Organizing Committee

Dr. Ayed Asiri

MBBS, SBIM,SFCCM,McM CCM

Dr. Ayed Asiri

(Saudi Arabia)

MBBS, SBIM,SFCCM,McM CCM

Graduated from King Saud University Medical School (2008)

Saudi Board of Internal Medicine (2012)

Graduate of Saudi Fellowship of Critical Care (2014)

Joined McMaster University for Critical Care Medicine (2017)

Critical Care Consultant, ECMO Program Director at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Riyadh 2019

Dr. Islam Sada

Dr. Islam Sada

Dr. Husem Bahaudden

Dr. Husem Bahaudden

Dr. Mohamed Azzam

Consultant in Trauma, Emergency & Critical Care Medicine

Dr. Mohamed Azzam

(Saudi Arabia)

Consultant in Trauma, Emergency & Critical Care Medicine

Dr. Azzam is a Consultant in Trauma, Emergency, and Critical Care Medicine at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Saudi Arabia. He previously served as Director of the Ministry of Health (MOH) ECMO Program and is an active member of the Saudi Extracorporeal Life Support Chapter under the Saudi Critical Care Society.

A recognized leader in extracorporeal life support and critical care operations, Dr. Azzam currently serves as Chairman of the Conference Committee of the Southwest Asia & Africa Chapter of ELSO (SWAAC ELSO). He is extensively involved in national-level initiatives related to trauma and disaster medicine training, ECMO education and operations, and critical care system development. His primary interests include trauma resuscitation, interfacility critical care transport, and ECMO program management.

Dr. Grace Van Leeuwen

Pediatric Cardiac Intensivist & ECMO Medical Director, Sidra Medicine

Dr. Grace Van Leeuwen

(Brazil)

Pediatric Cardiac Intensivist & ECMO Medical Director, Sidra Medicine

Dr. Grace Van Leeuwen is a Pediatric Cardiac Intensivist and ECMO Medical Director at Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar, with more than 20 years of experience in pediatric critical care. She leads the institution’s ECMO program, which has earned the ELSO Silver-Level Award of Excellence for its achievements in patient outcomes, education, and safety.

A recognized ECMO educator, Dr. Van Leeuwen develops simulation-based training programs and competency-driven curricula for multidisciplinary critical care teams. She is actively involved in research, has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, contributed to ELSO guidelines and critical care textbooks, and serves as a reviewer for leading international journals. An invited speaker at global conferences, she also serves as Co-Chair of the Congenital Heart Academy and is a member of the ELSO SWAAC Steering Committee. She holds a Master of Science in Clinical Service Operations from Harvard Medical School and is committed to advancing excellence in both clinical care and healthcare operations.

Dr. Akram Abdelbary

Professor of critical care at Cairo University

Dr. Akram Abdelbary

(Saudi Arabia)

Professor of critical care at Cairo University

Professor of critical care at Cairo University. Consultant critical care and interventional cardiology. Started the ECMO activity in Egypt in 2014 and was the founder of the dedicated one of a kind ECMO unit in Egypt in 2024

Peter Rycus

Executive Director

Peter Rycus

(United States)

Executive Director
Have worked for ELSO for 30 years and enjoy working side by side with Christine Stead our CEO.

Dr. Abdullah Alghobaishi

Saudi Pediatric ECLS Team

Dr. Abdullah Alghobaishi

(Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Pediatric ECLS Team

Pediatrician and Pediatric Intensivist General and Cardiac Intensivist King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah – Director of the Fellowship Training Program in Pediatric Critical Care at King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital – Clinical Fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (Saudi and Canadian – SickKids) – Director of Pediatric Department and Pediatric Critical care at AlSobh /Saudi German hospital- Jeddah – member of the Saudi ECLS education team – Conducting multiple ECLS workshops, webinars, and conferences in the Gulf region Supervised by the Saudi Society of Critical Care and SWAAC ELSO (South West Asia and Africa Extracorporeal Life Support Organization) Recent Engagement – Speaker at EUROELSO, Milan, April 2025 – Speaker at 36th Saudi Heart Association Annual Conference , Riyadh , October 2025⁠