students, residents and fellows. These are just highlights of her comprehensive qualifications and skill set to indicate the great value she adds to our team.
Job Titles:
- Sports Medicine Physician
Dr Aston Ngai Seng Huey is a UK trained Sports Medicine Physician experience in basketball, field hockey, cycling, gymnastics and racquet games injuries. He has a keen interest in knee injury rehabilitation. He has worked with the National Sports Institute of Malaysia, Asian Paralympic Committee (Sports Medicine and Sports Science Committee), Squash Racquet Association of Malaysia, KL Dragons (Asian Basketball League).
Qualifications
1994: MBBS, Mangalore, India
2001: MSc Sports Medicine, Nottingham, UK
Job Titles:
- Sports Medicine Physician
- Sports Physician
Dr Celeste Geertsema is a New Zealand sports physician (born in South Africa) currently working at Aspetar, Qatar Sports and Orthopaedic Hospital. She has a Fellowship with the Australasian College of Sports and Exercise Medicine. Her special interests are in event cover, football medicine and snow and adventure sports.
Dr Celeste Geertsema was the first female Team Physician at a FIFA World Cup (in South Africa 2010), and subsequently the first female Venue Medical Officer (VMO) at the FIFA World Cup (in Russia 2018). She was a member of the IOC Games Group, responsible for overseeing medical services at the Winter Olympic Games in 2018 and has further provided or overseen medical services at six FIFA age group or senior Women's World Cups, the IAAF World Championships, the Handball World Championships, FINA World Cups, IAAF Diamond League events, and WTA and ATP tournaments.
Dr Celeste was team physician for the New Zealand national men's football team for 7 years, and Medical Director for NZ Canoe Racing. She has also worked as ski patrol doctor for 5 years, as Medical Officer for the New Zealand Army for 5 years and has been expedition doctor for Mt Everest and Mt Aconcagua expeditions. She enjoys participating in sports even more than watching it and is passionate about adventure sports, especially in pristine natural environments. She loves skiing, snowboarding, SCUBA diving and kite-surfing, but her biggest physical achievement was to complete the ‘Gobi March', a 250km ultra-marathon in one of the most beautiful and remote deserts in the world. She considers herself a generalist in sports medicine and is Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. She also passionately supports equal opportunities, irrespective of sex, gender, race or cultural background.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Sports Medicine Physician
- Sport Medicine Physician
Dr. Cristiano Eirale is a distinguished sports medicine physician, renowned for his specialization in football medicine. After completing his medical degree from the University of Pavia in 2001, he deepened his expertise by specializing in Sports Medicine by 2005. Dr. Eirale has held pivotal roles in elite football medicine; he served as the team physician for FC Internazionale Milano from 2004 to 2006, later becoming the Medical Director for the Qatar National Football Team until 2012, and more recently, he served as the Medical Coordinator for Paris Saint Germain FC from 2018 to 2022.
Now a key figure at Aspetar's Sport Medicine Division since its inception in 2007, Dr. Eirale's research on football injuries, especially in the Middle East, is highly regarded in the medical community. In addition, he imparts his vast knowledge to aspiring professionals as a visiting professor at the University of Belgrade.
Qualifications
2001: MD, University of Pavia, Italy
2005: Sport Medicine Specialist, University of Pavia, Italy
2015: PhD in football injuries epidemiology, University of Copenhagen
Eduardo Yamashiro completed his residency and fellowship training in musculoskeletal radiology at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. He subsequently went to a musculoskeletal fellowship at the University of California San Diego, USA. He then returned to Brazil and took over the leadership of the musculoskeletal section of the Radiology Department at Hospital Santa Luzia and worked as an assistant professor at the University of Brasilia. He later moved to São Paulo where he joined Fleury, Hospital do Coracao and Hospital Sao Camilo, three of the largest and leading healthcare groups in the country. During this period of time he was consistently working together with several athletes from different levels including world class professionals and Olympic medalists, from different sports including soccer, volleyball, judo, tennis and athletics.
Job Titles:
- Hand & Wrist Surgeon - Visiting Surgeon
- Swiss Hand Surgeon
Dr. Gregoire Chick is a Swiss Hand Surgeon specialising in fracture and joint injuries and reconstructive surgery. He is widely published in Europe and has worked with organisations such as the Swiss and French Societies for Surgery of the Hand.
Qualifications
Diploma in Microsurgery, University of Paris VII, France 1994
Diploma in Hand and Upper Limb Surgery, University of Paris VII, France 1995-97
Graduated from University of Paris XI, October 1996
Diploma in Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, University of Paris XI, France, 1996
Accreditation in Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, France 1996
European Diploma Examination in Hand Surgery (FESSH), Bonn Germany 1999
Accreditation in Hand Surgery, French Society for Surgery of the Hand (GEM) 2000
Accreditation in Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery (FMH), Switzerland 2005
Accreditation in Hand Surgery, Swiss Society for Surgery of the Hand (SSCM) 2006
Fully registered medical practitioner with specialist registration, GMC, UK 2006
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director General for International Medical Affairs
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Professor
- Sports Medicine Physician - Clinical Research Coordinator
Professor Johannes (JL) Tol currently holds the following positions: Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board, Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) from 2020 to the present; Professor of Sports Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam from 2019 to the present; Sports Medicine Physician, Amsterdam Football Club (AJAX), Amsterdam from 2019 to the present; and as Senior Associate Editor, The British Journal of Sports Medicine from 2011 to the present.
Job Titles:
- Shoulder Surgery Consultant - Visiting Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Sports Medicine Physician
Job Titles:
- Clinical and Sports Psychologist
Job Titles:
- Muscle and Tendon Consultant - Visiting Orthopaedic Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Sports Medicine Physician
Job Titles:
- Consultant Shoulder and Elbow Specialist - Visiting Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Orthopaedic Surgeon - Visiting Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Director of Sports Dentistry - Consultant in Oral Surgery
Job Titles:
- Orthopaedic Surgeon & Senior Medical Advisor
Job Titles:
- Director of Medical Education and Consultant Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Clinical and Sports Psychologist
Job Titles:
- Sports Medicine Physician & Athlete Screening Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Sports Medicine Physician and Head of Sub - Specialty Medicine
Job Titles:
- Orthopaedic Surgery - Visiting Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Australia, Resident of Qatar
Founder and CEO of the Hippo AI Foundation based in Berlin. He is an advisor to several companies and startups specializing in digital health and regularly lectures at various business universities in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and China. Bart de Witte is a Fellow at the Institute for Exponential Technologies and Desirable Futures, futur.io., the Founder Hippo AI Foundation (2019-…), Director of Digital Health at IBM Germany based in Berlin (2016-2018), Public and Healthcare Leader for Central & Eastern Europe at IBM (Global) based in Vienna (2010-2016), Business Development Executive Healthcare at SAP, based in Zurich (2000-2010), and Physiotherapist Zurzach Care, Lecturer at Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM (1996-2000).
Bart de Witte holds degrees from various universities in Belgium (Physiotherapy and Dental Medicine) and has pursued several other post-university paths at national and international business schools, including Harvard Business School. His main focus has been on digital transformation and sustainability.
During the last 10 years Bart de Witte has been deeply involved in the development and application of artificial intelligence in healthcare. With his non-profit organization Hippo AI, he aims to make artificial intelligence in medicine a common good, creating a foundation for a sustainable and equitable society. In 2020, Bart de Witte and his Hippo AI Foundation were selected as a finalist for the prestigious Falling Walls conference as Breakthrough of the Year in the Engineering and Technology category, and in 2021 he won Axel Springer's German AI Prize in the Startups category. His first project at HIPPO AI was selected by the International Research Center for Artificial Intelligence under the auspices of UNESCO as one of 100 global projects solving problems related to the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals through the use of AI.
Before focusing 100% of his passion for information technology, he worked in sports rehabilitation in Switzerland with a focus on lower-back rehabilitation and sports injuries. He loves outdoor sports and always challenges himself to explore them. He has an unusual sense of curiosity that has led him to participate in many sports: mountaineering, snowboarding, canyoning, paragliding, base jumping, but in the end, he fell for kitesurfing. Mr de Witte wanted to combine his hunger for sports and movement with his profession, but then quickly discovered that information technology in the field of medicine was uncharted territory, which is why he switched to focus 100% of my time to digitising medicine. Only later did he discover that his innate need to know, discover and learn was also the driving force behind his career in big tech and now in digital healthcare. He never stopped exploring and innovating and he is looking forward to work with Aspetar and combine both worlds again.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Planning and Performance
Christopher Mengelt is an American passionate about sports who started his career clinically as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist at Barnes Hospital in St Louis, Missouri. He credits his focused professional development and his healthcare values based on his early career years at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
His career has been positively affected by his work both clinically and administratively in Australia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in addition to his home country of the United States. His administrative responsibilities have included being the Assistant Director of Radiology at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre in Riadh Saudi Arabia, Director of Quality at the Saad Specialist Hospital in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director at KFSH&RC-Jeddah. During his career at Aspetar he has had multiple responsibilities at Aspetar that include, Patient Relations, Infection Prevention and Control, Planning and Monitoring and Quality Management, and have resulted in his promotion to Chief of Planning and Performance.
He holds a Master in Healthcare Administration from the Carlton School of Business at the University of Minnesota. He has been a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives since 2010 and Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality since 2008. He loves to facilitate and teach and has recently begun a focus in performance coaching with didactic learning at Harvard University. With over 26 years of healthcare experience in the Middle East, he is motivated to continue to improve healthcare provision that meets the very diverse populations of the region.
Qualifications
Masters Health Care Administration Management (University Minnesota, Carlton School of Business, USA)
Fellow American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE)
Certified Professional Healthcare Quality (CPHQ)
Bachelors Nuclear Medicine Technology (University Wisconsin La Crosse, USA).
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Director General and CEO of Aspire Zone Foundation
Job Titles:
- Head of Sports Cardiology and Screening
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Research and Scientific Support
Job Titles:
- Knee Surgery Consultant - Visiting Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Director of the Aspetar Sports Injury & Illness Prevention Programme
Job Titles:
- Knee & Cartilage Surgery Consultant - Visiting Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Knee Surgery Consultant - Visiting Surgeon
Job Titles:
- Director of Rehabilitation Department, Executive Director of NSMP, and Director of the Football National Teams Medical Services Unit
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Clinical Projects & Quality
- Specialist Sports Physiotherapist
Rod Whiteley is a Specialist Sports Physiotherapist, who was awarded a fellowship in the first cohort in Australia. He subsequently spent time on the College of Sports Physiotherapy's Board as Chief Examiner and has worked with a number of professional and international teams and individuals in Rugby League, Rugby Union, Baseball, Football, Squash, and Athletics.
Qualifications
B.App.Sc. (Physiotherapy), PhD, FACP (Sports Physiotherapy
Job Titles:
- Director of Medical Imaging
Job Titles:
- Director of Scientific Support Department