Country Advisors
Americas
Dr Miguel A. Perez-Machado
Dr Miguel Perez-Machado moved to London after finishing his PhD in Immunology. He studied Medicine in his country of origin (Cuba) were he use to teach and lead a research group dedicated to developing monoclonal antibodies. In London he became a Histopathologist and full member of the Royal College of Pathology. He underwent a period of specialist training in FNA cytology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr Perez-Machado moved from Madrid after finishing his PhD. He has years of experience reporting histopathology (gynaecological and thyroid) and cytopathology specimens. He has published his research in international journals and is actively involved as speaker and organizer in national and international meetings. Miguel is the lead cytopathologists at the Royal Free Hospital where he works as a consultant; he is also an Associate professor at University College London. Miguel is passionate about teaching and developing new diagnostic tools in Cytopathology, particularly in pancreas, effusions and thyroid gland.
Europe
Dr Marc Ooft
I am currently a Histopathology consultant and the Head and Neck pathology lead for Pathology DNA which is the largest private Histopathology and Molecular pathology practice in the Netherlands, encompassing approximately 20% of all Pathology diagnostics of the country. My subspecilisations are Head and Neck pathology, soft tissue and bone pathology, gastro-intestinal pathology and pulmonary pathology. I completed my training as a pathologist and PhD in nasopharyngeal cancer at the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands. After this, I did a 2 year fellowship at the Amsterdam University Medical Centre, where I focused on head and neck pathology and additionally gained experience in gastrointestinal pathology, lung pathology, cytology and the associated molecular pathology diagnostics. I subsequently worked in London in the United Kingdom for two and a half years at King's College Hospital (KCH) as Head of Department, Head of Molecular Pathology and as the Pathology coordinator of the colorectal cancer screening program.
My role at KCH gave me significant insight into NHSE and Genomics England. Working in the United Kingdom and being part of the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) has also given me significant insight into the inner workings of the RCPath. Additionally, I am an active member of the Dutch Society of Pathology (NVVP) which is the Dutch equivalent of the RCPath, I am in multiple national subcommittees (i.e. national guideline committees on unknown primary carcinomas, and national committee on benign salivary gland tumours) representing the Dutch Society of Pathology, and I am in the governing board of the Dutch Head and Neck Pathology expert group.
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Dr Raja Hasan Alyusuf
Dr Raja Alyusuf is a graduate from the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudia Arabia and has Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists, UK. Completed her pathology training from Edinburgh, UK. Has 23 publications in peer-reviewed journals including original research. Has more than 30 years of experience in diagnostic pathology. Has 19 years of experience in healthcare management. Chaired the department of Pathology, Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC), Bahrain from Feb 2003 - Feb 2013. Served as the Deputy Chief of Medical Services for Diagnostic affairs, SMC-from Feb 2013 - December 2017 and the Head of Al-Shamil Field Hospital for COVID19 from June 2020-December 2020. She is currently the Government Hospitals Autonomy Project Manager since October 2014, the Head of Government Hospitals Project Management Office since September 2022 and the Chief of Medical Services for Medical Specialities since Feb 2023. She is currently part-time Clinical Associate Professor in Pathology in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Medical University Bahrain. Founding member and past president of Bahrain Association of Pathologists.
Dr Fatima Al-Hashimi
Dr Fatima Al-Hashimi, is a Consultant Histopathologist at King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) in Bahrain. She did her undergraduate education at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) through the Prime Minister’s Court scholarship programme. Following that she did her histopathology training at London's NHS Hospitals for five years. After qualifying with the Fellowship of the Royal college of Pathology (FRCPath), she pursued two fellowships in Urological Pathology and Renal Pathology from Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Carolina respectively. She is also a Senior Lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI-Bahrain). Recently, Dr. Al-Hashimi has been confirmed as an examiner for the RCPath in November 2022.
She has been recipient of the RCPath Annual Achievement Awards (2022) for Team work with her teammates for their work with IHistopathology online teaching project. Dr. Al-Hashimi has a number of publications and is interested in teaching and collaborative research work.
Dr Sana Dlawar Jalal
Dr Sana Dlawar Jalal is Professor of haematology and Head of Pathology & forensic Medicine department at the Sulaimani School of Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Iraq. She is a medical graduate of the University of Baghdad and undertook her pathology training at the Baghdad Teaching Laboratories, Baghdad Medical City. She gained her Fellowship of the Iraqi Board of Pathology in Haematopathology in 2004 and her Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists in 2015. She is largely involved in delivering pathology lectures and practical sessions to undergraduates and postgraduate students at Sulaimani College of Medicine. She helped to establish a successful premarital screen clinic for thalassemia and haemoglobinopathies in 2006 and later became the acting Head of the Molecular Haematology department. In 2011 she established an immunophenotyping service in Sulaimani for leukaemia and lymphoma. Dr Jalal’s main research interests are in thalassaemia and leukaemia and lymphoma immunophenotyping. She is member of several professional bodies and has published over 25 scientific papers. She is keen to strengthen the link between the international department of Royal College of Pathologists and Kurdistan Association of Pathologists, and had hosted the director of International Activities at Sulaimani College Medical Conference.
Dr Siamak Arami
Dr Siamak Arami is a Consultant Haematologist at London North West University Healthcare trust since 2015 and an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer for Imperial College London, previously holding a post as a Consultant Haematologist in Kings College Hospital, developing a particular interest in myeloid disorders. Dr Arami qualified in medicine in 2000 in Tehran, conducting immunology research at Royal Free Hospital, London in primary immunodeficiency syndromes in National Research Institute under World Health Organisation programme. He specialised in haematology at the St Marys Hospital London and Northern deanery, receiving his membership of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists in 2008 and 2013, respectively. He completed his postgraduate fellowship in haematological cancers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, USA. Dr Arami's research interests include digital health technology and management of patients with myeloid disorders. He has been an investigator in many national and international clinical trials.
Dr Hala Kandil
Dr Hala Kandil is a Consultant Microbiologist at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She is also a Senior Academic Visitor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Engineering Sciences, University of Oxford. Dr Kandil has obtained higher qualifications in two different but related specialities, Clinical Immunology and Medical Microbiology and Virology.
After graduation from Faculty of medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt in 1991, she began her career in Immunology and obtained MSc, MD in Clinical Immunology from Alexandria University; and she was appointed as lecturer in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt.
Dr Kandil was awarded her PhD in Clinical Immunology from Imperial College, London University in 2004. She then joined the Medical Microbiology training program at The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, during which she obtained her MSc in Microbiology from Queen Mary University of London and her FRCPath in Medical microbiology and Virology, Royal College of Pathologists, UK in 2010. Dr Kandil started her consultant career in Microbiology at The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
She is currently the chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee and the microbiologist leading on diabetic foot infections, outpatient antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) and sepsis at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Part of her role is to lead on microbiology laboratory diagnostics and innovation. She is also a member of the Supreme Council Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee of University Hospitals in Egypt.
Dr Kandil has received several awards from different UK organisations in recognition of her achievement in the field of antimicrobial stewardship. Her most recent award was at the National BAME Health and Social Care Awards where she was nominated and awarded the title of ‘’ The Clinical Champion Of The Year 2021’’ in recognition of her clinical, laboratory and academic achievements in UK during COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Shroque Zaher
Dr Shroque Zaher is a consultant histopathologist and Assistant Professor of Pathology at Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (MBRU). She is a medical graduate of the University of Glasgow, and undertook her pathology training at the London and East of England deaneries including reputed teaching hospitals such as St. Thomas, London.
She gained her Fellowship of the Royal College of pathologists in 2015 and her Certificate of completion of training (CCT) in 2016.
She became an Assistant Professor at MBRU in 2018, and since her appointment has taken an active role in establishing firm links between the Royal College and MBRU, including hosting the President of the Royal College , Professor Jo Martin at the University and successfully establishing an MOU between the two institutions.
She regularly undertakes clinical work in the UK, and is a very keen advocate of pathology, particularly at the undergraduate level. She is responsible for delivering a large component of the pathology undergraduate curriculum (she also holds a post graduate certificate of medical education) and has ambitious aims to increase the visibility of pathology in the clinical environment and firmly believes this begins at the student level.
Dr Stephanie Thomas
Stephanie has been a Consultant Medical Microbiologist at Manchester University Foundation Trust (MFT) since 2010 and is Head of Service for the Manchester Medical Microbiology Partnership (MMMP). She carried out undergraduate training at St. Andrews University and Dundee University (Scotland). She completed Specialist Registrar training in the North-West of England, where she completed a Masters degree in Diagnostic and Medical Virology (University of Manchester) and a Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine). She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education. In 2017 Stephanie undertook an Observership at the WHO/UN City Copenhagen with the European Society for Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. In 2021 she undertook a Sabbatical in the Laboratory & Testing Cell of Public Health Scotland (PHS), working on the COVID-19 response. Stephanie has published widely, been invited as speaker to scientific conferences nationally and internationally and contributed to textbook chapters on Infection and Infection Prevention. Her research interests lie in management of sepsis. She has a particular interest in infectious risks associated with Climate Change. Stephanie has close links with several institutions in the MENA region and has recently been appointed as Adjuvant Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Health, UAEU.
Dr Mohammed Omer Ahmed Altohami
Dr Mohammed Altohami is a haematologist working at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, with special interest in diagnostic and general haematology, HLH, CLL and myeloma. Dr Altohami completed his undergraduate medical training at University of Khartoum in 2009. He was appointed as teaching assistant in the department of pathology, based on his outstanding academic performance. He started pathology training in late 2010 and entered the pathology specialist register at Sudan Medical Specialisation Board (SMB) in 2014. Since then he continued to work and train in laboratory and clinical haematology. He is actively engaged in clinical practice, education and research. His objective is to promote pathology education, training and practice in Sudan, and to strengthen the ties, collaborative work, and exchange of expertise between Sudan and the College.
Dr Nour Hemali
Dr Nour Hemali qualified from University College Tripoli/Libya in 2008 and trained as a pathologist at West midlands deanery. She was appointed as a Consultant Histopathologist Royal Stoke University hospital 2023. She is currently a tutor at Keele University Hospital and supports visiting doctors for clinical attachments, and FY2 foundation doctors. Dr Hemali is a member of the Pulmonary Pathology Society, British division of International Academy of Pathology and Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Dr Hemali is interested in Dermatopathology, Thoracic pathology and Respiratory cytology.
Professor Yousuf Karim
Yousuf is Division Chief, Hematology/Immunology/Transfusion, at Sidra Medicine, Doha, and Clinical Professor in Immunopathology, Qatar University. He studied medicine at Cambridge University with clinical training at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals, qualifying in 1993 with Distinctions in Medicine and Pathology. He was Clinical Lecturer in Immunology at King’s College London 1998-2004, then Consultant Immunologist at Surrey Pathology Services 2004-2018 and Clinical Lead in Immunology at Guy's & St Thomas' Hospitals 2006-2014. He worked for 25 years in the NHS, before moving to establish the Immunology laboratory at Sidra Medicine, a new tertiary paediatric and maternity academic center. His current research concerns early recognition and diagnosis of primary and secondary immunodeficiency. He has authored over 85 publications and chapters, and received grant awards in autoimmunity and immunodeficiency, totaling £1.75 million. He was Chair of the Clinical Immunology Committee of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2014-2017, an Expert Member for the NICE Quality Standards on Drug Allergy in 2015, and on the Guidelines Committee of UK-Primary Immunodeficiency Network 2016-2018.
Professor Dalal Mohideen Nemenqani
Dr Nadia Mahmoud Mokhtar
Dr. Nadia Mahmoud Mokhtar is a Professor of Pathology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cairo University. She received her PhD degree in Pathology from London University, St. Bartholomew's Hospital in July 1978. She was appointed Chairman of the Department of Pathology at NCI from August 2001 till July 2007. She held the position of editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Egyptian National Cancer Institute (JENCI) 2004-2020. In 2014 she collaborated to establish the Egyptian Committee for Pathology Training (ECPT) in association with the Royal College of Pathologists (UK) and the Supreme Council of Universities (SCU) in Egypt. She is the 1st President of the ECPT helping to promote training and education in the fields of Laboratory Sciences. She helped to introduce the FRCPath part I exam to be held in Egypt that started in 2015 and part II in 2018. She was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologist in November 2019 as an appreciation for her devoted help in establishing the connection in education and training of pathologists between Egypt and UK.
Dr Abbas Hashim Abdulsalam
I served for less than 16 months as a specialist haematopathologist in Al-Khadimiya Teaching Hospital. From April 2007 until July 2014, I was based at Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital working as a specialist haematopathologist with interest in both diagnostic and research work in various fields of haematopathology with some focus on haemato-oncology. From late 2007 I started teaching at Al-Ma’amoon University College, Department of Techniques of Medical Investigations as an external lecturer in haematopathology, and as a staff member from October 2014 till present date. I was affiliated to the National Center of Hematology, Baghdad-Iraq, from 2007 to 2018, and from 2019 I am affiliated with Baghdad Teaching Hospital as a Specialist Hematopathologist and supervisor and teacher of the candidates of the Commission of Arab Board of Hematopathology (Clinical Pathology). I became an assistant professor of hematopathology in July 2019. From October 2022 I started teaching in Al-Turath University College.
Professor Ali Hajeer
Prof. Ali Hajeer is a highly accomplished medical scientist and academic from the University of Manchester. He has a PhD in Immunology, is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath) and is a Fellow of the American College of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Specialist (FACHI). He currently serves as the Director of the Immunopathology Lab in the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs and is the Chair of the Student Research Board at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Prof. Hajeer is an esteemed member of the scientific community, with more than 200 peer-reviewed publications to his name and 5 textbooks.
South East Asia
Dr Bharat Rekhi
Dr Renu Mariam Thomas
Dr Joydeep Chakrabartty
Dr Joydeep Chakrabartty is a consultant Haematologist with a special interest in Cellular Therapy, at the HCG group of hospital, based at Kolkata, and also an Honorary Asst Prof in Haematology at the Vivekananda Institute of Medical science- Kolkata. He passed his MBBS from the Kolkata University followed by his Membership of the Royal college of Physicians in 2006 and passed his Fellowship in 2010 and obtained his CCT in 2012. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons- Glasgow in 2017.
He has set up transplant unts across various states in India and has written a few papers and posters in his subject. He has also contributed to some chapters in text book/s. His main interest is stem cell transplant and cellular therapy. He is an avid teacher and has lectured in various meetings worldwide.
Professor Amin Islam
Dr Islam is a senior Consultant haematologist and haemato-oncologist working in Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Essex, United Kingdom. He has completed haematology training programs under London deanery and obtained completion of certificate of training from joint Royal Colleges of Physicians post graduate training board. He has received training in the most prestigious hospitals in the world including the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrookes Cambridge University Hospital and Barts and the London Hospitals NHS Trust and Barts Cancer Institutes. Dr Islam has been awarded FRCP by the Royal College of Physician of London in 2017 due to significant contribution in medicine both nationally and internationally and has completed FRCPath the highest degree in pathology from the Royal College of Pathologist in 2013. He is holding honorary Senior Consultant positions in University College London Hospital NHS Foundation trust taking Essex patients for highly specialise chemotherapy, immune therapy including CART and Stem cell transplantations and have established a robust MDT network. He has a keen interest in clinical research and have been leading international clinical trials as principal and coinvestigator and he has developed a special interest in clinical teaching and holding the position of Hon Clinical Senior Lecturer in haematology in Queen Mary University of London.
Working as the module lead in haematology for Anglia Ruskin Medical School in Essex. He is the named educational and clinical supervisors for haematology specialist trainees. Hold the position of head of haematology and clinical laboratory services and gain ample of managerial skills. Dr Islam have been publishing in international peer reviewed high impact factor journal and has been presenting globally as invited speakers and presented many high-quality abstracts in international congress. Dr Islam has a passion about global haematology quality improvement programs via international collaborative twining programs with world leading institutes. He is a Visiting Professor in Haematology, Haemato-Oncology in Bangladesh Institutes of Health Sciences and Bangladesh University of Health Sciences. He is the founding chairman of a charitable organisation known as Janaan Health, which is working for the underprivileged population especially in health and education sectors to improve the overall health and education of people.
Dr Shanika Vitharana
Dr Shanika Vitharana is the Consultant Haematologist in bone marrow transplant, at Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Sri Lanka. With 6 years of experience as a Haematology consultant. She graduated from University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Colombo in 2004 and was selected for the training program and obtained MD Haematology in 2012. She went on to work in UK for 2 years at Huddersfeild and Calderdale NHS Trust and obtained FRCPath in 2015. Her special interests are on Malignant haematology, Stem cell transplantation and haematopathology. Dr Shanika Vitharana served for the Sri Lanka College of Haematologists as Sectary in 2017 – 2018 and has been a Council member since 2018. She has also been a member of the Specialty Board in Haematology and transfusion medicine since 2018 and an examiner for haematology exams conducted by the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine Sri Lanka.
Dr Lipsita Patnaik
Dr Lipsita Patnaik is a Consultant Histopathologist at Blackpool Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust since 2008 and the current Head of School of Pathology of Health Education Northwest. She has interest in cardiothoracic and gynaecological pathology. She is a member of British Division of International Academy of Pathology (BDIAP), Association of Clinical Pathologists (ACP) and British Association of Gynaecological Pathologists (BAGP).
Dr Patnaik completed her undergraduate and post graduate training in India and pursued further speciality training in Manchester, United Kingdom. She became a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists in 2007 and obtained the CCT in 2008. Dr Patnaik has special interest in postgraduate education and training, curriculum development and assessment. She has supported postgraduate training in Histopathology initially as the programme director and now as the Head of School bringing in several changes including the roll out of the new curricula (2021).
Sub Saharan Africa
The College of Pathologists of Central Eastern & Southern Africa
COPECSA promotes excellence in the practice of pathology and is responsible for maintaining standards through training, examinations & professional development for the benefit of patients and the improved understanding and outcome of disease.
The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is the lead partner for LabSkills Africa and is working in partnership with COPECSA and other partners, to build capacity and improve the standards and quality of pathology and laboratory medicine services in sub-Saharan Africa.
Find out more about our LabSkills Africa project