Team
President: Hafez Elzein, MD, MS
Dr. Elzein was educated as a physician and a biostatistician / epidemiologist. His health and medical research experience exceeds 30 years and comprises expertise in epidemiology, outcomes and clinical research, with extensive work in data mining of large databases and registries. Work experience was in the United States from 1983 to 2006, followed by 3 years (2007-2009) as Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, and Director of the Clinical Research Unit at the American University of Beirut. Since 2010, Dr. Elzein directed the establishment of the National Kidney Registry for Lebanon, sponsored by the Society of Nephrology in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health. The registry enrolled over 4300 patients between March 2011 and end of 2014.
Vice President – Analytics: Ahmad Abdallah, MPH, RN
Mr. Ahmad Abdallah holds a BS degree in Nursing Sciences from the School of Nursing at AUB and a Master of Public Health from FHS. He was an instructor of Public Health at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) from 2001 to 2008. He taught Project Management in Health care and supervised many research projects assigned to graduate students at the faculty. He is expert in database design and management, and in statistical programming and analytics. He is currently a Senior Statistical Analyst with "Partners in Wellness & Research", and previously served as research associate in the Clinical Research Unit at the Faculty of Medicine providing statistical, analytic and database construction support to the unit's operation.
Director – Dietetics: Mirey Karavetian, PhD, RD
Ms. Karavetian is a licensed dietitian, with a masters degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and a doctorate degree in Clinical Dietetics from University of Maastricht, Holland. She specializes in renal patient care and is currently Assistant Professor of Nutrition at Zayed University - Dubai. Her research work focuses on improving clinical outcomes through interactive patient education and targeted dietary management and lifestyle modification. She was an invited lecturer of nutrition at universities in several Arab countries and have presented at international and local clinical meetings.
Public Health Advisor: Kassem Kassak, PhD
Dr. Kassak is an Associate Professor of Public Health Practice in the Department of Health Management and Policy, in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the American University of Beirut. He is an instructor of Management, Planning and Performance Improvement in Health Care Organizations. He holds a PhD from the University of Minnesota in Health Services Research, Policy and Administration and an MPH from AUB. He is a WHO and World Bank consultant on health management, capacity building and human resources for health, including consultancies on monitoring and evaluation of programs and interventions. He also served as an advisor to several local and International health care organizations on strategic planning and Management. His research interests are on the evaluation of health systems especially in the areas of providers of healthcare, utilization of health services, and health outcomes.