3rd Annual Sports Medicine Conference
 

SPEAKERS

Dr. Kinda Khalaf
Conference Chairman
Associate Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University

Prior to joining Khalifa University, Dr. Khalaf held faculty appointments in Engineering and Medicine at the University of Miami(USA),American University of Beirut (LEB), where she held the first joint appointment between the faculties of Engineering and Medicine, and the American University of Sharjah (UAE). Dr. Khalaf is on the list of International Who Is Who of Professionals. She has been awarded the LAMME Scholarship for most outstanding senior, the Woman of Engineering Award for outstanding Academic Achievement multiple times, the Presidential Fellowship Award, the prestigious National Merit Scholar, the University of Miami College of Engineering Teaching Award, and the Khalifa University Faculty Excellence award.

Dr. Khalaf has been conducting research in the areas of Orthopedic Biomechanics, Computational Biomechanics, and Biomedical Devices and Biomaterials. She has also co-established an interdisciplinary education research group at Khalifa University focusing on implementing curricular innovative pedagogies and the design of quantitative assessment instruments in engineering education. Her research record is reflected in various national and international research grants, collaborations and awards, numerous journal publications, multidisciplinary lectures and conference proceedings.

Dr. Khalaf is currently the secretary of the UAE branch of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE, EMBS), a founding member of the IEEE education chapter in the UAE (IEEE EDUCON), a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Society of Biomechanics (ASB), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), Tau Beta Pi (Honorary Engineering Society), Pi Tau Sigma (Honorary Mechanical Engineering Society), Alpha Eta Mu Beta (Honorary Biomedical Engineering Society), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and the International Institute of Women Engineers (IIWE).

 
Dr. Mohammed Abuelkhair
Co-Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
Heath and Style Medical Centre

Dr. Mohammed founded the Pharma/Medicine and Medical Product Department at the Health Authority in Abu Dhabi. He was the Head of Drugs and Medical Products Regulation Section and Chair several committees including Abu Dhabi Pharmacy and therapeutics Committees;Continuing Pharmacy Education Committee and Alternative and complementary committee,Pharmacy Council, Vaccine Committee and Allergy and Asthma committee. He founded the drug information and poison control center in Abu Dhabi. Dr.Mohammed won the ArabHealth Award in 2005 for excellence in pharmacy services. His major area of research is in drug safety and rational drug use. He is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences.

 
Professor Paolo Dario
Director of the BioRobotics Institute, Biomedical Robotics
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy

Paolo Dario is Professor of Biomedical Robotics and Director of The BioRobotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA), Pisa, Italy.

He is the Coordinator of the PhD Program in BioRobotics at SSSA, enrolling 85 PhD students. He has been Founding Coordinator of the Center of Micro-BioRobotics@SSSA of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). He has been Visiting Professor at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland; at the École Normale Superieure de Cachan, France; at the College de France, Paris, France; at the Polytechnic University of Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain; at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan; at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou and at Tianjin University, China.

His main research interests are in the fields of medical robotics, bio-robotics, bio-mechatronics and micro/nano engineering and robotics. He is the coordinator of many national and European projects, the editor of two books on the subject of robotics, and the author of more than 500 scientific papers (300+ on ISI journals). His H-index (ISI Web of Science) is 48 (so he is in the list of Top Italian Scientists). Prof. Dario has been and is Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor and member of the Editorial Board of many international journals. He has been program chair and plenary invited speaker in many international conferences (including IEEE ICRA, IROS and EMBC). He has been also the General Chair of the 1st IEEE RAS/EMBS Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob 2006), and of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2007).

He is also a member of the Board of the International Foundation of Robotics Research (IFRR) and a Fellow of the School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. He has served and serves in many Boards and Committees, including the IST Advisory Group (ISTAG) of the European Commission (two terms), the Horizon 2020 Advisory Group on Societal Challenge 1 'Health, demographic change and wellbeing‘ of the European Commission, the Technology Council of ST Microelectronics, the International Scientific Committee of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Global Agenda Council on Robotics and Smart Devices of the World Economic Forum, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Advanced Robotics Centre of the National University of Singapore, and the Board of Directors of the euRobotics AISBL, the entity promoting the creation of a Public Private Partnership in Robotics in Europe. He has promoted the creation of more than 20 start-up companies active in the market of biomedical devices and services, and he is/has been a partner of 5 of these start-up companies.

 
Dr. Tala Khalaf
Senior Orthopedic Physical Therapist and Lecturer
Stanford University Medical Center, California, USA

Dr. Tala Khalaf has graduated from Ohio State University in 1997 with a degree in Physical Therapy. She completed a two-year graduate program at Oakland University in Michigan with a specialization in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (OMPT). She also obtained a certification in Mat Stott Pilates which she applies to the rehabilitation of spine patients in her practice. She is a board certified orthopedic specialist (OCS) and earned a Doctorate in Physical therapy from Massachusetts General Hospital in 2014.

She had worked as a traveling physical therapist from 1997 to 2001 at various hospitals and orthopedic clinics throughout the United States. She joined the Beaumont Hospital Outpatient Clinics from 2001 to 2005, attending to a variety of spine and extremity dysfunctions and post-operative procedures.

From 2005-2007, she founded and managed the Back to Motion Outpatient Center in Michigan, a comprehensive wellness center for physical therapy, cold laser treatments for pain/inflammation control, and weight loss programs. Currently she is a senior physical therapist, specializing in spine and sacroiliac joint care, and as a faculty member in the Stanford Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Residency Program.

 
Dr. Massimiliano Zecca
Leader of the Wearable BioRobotics Research Team
Chair of Healthcare Technology, Loughborough University, UK

Professor Massimiliano Zecca is Chair of Healthcare Technology and leader of the Wearable BioRobotics research team. Prof. Zecca’s main research interests are the observation and the analysis of the human being, which can be seen as an extreme and exquisite example of robotic system, and the objective quantification of their capabilities in highly dexterous tasks such as training and skill assessment in a wide range of applications, from surgery to gait analysis and sports. In particular, he focuses his attention on the development of wearable and portable, extremely small and very accurate bespoke motion and physiological sensors, together with the necessary data processing and analysis methodologies (artificial intelligence) to extract useful information from the raw data flow.

 
Dr. Yaaqoub Al Hammadi
Chief of Orthopedics Department
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi

Dr. Yaaqoub is an Orthopedic Surgeon who joined SKMC in April 2010 to work as a Knee Surgeon. Prior to joining SKMC, he worked at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital in London, primarily doing Orthopedic Knee Surgery. He also worked in many Hospitals in London and around UK since 1997.

Over the 14 years in UK, Dr. Yaaqoub moved up the ladder, from Pre-registration year, to Senior House Officer in General Surgery and Orthopedics, and then being Specialist Registrar in Orthopedic Surgery in London; and finally to being a Knee Surgeon in one of the most prestigious hospital in the region - Chelsea & Westminster Hospital where he was exposed in managing some famous sports men and women with sports knee Injury.

 
Dr. Khaled Khalifa Dougman
Sport Science Specialist
Abu Dhabi Sport Council

Educated at The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom where he acquired a further MSc by Research in Science, researching "physiological responses during exercise in hot environments, for normal and overweight adults" .This was shortly followed by the achievement of a PhD in Sport Science from University Putra Malaysia. He intensely investigated the relationship of physical activity, coronary heart disease risk factors, and fitness level & body composition between adolescent students of different ethnicity.

He is also greatly interested in the area of physiological measurements and the health benefits of physical activity in schools and community settings. Dr Dougman worked as a Sport Science University Lecturer for more than 10 years, prior to moving to the UAE. He provides education and evidence based practice, aiming to increase the awareness of sport & exercise as well as promote a healthy lifestyle to the community, in his current role at Abu Dhabi Sport Council. Dr Dougman is an external advisor for the Senior Design Project at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi and also an external consultant for the Challenge 22 Project at Khalifa University, which has been funded by Supreme Committee for FIFA 2022.

 
Pradeep Shankar, MPT, PT (PhD)
Head of Physiotherapy Department
Medeor 24x7 Hospital, Abu Dhabi

Dr. Prandeep is currently working as Physiotherapy Team Leader in Medeor24x7 Hospital, Abu Dhabi. He has a Bachelor Degree in Physiotherapy from Manglore University and pursued his Master of Sports Physiotherapy from Guru Nanak Dev University, both in India.

Before he joined Medeor Hospital, he worked as Chief Physiotherapist in J.S.S. Hospital attached to JSS Medical College, Mysore for 15 years. His field of interest is in treating client of ACL reconstruction surgery, arthoplasty, mechanical neck and low back pain, soft tissue injuries and post fracture cases rehabilitation. He also a part time Ergonomist/ Chief Physiotherapist for Multinational Company INFOSYS where he conducted, work station evaluation of all the working cubic’s of employees, to predict and to prevent work related musculoskeletal injuries or RSI in INFOSYS.

 
Azzam Kamal M.Sc. PT
Head of Physiotherapy Department
HealthPoint Hospital

My professional career has influenced my drive to becoming a highly skilled and motivated physiotherapist. I have an abundance of experience in orthopedics and treating sports injuries, with a speciality in knee rehabilitation. My sports injury experience has been strengthened through working for the First team for Al Ain Football Club. Effective team work and excellent communication skills allow me to excel in managing the physiotherapy team.

I strive to work with evidence based practice and continually maintain up to date through current courses, seminars and conferences.

 
Professor Jorge Dias
Associate Director, Robotics Institute
Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi

Prof. Dr. Jorge Dias has a Ph.D. on Electrical Engineering by the University of Coimbra, Portugal, specialization in Control and Instrumentation. Jorge Dias have been professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computers (www.deec.uc.pt ) and researcher from the Institute of Systems and Robotics (ISR) ( www.isr.uc.pt ) from the University of Coimbra (UC) (www.uc.pt). Jorge Dias research is in the area of Computer Vision and Robotics and has contributions on the field since 1984. He has several publications in international journals, books, and conferences. Jorge Dias has been teaching several courses on Computer Vision, Robotics, Automation, he has supervised several Ph.D. students in the topic of Computer Vision and Robotics.

 
Dr. Cesare Stefanini
Director, Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center
Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi

Dr. Cesare Stefanini received his PhD degree from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy in Micro engineering. His core expertise is in the field of design and development of biorobotic systems, often connecting creativity and engineering. He mentored world-class PhD students and published more than 80 articles on high impact scientific journals and international conferences.

His international reputation is proved by his active roles in several European funded Projects as Coordinator and Project Leader. He has been a visiting researcher at Stanford University and the recipient of the Intuitive Surgical Inc. Research Grant. He collaborated with multi-national and international companies and he holds several patents on related technologies.

 
Dr. Nader Hebela
Staff Physician, Neurosurgery at Neurological Institute
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

Nader Hebela, MD, is a Staff Physician in the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He specializes in spinal surgery with a focus on adult degenerative disease and spinal tumor surgery.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Hebela worked as an Associate Partner at Brielle Orthopedics in Brick, New Jersey, US, and New Jersey Spine & Orthopedic in Millburn, New Jersey, US. Previously, he served as staff spine surgeon for the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he oversaw the spine surgery program for southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware, encompassing four local Veterans Affairs hospitals.

His research has focused on creating a small animal model of both disc degeneration and disc regeneration. He was awarded both a Merit Review funding as well as a substantial grant from the Department of Defense of the United States for his basic science and translational research. He collaborated on developing a sciatic nerve injury model with faculty from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering. His peer-reviewed publications support his broader interests in clinical, basic science, and translational medicine and spinal surgery.

Dr. Hebela works with various charities and medical relief organizations, performing both spinal reconstructive as well as orthopedic trauma surgery. He has volunteered in South Africa, Cambodia, Afghanistan and Gaza.

He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, where he also completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery. He completed his fellowship in Spine Reconstructive Surgery at the St. Joseph Medical Center Scoliosis & Spine Center in Towson, Maryland, US.

 
Dr. Irfan Hussain
Post Doctorate Researcher
Robotics Institute at Khalifa University of Science and Technology

Irfan Hussain received his PhD degree in robotics from University of Siena, Italy. Currently, he is a post doctorate researcher at Robotics Institute at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Previously, he was working as a post doctorate at Siena robotics and system lab (SIRSLab), Italy. He received his 2nd Level Master degree in Automatica and Control Technologies from Politecnico Di Torino, Italy. He got MS degree in Mechatronics Engineering from National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan. He received BE mechatronics engineering from Air University, Pakistan. He worked as research assistant in Gyeongsang National University, South Korea, from 2012 to 2013. He was intern engineer in Centro Ricerche Fiat (CRF), Italy. He worked as assistant manager engineering in Trojans Pakistan from 2008 to 2011. His research interests include extra robotic limbs, medical robotics, wearable haptics, grasping, soft robotics, exoskeletons and prosthesis. He is an Associate Editor of RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob).

 
Dr. Dongming Gan
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi

Dr. Dongming Gan is an Assistant Professor in Robotics and Mechanical Engineering at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. He has PhD degrees in Robotics and Mechanical Engineering from King’s College London and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. He worked in the Advanced Robotics Department at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) as a Post-doctoral Researcher until he moved to Khalifa University in 2011. Dongming’s main research interests fall into the area of robotics, mechanism and machine theory with focus on design, modeling, control and development of intelligent reconfigurable robotic systems, compliant robot manipulators, and flexible light-weight wearable devices for assisting humans in manufacturing, health care and domestic human-robot co-existing scenarios with safe physical interactions and collaborations. He has published over 60 international journal and conference papers on those topics with 3 (Chinese, US and international) patents.

He has been PI/Co-PI for many research projects with accumulated support over 5 million USD. He is an Associate Editor of the Springer journal Mechanism and Machine Theory, a leading journal of mechanism research, a Review Editor on the Editorial Board of Bionics and Biomimetics in Frontiers Journal, an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Applied Mechanical Engineering, and a Guest Editor in Applied Bionics and Biomechanics. He is an elected committee member of the ASME DED Mechanism and Robotics Committee and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He has served on program committees and symposiums of several international conferences including IEEE/ASME ReMAR 2012, 2015, 2018, SoSE 2013-2017, Parallel 2014 and ASME IDETC 2012-2018.