Dr. Ahmad Abulaban obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Medicine and Surgery from King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He completed his residency training in Adult Neurology in 2015 at King Abdulaziz Medical City-National Guard-Riyadh. He obtained Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Fellowship and Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship in 2019/2020 from Yale University, USA.

Dr. Abulaban is duly certified by the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology. He was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2020. He was appointed as a Consultant Neurologist at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is currently the Residency Training Program Director of Adult Neurology and the Neurosciences and Vision Block Coordinator for Undergraduate Students.

Also, Dr. Abulaban has been serving as the Research Officer of the Saudi Multiple Sclerosis Chapter since 2020. He has multiple publications in the field of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology. He received numerous research awards.

Dr. Ahmed Osman Shatila obtained his BSc in Biology from the Wayne State University in the United States. He continued his medical education from the Medical College of Wayne State University from where he also conducted his residency in neurology and his fellowship in neurophysiology from.
Dr. Shatila’s interest’s include inpatient neurology including, but not limited to Stroke, IV TPA program development, status epilepticus. He is also interested in helping facilities to develop a Neuro Hospitalist model where the inpatient care can develop independently from the outpatient services. This includes a combination of patients, resident and nursing education, inpatient consulting services and inpatient neurology services.

Professor Akram Al-Mahdawi MD, CABM, MRCP, FRCP ,FACP,FAAN .
• Graduated from BASRA College of medicine in1983.Completed his post graduate
training in internal medicine and gained both diploma of medicine and board certificate
of Arabic board of medicine in1990.
• MRCP of London then FRCP of both London and Edinburgh
• Professor of Neurology in Baghdad College of Medicine and Al-Mustansiria College of
Medicine
• previous Chairman of Iraqi Neurology Council /Iraqi Board for Medical Specialisation.
Chairman of Arab committee for neurological disease (Arabic board).
• Chairman of Iraqi Neurology Society
• Iraqi representative in WFN, and Arabic Neurology Council
• Published 72 papers in di erent medical journals

Aksel Siva graduated from the Istanbul University Cerrahpa?a School of Medicine where he also completed his residency program in neurology. He is Emeritus Professor of Neurology at the same institution, where he was the past-chairman and the head of the Clinical Neuro-immunology Unit & Multiple Sclerosis Clinic.

He served as President of The Turkish Neurological Society for 3 consecutive terms between 2003 and 2009. He is a founding member of The Turkish Multiple Sclerosis Society (1989) and served as an Executive Committee member of ECTRIMS between 2003-2006 and of The European Neurological Society between 2009–2014. He was a member of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) scientific program committee between 2014–2018 and was elected as a Fellow of The EAN in 2015.

Dr. Siva is among the founders of the Radiologically Isolated Syndrome Consortium and currently a member of its core group. He is a member of the The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation International Clinical Consortium since 2018. He was the recipient of the Istanbul Medical Association’s prestigious “Turkan Saylan Medical Science Award” in 2021 for people who had contributed significantly to medical sciences.

His areas of interest and research are: Clinical neuro-immunology (Multiple Sclerosis, RIS, NMOSD, MOGAD, Neuro-Behcet’s Syndrome and other inflammatory vasculopathies of the central nervous system), headaches and neuro-epidemiology.

Dr. Ali M.A. Hassan is a Consultant Neurologist, Chief of the Neurology Division at Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Mohamed Medical City and Tawam Hospitals, and the lead of the regional Multiple Sclerosis Clinics in Al Ain region, UAE. He holds an MD in Neurology from Al Azhar University, Egypt with specialized training in epilepsy and EEG from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.. Dr. Hassan is involved in global neuroimmunology clinical trial, contributing to several regional and international research in MS studies. A dedicated academic, he has published with over 20 peer review publications and more than 30 posters in international and local conferences, serves as the Chairman of the Al Ain Neurology Conference, and has been recognized with multiple awards for teaching and quality leadership.

Barry Singer, MD is Director and Founder of The MS Center for Innovations in Care at Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, followed by a neurology residency at New York Hospital–Cornell University and a neuroimmunology fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Singer has served as an investigator in over 40 multiple sclerosis clinical trials focused on new therapeutic options including remyelination. His contributions to MS research were recognized with a U.S. Congressional Proclamation in 2008.

He served on the Board of Directors of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America from 2016 to 2025, including on its Executive Committee, and was named the organization’s 2025 Mission Honoree. He previously served on the Health Advisory Committee of the Gateway Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (2000–2017) and received its Pathlighter Award in 2008.

Dr. Singer created www.mslivingwell.org in 2007, an award-winning global MS education resource, and hosts the MS Living Well podcast.

Prof. Bassem I. Yammout is currently Professor of Neurology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center and director of the Neurology Institute at Harley Street Medical Center in Abu Dhabi. He graduated from medical school at AUB in 1984, received his training in neurology at the University of Cincinnati-Ohio in the USA, and followed by a fellowship at the Montreal Neurological Institute-McGill University in Canada. He received his American Board in Neurology and joined the faculty at the American University of Beirut in 1988. He is currently head of clinical research at the Multiple Sclerosis Center, president of MENACTRIMS (Middle East North Africa Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis), member of the MSIF (Multiple Sclerosis International Federation) Scientific Advisory Board, and fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.Prof. Yammout is one of the leading experts on multiple sclerosis in the Middle East with recent research on epidemiology of the disease in the region, quality of life of patients in the Middle East. In addition, he is currently the principal investigator on several ongoing international multiple sclerosis research trials. Prof. Yammout has authored many research and review papers and is currently Chief Editor of the MS newsletter ?MS today?, and on the editorial board of ?Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders?, ?Journal of Multiple Sclerosis? and ?Pediatric Neurology?.

Prof. Celia Oreja-Guevara is Vice Chair of Neurology at the University Hospital San Carlos and Professor of Neurology at the University Complutense, Madrid, Spain. After gaining her medical degree from the University of Madrid, Prof. Oreja Guevara completed her PhD thesis in Neuroimmunology at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Munich, Germany. Prof. Oreja Guevara then completed a residency in the Department of Neurology at the University of Bochum, Germany, followed by a one-year fellowship in neuroimaging at the University Hospital San Raffaele, Milan, Italy. Since then, Prof. Oreja Guevara has held several posts, including: Senior Neurologist at the University of Dusseldorf, Germany, Head of Neurology, Hospital de Fuenlabrada and Chair of the Multiple Sclerosis Center, University Hospital La Paz, both in Madrid, Spain.
Prof. Oreja Guevara’s main areas of research interest are clinical and neuroimaging correlations in MS, family planning, the use of optical coherence tomography symptomatic therapy, neuromyelitis optica (NMO), and the evaluation of new drugs for the treatment of MS and NMO. She is Co-Chair of the Multiple Sclerosis Panel of the European Academy of Neurology and also a member of the Education Committee of the EAN and serves as an expert for the Scientific Advisory Group on Neurology of the European Medicines Agency. In addition, Prof. Oreja Guevara has held leadership positions in a number of national organisations and academic societies, including the Demyelinating Diseases Group and the Neuroimaging Group of the Spanish Neurological Society. She has participated as a principal investigator in several MS and NMO clinical trials.

o Eslam Shosha, MD, FRCPC: Chairman of the Neuroimmunology and Headache Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Associate Professor of Neurology at McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, Canada. Dr. Shosha had his training in Neurology and completed advanced fellowship training in Neuroimmunology at Western University, the University of British Columbia, Canada, Mayo Clinic, USA and KFSHRC, Saudi Arabia. He is a member of the 2025 International NMOSD Diagnostic Criteria Panel and serves as Principal Investigator for national and international clinical trials. His academic interests focus on multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology, with numerous peer-reviewed publications. He also serves as an editor and reviewer for several international scientific journals.

Gavin Giovannoni is an academic neurologist at the Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. His current research is focused on the Epstein-Barr virus as the cause of multiple sclerosis and MS prevention. Other interests include MS-related neurodegeneration, biomarker discovery & validation, and MS clinical outcomes.

Professor Hans-Peter Hartung is Professor of Neurology at Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Honorary Professor at the Brain and Mind Center, University of Sydney and Permanent Visiting Professor at Palacky University in Olomouc. He was chairman of neurology at the University of Graz and Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf.
He was formerly president of ECTRIMS. He currently is Co-President of the European Charcot Foundation.
He is a fellow of the American, European Academy of Neurology, and the American Neurological Association; Honorary member of ECTRIMS, the French, Polish and Russian Neurological Society.
His clinical and research interests are the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of immunological disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system, in particular MS. NMOSD, GBS, CIDP. He has been SC and DMC member of numerous phase 2 and 3 trials in these indications.
He published more than 1200 pubmed listed papers and has served on multiple editorial boards of neurological journals incl Nat Rev Neurol, Ann Neurol, JNNP, JPNS, MuscleNerve, MSJ, MSInternational, serves as chief section editor at MSARD, Frontiers Neurology/Neuroimmunology, Vaccines amongst others. He has been a highly cited researcher by Clarivate 2018-2023.

Prof. Jihad Inshasi is a Consultant Neurologist at Rashid Hospital, Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and a Professor of Neurology at Dubai Medical College (DMC/DHA). He developed and currently directs the Multiple Sclerosis and the Dystonia Clinics at Rashid Hospital/DHA.
Prof. Inshasi is the Head of the Scientific Committee and a Founding and Board Member of the Emirates Neurology Society (EMINS/EMA). With the EMINS Board Members, he has organized numerous neurology meetings, particularly in the field of multiple sclerosis. He is founding and executive board member of the MENACTRIMS. He is also a Founding Member, and ex-President of the Emirates League against Epilepsy (ILAE). He is a member of the medical advisory committee of the recently established National MS Society (NMSS).
Prof. Inshasi has authored and co-authored many scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals. He has participated as principle and leading investigator in phase 2, 3 & 4 drug trials and has conducted an array of research projects in the field of multiple sclerosis.
Prof. Inshasi is a member of several local, regional and international associations, societies and advisory boards committees. He is a member and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN) and a member and Fellow of the European Academy of neurology (FEAN)

Dr Toljan is a staff neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Following a neurology residency at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, he completed his neuroimmunology training at the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research as a National Multiple Sclerosis Society Slyvia Lawry fellow. During his training, he defended a PhD dissertation on the topic of susceptibility-based neuroimaging biomarkers for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (mentor: Daniel Ontaneda, MD, PhD). He is currently focused on providing clinical care in the United Arab Emirates, accompanied by development of local and global research collaborations.

Kerstin Hellwig is a full professor in neurology and senior consultant in the Department of Neurology, St. Josef Hospital / Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany specialized in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuroimmunology, founder and leader of the German MS and pregnancy registry.
Dr. Hellwig attended medical schools at the Ruhr University, Germany, the Louis Pasteur University, France and the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She became a board-certified neurologist after her residency at the St. Josef Hospital Bochum, Ruhr University Bochum. Dr. Hellwig holds a postdoctoral lecture qualification in “Special therapeutic aspects in patients with multiple sclerosis”. With a grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) Dr. Hellwig worked on a MS susceptibility research project at the research department of Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, California and was trained in epidemiology and clinical research in department of Preventive Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC).
Her scientific interest is mainly clinical with a special interest in the field of MS and family planning. Since 2006, she has initiated and maintained the German-speaking MS and pregnancy registry (DMSKW) one of the largest MS and pregnancy registries worldwide. She published multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts. She is member of the clinical trial committee MS, the KKNMS clinical study group, the Neuromyelitis optica study group (NEMOS) and the current ECTRIMS guideline working group.

Dr Lydia Makaroff is Chief Executive of the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF), a global network of MS organisations working to improve care, accelerate research, and strengthen health systems. Her work brings together science, public policy, and patient advocacy, with a focus on equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, and care. At MSIF, she oversees international programmes including the Atlas of MS and leads global advocacy with the World Health Organization and United Nations. She serves on the Executive Committee of the International Progressive MS Alliance and co-chairs the Executive Committee of the Global PROMS Initiative, supporting the involvement of people affected by MS in research and the development of patient-reported outcomes. Previously, she was Chief Executive of Fight Bladder Cancer and President of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition. She brings experience in international research collaboration, organisational governance, and translating evidence and lived experience into health policy.

Born in Cairo 1956, attended the English School of Cairo (ESC) till graduation 1974. Ain-Shams university medical school till 1980 graduation (grade Very Good with Honours). Resident at the Neuropsychiatric department of Ain-Shams university till 1985 when received Master’s degree (grade Excellent) in Neuropsychiatry. Associate lecturer of Neurology till 1989 received MD degree in Neurology. Lecturer of neurology till 1994, Associate professor till 1999. Full professor since then. Head of the Neuropsychiatric department of Ain-Shams university from 2015-2017. President of the Egyptian MS ( Multiple Sclerosis ) society since 2017. Member of the board of MSCare Society. Member of the MENACTRIMS board. Egypt’ Brain Health champion (Brain Health organization). Member of the International Medical and Scientific Board (IMSB) of the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF). Member of the International Working Group for the Access of medication (IWGA) 0f the MSIF. Member of the board of trustees of the MSIF. Member of the ParadigMS board. Member of the Multiple Sclerosis Data Alliance (MSDA) advisory group and one of the MSDA champions of data collection in 2022. Member of the PROMS task force. Member of the editorial board of Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders (MSARD) journal. Principal investigator of several phase III international MS drug trials. Member of the MSBase Registry (with Egypt ranking number 8 among 42 countries in the patient enrolment by country). Former member of the Angel’s global steering committee (Stroke). National coordinator of the RES-Q (Stroke). President of the Egyptian MS higher committee of the National Insurance. Former president of the Egyptian ministry of health MS higher committee. Former president of the Egyptian National Stroke committee. One of the founders of the National Egyptian MS registry. Publications in several International journal, e.g., Lancet Neurology, MSJ, MSARD…
Leading role in the imbursement by the Egyptian government of the following MS medication: Interferons, Teriflunomide, Dimethyl Fumarate, Fingolimod, Ponesimod, Ocrelizumab, Natalizumab, Cladribine, Siponimod.
Leading role in the imbursement by the Egyptian government of TPA and Thrombectomy for acute Stroke management.

Dr. Maurice Dahdaleh graduated from Westminster Medical School (Imperial College), London University and did his training in Internal Medicine and Neurology in the United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London. He worked in Jordan at the Jordan University Hospital and Medical School as part-time Lecturer and Consultant Neurologist. He developed several interests in Clinical Neurology mainly Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebrovascular disease and Movement Disorders. He is member of many local, regional and international neurological societies and past Chair of Scientific Committee and President of the Jordanian Neuroscience Society. In 1994 he introduced beta-interferon 1a for the first time in Jordan on a patient named basis for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis. In addition he pioneered the introduction of botulinum toxin in the treatment of focal dystonia and spasticity in the early 1990 and thrombolytic therapy in the management of acute stroke in 1996. From 1998 he worked in the United Kingdom as honorary Consultant Neurologist at St. Mary’s Hospital, London. He returned to Amman Jordan in 2008 as Consultant Neurologist mainly in the Private sector with affiliation to Khalidi Hospital Medical Center and the Arab Medical Center. He is a member of many regional advisory boards on multiple sclerosis, co-authored several papers on multiple sclerosis and is a founding member of MENACTRIMS.

Dr. Zeineddine is a Lebanese Senior Clinical/Ambulatory Care Pharmacist specialized in neurology and multiple sclerosis. Winner of the “Best Clinician” and “Positive Attitude” awards, she completed several internships at major hospital and community pharmacies in Lebanon and the US and graduated from LAU with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree with distinction in June 2011. In August 2015, she successfully passed the Multiple Sclerosis Specialization examination and became the first and only Multiple Sclerosis Certified Pharmacist in Lebanon and the Middle East. From September 2011-August 2020, she worked as the ambulatory care pharmacist of the Multiple Sclerosis Center of the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). In December 2015, she was appointed as Executive Secretary of the Middle East North Africa Committee for Research and Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis (MENACTRIMS). Dr.Zeineddine is an active researcher and a public speaker. She has multiple publications, is involved in several international clinical trials in the field of neurology and multiple sclerosis and is a member of several national and international professional organizations. From 2015 and until 2022, she was also the fund coordinator at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of Lebanon (MSSL). She is currently the leader of the Neuropsychiatry Listserv at IVPN-Network and is a PhD candidate in “Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases” at the Tropical Institute of Neurology at Limoges University, Limoges, France. In May 2023, she was invited by the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation to join their International Medical and Scientific Board, representing the Middle East and North Africa region in the aim of improving the quality of life of people affected by multiple sclerosis.

Melinda Magyari, MD, PhD, FEAN, is Professor of Neurology at the University of Copenhagen, Director of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Registry, and Consultant Neurologist at the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet.
Her research focuses on multiple sclerosis (MS) and other inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system, with particular interests in epidemiology, sex differences, real-world evidence, and long-term treatment outcomes. Her work has addressed comorbidities, reproductive health, disease progression, and risk factors in MS. Her current research centers on nationwide observational studies evaluating the effectiveness, safety, and socioeconomic impact of disease-modifying therapies.
Professor Magyari is actively involved in the BIG MS Data Network and serves on several national and international scientific committees including the International Progressive MS Alliance and European Charcot Foundation.

Michael Strupp is Professor of Neurology at the Medical Faculty of the Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany. The Department of Neurology at the Campus Grosshadern covers all types of neurological disorders.
In addition to being a General Neurologist covering a wide range of fields, his major interests are the diagnosis and therapy of vertigo, dizziness, balance disorders and so-called cerebellar disorders with ataxia as well as eye movement disorders.
Michael Strupp is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP), the European Academy of Neurology (FEAN), the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN) and the American Neurological Association (FANA). He had a Visiting Professorship at the University of Manila and Hong Kong and is an Honorary Member of the Indian and South African Society of Otology. He also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Yerevan.
He has authored five books and currently 422 articles scientific journals. He has run more than 10 clinical trials mainly in the field of the treatment of neurological disorders.
Michael Strupp is currently Editor-in-Chief of Frontiers in Neuro-otology, Joint Chief Editor of the Journal of Neurology and a Member of the Editorial Board of Neurology. He has received many clinical and scientific awards, including the Hallpike-Nylen Award 2106, the Investigator Award of the European Academy of Neurology 2019 and the Galenus von Pergamon Award 2020.
He is a very passionate teacher who regularly gives lectures also in the Gulf area and was awarded ‘Best Teacher’ by the German Neurological Society.

Dr. Al Jummah is Professor of Neurology and obtained his MBBS from King Faisal University while he did his Neurology training and two fellowships at the University of Alberta, Canada. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC) obtained in November, 1995 and American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in November, 1997. Mohammed Al Jumah is an experienced health care leader with wide range of knowledge in the national and regional health care priorities and challenges. As a founding member of the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Dr. Al Jumah was able to successfully lead the establishment of KAIMRC as a model to serve the national and regional health care needs and challenges through translational research.
Dr. Al Jumah has served as a chair or a member of many of the national and institutional committees. He has represented the National Guard Health Care in the National Health Dialog, where the members meet the health care stakeholder across the country. He is also the founding member of the National Committee of Biomedical Ethics. Dr. Al Jumah has provided consultancies services to multiple national agencies and international pharmaceutical industry. As a health care provider, academician and researcher he has broad base of national and international network that has enable him to have an extensive experience in the regional needs challenges and opportunities in health care industries.

Mustafa Shakra, MD, MSc, MRCP(UK) , FRCP(Lon)
Dr Shakra is a consultant Neurologist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE. He
has particular interest in inflammatory and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system.
He runs the clinics of Multiple sclerosis at SKMC.
Dr Shakra has graduated from medical school of Damascus University in 1992 and received his
main training in general internal medicine and neurology subspecialty in the major university
hospitals.
He carries MD, MSc ,MRCP and FRCP in medicine and neurology and additionally he has
authored and coauthored many articles in in the field of neurology.

Dr. Raed Alroughani is a consultant neurologist and the director of MS clinic at Amiri
and Ibn Sina hospitals. He completed his neurology residency at the University of British
Columbia and subsequently obtained the neurology certification from the Royal College
of Physicians & Surgeon (Canada). He completed a fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis at
the University of British Columbia.
He is actively involved in research and he authored and co-authored more than 200
publications. Dr Alroughani was awarded the National Prize for scientific production in
the field of medical science in 2017 and the best researcher award by Amiri Hospital in
2018.
He is a founding member and the secretary general of MENACTRIMS. He sits on the
executive boards of various scientific associations, steering committees and advisory
boards, mainly in the field of MS.

Prof. Riadh GOUIDER is Head of the Department of Neurology at Razi University Hospital, Tunis, since 2002, Director of the Alzheimer Center since 2010, and Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center since 2018.
He is founding member of MENACTRIMS (The Middle East and North Africa Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis) since 2013 and Vice President since 2014.
Prof. Gouider is Member of the Scientific Council of the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis (MSIF) since 2013 and President of the Scientific Committee of the Tunisian Association of Multiple Sclerosis (ATSEP) since 2014.
He is Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) since 2018 and of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) since 2019. He has been a Corresponding Foreign Member of the French National Academy of Medicine since 2022.
He serves as a WHO expert on dementia since 2020 and as a UNESCO Expert on the Ethics of Neurotechnology since 2024.
Since January 2026, he has served as First Vice-President of the World Federation of Neurology.
Prof. Gouider has received several prestigious international awards, including the American Academy of Neurology Foreign Scholarship Award (1994), the European Academy of Neurology Special Service Award (2018), and the Pan Arab Union of Neurological Societies (PAUNS) Award (2019).
His main fields of interest are Multiple sclerosis, Dementia, Neurogenetics, Epilepsy, and Inherited Peripheral Neuropathies.

Prof. Saeed Bohlega obtains his basic medical training at King Saud University and graduated in 1980. Then in 1982, he went to Canada where he did his training in Neurology at University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC. He trained with Professor Don Paty. He develops specialist interest in Multiple Sclerosis and he did subspecialty training in Neurophysiology. In 1989, he joined as a Consultant Neurologist in the Department of Neurosciences at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre and worked as a Consultant and then as a Senior Consultant and appointed as Professor of Neurology at Al Faisal University.
Prof. Bohlega is a member of many prestigious neurological societies like the American Neurological Association and the British Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. He worked as a Section Head of Neurology then as a Chairman of Department of Neurosciences. Also, he is a founder and a chairperson of the National Saudi Board of Neurology for ten years. He is the chairman of Saudi Multiple Sclerosis Advisory Group. Also, Prof. Bohlega is the President of the Saudi Neurology Society and the President Elect for the PAN Arab Union of Neurological Societies (PANUS).

Saher Hashem graduated from faculty of medicine at Cairo university MBBCH . Honors in the year 1967 and master of neuro psychiatry honors 1972 and neurology doctorate Cairo 1976 where he assigned as lecturer of neurology art Cairo University School of Medicine Kasr Alainy.
Prof. Hashem had 2 years post-doctoral training as research fellow in the USA in the years 1976 to 1978 in the field of stroke experimental and sonography and shared the modification of transcranial Doppler with Prof. James f tool in Winston Salem Wake Forest University.
Prof. Hashem assigned as assistant Prof. in neurology in the year 1981 where he started his interest in multiple sclerosis lecturing and helped in introducing the first MRI in Egypt in private practice and one of the steering committee of Cairo scan group. Prof. Saher received degree of Prof. Essor of neurology at Cairo University Kasr Alainy School of Medicine in 1986 till now and president of the department of neurology Cairo university till the year 2005 Nd president of the Egyptian society of neurology neurosurgery and psychiatry 2005–2007 and president of the pan Arab association for neuroscience from year 2007—-2009 and was appointed as head of neurology department in Benha University as well as Cairo University. In the year 2003 he with Prof. Farouk Talaat from Alexandria initiated the first Egyptian society for MS and he is the president of this society up till now. He is in the editorial board of JAMA neurology and chief editor of the Egyptian journal of neurology neuropsychiatry and psychiatry. He lectured everywhere in Egypt, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait ,in different neurology aspects as well wrote over 50 articles in EJNNP ,add other international journals and supervised more the 60 master and doctorate thesis.
Prof. Hashem also shared international drug trials on DMD drugs in phase 3 used in treatment of MS.

Dr. Samar Farouk Ahmed, MD, MSCS, is a consultant neurologist at Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait. She is a multiple sclerosis certified specialist and runs general neurology and specialized MS clinics, in addition to providing inpatient neurology consultations. She is actively involved in the education and training of neurology and internal medicine residents and medical students, and she serves on the Neurology Residency Examination Committee in Kuwait. Dr. Ahmed is an active researcher with 87 peer-reviewed publications and 6405 citations (h-index 35; i10-index 89) and is a co-investigator in multiple research projects and clinical trials. She also serves on several local and regional advisory boards.

Dr. Samir Atweh is Professor and the Founding Chairman of the Department of Neurology from 2011 till 2025, at the American University of Beirut (AUB) Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center.

He had his medical education at AUB and graduated with an MD degree in 1974. He completed his post-graduate training in Neurology and Neuroscience at The Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard University and the Johns Hopkins school of medicine. He then joined the faculty of medicine at the University of Chicago where he directed the Neurology training program. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Neurological Association.

He returned to Lebanon and the AUB in 1983 where he became the head of neurology. His clinical practice is in general neurology with emphasis on degenerative brain diseases including the dementias and movement disorders. As the leader of neurology, he established at AUB one of the first independent Departments of neurology and a Neurology training program in Lebanon and the region, which is Accredited by the American Council for Graduate medical education. He also served in multiple capacities as Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine and the Associate Dean for education and academic affairs.

Dr Sandra Ahmed
Professor of Neurology at Cairo University since 2020
Received all basic and specialized training at Neurology Department, Cairo University
Specialized in multiple sclerosis, stroke medicine and neurosonology (received training at university of Giessen, Germany, 2011)
Director of the multiple sclerosis clinic at Cairo University
Former head of the Neurosonology Unit, Cairo University
Internationally Certified by the World Federation of Neurology (WFN), Neurosonology specialty Group, as neurosonology trainer (2012)
Member of the higher committee of multiple sclerosis in specialized medical council, Ministry of Health, Egypt
Member of the national health insurance multiple sclerosis committee, Ministry of health, Egypt
Head of Neurology department at Misr International Hospital (Cairo Egypt) and founder the stroke center

Sandra Vukusic is professor of Neurology and head of the Multiple Sclerosis clinic at the Lyon University Hospital, France. She is the scientific coordinator of the Observatoire Français de la Sclérose en Plaques (French MS registry).
Her research activities focused mainly on pregnancy in women with MS, contributing to a better understanding of the natural history (prediction of post-partum relapses, long term impact of pregnancy on disability, successive pregnancies, locoregional analgesia…) and the use of DMTs in that context. She coordinated the 2022 recommendations of the French MS society on pregnancy and MS, that aimed at improving the follow-up of women with MS in the pregnancy setting and at improving the use of DMTs beyond the limited data contained in the summary of product characteristics. She also coordinated, together with Kerstin Hellwig and Olga Ciccarelli, the 2026 ECTRIMS guidelines for Family Planning, Fertility Treatment, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding in MS, NMOSD and MOGAD.

Dr. Seraj Makkawi is a neurologist and medical educator specializing in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology. He earned his medical degree from Umm Al-Qura University in 2009, followed by residency training in Adult Neurology in 2016. He then pursued fellowships in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology (2017) and Clinical Neurophysiology (2018), along with a Master’s in Medical Education, all at the University of Calgary. He is certified in Adult Neurology by both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Before returning to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Makkawi worked as a Locum Neurologist and Clinical Lecturer in Calgary. In 2019, he joined King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Jeddah, as Assistant Professor of Neurology, where he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2023. Since 2019, he has also served as Consultant Neurologist at the Neuroscience and Trauma Center, King Abdulaziz Medical City (MNGHA-WR).
Dr. Makkawi has held several leadership and administrative roles, including Director of the Adult Neurology Residency Program (2020–2023), Coordinator of the Neurosciences and Vision Block (2020–2024), and Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs (2021–2025). In 2025, he was appointed Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Chairman of the Neurology Department. He also leads the Saudi Multiple Sclerosis Chapter, a role he assumed in 2024 after serving as Academic Officer (2020–2024).
His academic and research interests focus on Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology, with a particular emphasis on advancing clinical practice, education, and patient care in these fields.

Prof. Smail Daoudi is Associate Professor of neurology and head of the Neurology Department since 2006 at Nedir Mohammed Teaching Hospital in Tizi-ouzou located in north center of Algeria.??After completing his medical residency in the capital Algiers, he held a position for a?Fellowship Program?at?Pitie Salpetriere Teaching Hospital in?Paris?and after in Haute Pierre Teaching Hospital in Strasbourg, France.?From that experience?he shown a research interest for inflammatory CNS diseases, particularly for Multiple sclerosis and has authored many articles.
Prof. Daoudi has developed a multidisciplinary unit specialized in the management of multiple sclerosis for a total of 1300 patients until today.
In addition, he is part of several panels experts at the regional and international level, in particular for the management of pain and since this year he is?a member of the Applied Research Committee of the WFN.

Dr. Suzan Ibrahim Noori is a Consultant Neurologist specializing in Multiple Sclerosis. With a doctorate in clinical medicine from the University of Khartoum and extensive experience in Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Dr. Noori has made significant contributions to the field. She has worked in prestigious hospitals in the UAE and is currently based at University Hospital Sharjah. Dr. Noori is actively involved in various neurological associations and is dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of neurological disorders, particularly Multiple Sclerosis.

Professor Tomas Kalincik is Dame Kate Campbell Professorial Fellow, the director of the Neuroimmunology Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the head of the Clinical Outcomes Research (CORe) Unit at the University of Melbourne.
Together with his research group, CORe, Tomas specialises in analytics of observational data in neurology. He has led a number of international collaborative research initiatives - including studies of comparative effectiveness of MS therapies, individual treatment response and development of definitions of disease phenotypes and outcomes in MS. Further, his research interests span treatment outcomes in neuroimmunological diseases, prognostics, causal inference, epidemiology and harnessing emerging pathogenetic information to guide individual treatment of neuroimmunological conditions. He has led development of operationalised definitions of secondary progressive MS, confirmed disability worsening and progression independent from relapse activity. He has contributed to the first WHO Essential Medicines List for MS. Tomas collaborates closely with the international MSBase registry and multiple national MS registries, and convenes teaching courses and preceptorships for neurologists, researchers and nurses at the RMH Neuroimmunology Centre.

Dr. Yaser Al Malik is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Associate Dean of Academic affairs at college of medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is also a consultant Neurologist and head of Multiple sclerosis/Neuroimmunology division, Neurology department at King Abdulaziz medical city in Riyadh. He also serves as the head of MS Chapter at Saudi Neurology Society.
Dr. Al Malik graduated from medical school at Qassim University in 2008. He completed his residency training in adult neurology at University of Calgary, Canada in 2014. After becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada, he went on to complete a fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology at University of Calgary (2014-2016), and then completed a second fellowship in clinical Neurophysiology (2016-2017). In addition, his interest in teaching has led him to pursuit a Master Degree in Medical Education (2021).
Dr. Al Malik is involved in clinical research, including industry sponsored trials, quality assurance projects and registries. He is also involved in teaching of residents and medical students in various settings.