ArLAR College

Scientific collaboration, awareness, and continuous medical education for rheumatologists.

ArLAR College Members ArLAR College Events

What is ArLAR College

A college built by Arab rheumatologists.

ArLAR College gathers the efforts of expert Arab rheumatologists, working in collaboration with the international rheumatology community.

It is where the region trains together: regular webinars, workshops, and mentoring that raise awareness of rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease and keep clinical practice current.

Webinars: Live, year-round
Workshops: Hands-on training
Mentoring: For younger rheumatologists

An ArLAR College session on musculoskeletal imaging

Open acrossThe Arab countries and beyond

College objectives

What ArLAR College sets out to do.

Collaborative research

Increase scientific collaborative research among ArLAR members, and between them and the international rheumatology community.

Awareness and mentorship

Increase awareness of rheumatology and musculoskeletal diseases among Arab rheumatologists by organizing regular webinars, workshops, and training, and by mentoring younger rheumatologists.

Programs and projects

Develop programs and projects that reach the objectives the College sets across all fields of rheumatology and musculoskeletal disease.

Continuous medical education

Promote the continuous medical education of ArLAR members across the different sectors of rheumatology.

College members

The people behind the programme.

Expert rheumatologists from across the Arab world shaping education, mentorship, and scientific exchange.

Meet all members

Algeria

Abdelatif Abiayad, MD

Professional biography coming soon.

Coming soon

Egypt

Adel Mahmoud El Sayed, MD

Professor of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology and Head of the Rheumatology Division at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. Assistant and principal investigator in national and multinational studies. Member of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Member of other scientific societies, including the Egyptian Society of Rheumatology & Joint Diseases (ESRD).

Algeria

Aicha Ladjouze-Rezig, MD

Professor of Rheumatology. President of the Algerian League Against Rheumatism (LAAR).

Egypt

Ayman El Garf, MD

Professor Emeritus in the Rheumatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. President of the Egyptian Society for Joint Diseases and Arthritis (ESRD). Founding Member of ArLAR.

Jordan

Basel Masri, MD

Senior Consultant Rheumatologist at Jordan Hospital and Medical Center in Amman. Secretary General of the Jordanian Society of Rheumatology (JSR). Treasurer of ArLAR.

Egypt

Bassel El Zorkany, MD

Professor of Rheumatology. Professor and Head of the Rheumatology Department at Cairo University.

Algeria

Chafia Dahou Makhloufi, MD

Professor in rheumatology, Head of rheumatology department, Bab El Oued Hospital. University of medicine. Algiers, Vice president of the Algerian League Against Rheumatism (LAAR).

Tunisia

Elyes Bouajina, MD

Head of Rheumatology, Farhat Hached Hospital of Sousse since February 2005. Responsible for rheumatology teaching at the Faculty of Medicine of Sousse since 2006.

Iraq

Faiq Isho Gorial, MD

CABM, FIBMS (Rheumatology and Medical Rehabilitation). Rheumatologist at the Rheumatology Unit, Medical Department, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, from 2007 to the present.

Algeria

Hachemi Djoudi, MD

Professor of Rheumatology. President of the Algerian Society for Rheumatology (SAR).

Saudi Arabia

Hanan Al-Rayes, MD

Senior Consultant in Rheumatology and Lupus. Rheumatology and lupus fellowship, University of Toronto; Saudi rheumatology fellowship. President of the Saudi Society for Rheumatology 2018–2021. Deputy Director of Medicine, Prince Sultan Military Medical City; Board member, Saudi Osteoporosis Society.

Tunisia

Héla Sahli, MD

Rheumatology Fellow, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City in partnership with Mayo Clinic, Abu Dhabi.

Algeria

Houria Ayed, MD

Professor of Rheumatology. Head of University Hospital Service, CHU Annaba.

Lebanon

Imad Uthman, MD

Professor and Head of the Rheumatology Department at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. Member of the ArLAR Scientific Committee representing Lebanon.

Egypt

Iman Abbas El Kadi, MD

Professional biography coming soon.

Coming soon

Tunisia

Kawther Ben Abdelghani, MD

Associate Professor of Rheumatology, Mongi Slim Hospital. General Secretary of the Tunisian League Against Rheumatism. National coordinator for the Tunisian MSUS University Certificate, BINAR biologics registry, and therapeutic patient education project. Head of the Rheumatology Department research unit, Mongi Slim Hospital.

Jordan

Khaldoun Alawneh, MD

Senior Consultant Rheumatologist and Head of the Rheumatology Division at King Abdullah University Hospital.

Egypt

Khaled El-Hadidi, MD

Professor of Rheumatology at Cairo University and Vice-President of the Egyptian Society of Rheumatology, Cairo, Egypt.

United Arab Emirates

Khalid Alnaqbi, MD

Chief of Rheumatology, Assistant Professor. Chief of Rheumatology, Tawam Hospital, UAE. Clinical Associate Professor (UAE University). Vice President of Emirates Medical Association.

Algeria

Malik Djennane, MD

Professor, Mouloud Mammeri University, Tizi Ouzou. Head of Rheumatology, CHU Tizi Ouzou. Board member, Algerian Society of Rheumatology. Scientific Committee member, African Society for the Fight Against Osteoporosis.

Algeria

Manal El Rakaawi, MD

Professor of Rheumatology, Douera Algiers University Hospital Center / Saad Dahlab Blida Unit. Coordinator of the Pain Section, Algerian Society of Rheumatology. Member of the Pan Arab Osteoporosis Society and Algerian Menopause Society. Secretary General of the ArLAR Francophone Group and member of AAAA. ArLAR President-Elect 2023–2025.

Lebanon

Mira Merhachly, MD

Assistant Professor in Rheumatology at AUBMC. Completed clinical training at the Royal London Hospital in the United Kingdom. Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. Published more than 40 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Qatar

Mohammed Hamoudeh, MD

Senior Consultant in Rheumatology at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar. Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College – Qatar. Chairman of the Institutional Review Board at Hamad Medical Corporation since April 2017. Author of 96 publications in local, regional, and international journals.

Jordan

Musa Hadidi, MD

Senior Consultant Rheumatologist, PhD. Co-founder of the Jordanian Society of Rheumatology (JSR).

Lebanon

Nelly Ziade Zoghbi, MD

President of the Lebanese Society of Rheumatology (LSR). Consultant Rheumatologist. Assistant Professor of Rheumatology, Public Health and Epidemiology at Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital and Saint-Joseph University of Beirut.

Iraq

Nizar AbdulLateef Jasim, MD

Professor in Internal Medicine & Rheumatology at University of Baghdad, College of Medicine. Sr. Consultant at Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Medical City. Chairman of the Scientific Council of Internal Medicine & Scientific Committee for Rheumatic Diseases in Iraqi Board for Medical Specializations. Founder and President of the Iraqi League for Bone & Joint Health (ILBJH). President of the Arab League of Associations for Rheumatology (ArLAR). Former President of the Pan Arab Osteoporosis Society (PAOS). Member of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Board of Trustees. He has more than 85 researches in the field of Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology, and Osteoporosis.

Algeria

Salima Lefkir-Tafiani, MD

Professional biography coming soon.

Coming soon

Qatar

Samar Al Emadi, MD

Senior Consultant and Division Chief of Rheumatology, and Program Director of the Rheumatology Fellowship, Hamad Medical Corporation. President of the Qatar Rheumatology Association and Qatar Osteoporosis Society. Assistant Professor, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.

Iraq

Sami Salman, MD

MB ChB (1973), CES, France (1980), MRCP, Ireland (1984), DMR, London, UK (1985), and FRCP, Glasgow, UK (2005). Professor of Rheumatology and Internal Medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Baghdad.

Algeria

Samy Slimani, MD

Associate Professor of Rheumatology in Batna, eastern Algeria.

United Arab Emirates

Suad Hanawi, MD

MD, PhD. Consultant Rheumatologist at the Ministry of Health and Prevention of the United Arab Emirates. Chairman of Rheumatology at MOHAP. Deputy Chairman of the Central Research Ethics Committee. Chairman of the Dubai Health District Research Ethics Committee. Obtained Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Completed clinical training in Rheumatology in Australia. Obtained a PhD in Rheumatology.

Saudi Arabia

Sulaiman Al Mayouf, MD

Professor and Consultant of Pediatric Rheumatology. King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center. College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia

Suzan Attar, MD

Professor and Consultant Rheumatologist in the Department of Internal Medicine at King Abdulaziz University and King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Qatar

Thurayya Al Araissi, MD

Professor of Clinical Medicine and Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar. Received her MD from the American University of Beirut. Completed residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine and a Geriatrics fellowship at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. Completed a second fellowship in Rheumatology at NIAMS, National Institutes of Health, with a focus on early arthritis. Her research interests focus on rheumatoid arthritis and Behçet disease, for which she has received funding as principal investigator. Organized the Middle East Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium (MERAC), which studies the genetics and clinical characteristics of Arab patients with rheumatoid arthritis to improve their care. Authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters. Received several teaching awards and honors, including induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

Jordan

Wafa Madanat, MD

Consultant Rheumatologist. President of the Jordanian Society of Rheumatology (JSR). Chairman of the Scientific Committee from 2004 to 2010. Council Member of the International Society for Behçet’s Disease. Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Royal Medical Services. Reviewer for local and international journals.