Scientific Committee

Dr. Ammar Humaid Albanna, MD, FRCPC, IFAPA Director, Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, Emirates Health Services, UAE Founding President, Emirates Society for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Emirates Medical Association Vice President, International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals (IACAPAP) Executive Board Member, Emirates Medical Association Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Ammar Albanna is a distinguished Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with advanced training in Canada. He currently serves as the Director of Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, the UAE’s premier psychiatric facility under Emirates Health Services. Dr. Albanna’s expertise encompasses clinical practice, research, academia, and healthcare administration, contributing to groundbreaking initiatives across these domains. He completed his medical training at McGill University, where he specialized in psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. Further enhancing his expertise, he pursued a fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychiatry at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Albanna is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and an International Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He also holds a master’s in healthcare leadership from McGill University. Dr. Albanna played a pivotal role in establishing the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Center of Excellence at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital in Dubai, where he served as Head from 2015 to 2023. He is the Founding President of the Emirates Society for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, established under the Emirates Medical Association, and serves as the Vice President of the International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals (IACAPAP). Dr. Albanna focuses his research on neuropsychiatric disorders in the UAE and innovative models of healthcare delivery. His pioneering work includes studies on the application of artificial intelligence in autism spectrum disorders, supported by SWARD. His research has been recognized with numerous grants, including awards from the Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research and the Al Jalila Foundation. Dr. Albanna has led key initiatives such as the 2017 Dubai Autism Declaration and the 2021 Dubai Autism Guidelines. For his contributions, he has been honored with several prestigious awards in recognition of his clinical, research, and educational endeavors. Asought-after speaker at both local and international conferences, Dr. Albanna has chaired major global events, including the Autism Congress in 2017 and the 25th IACAPAP Congress in 2022. He is also a peer reviewer for leading medical journals and a member of MBRU’s Institutional Review Board. Additionally, he has served on jury panels for high-profile awards, such as the Fatima Bint Mubarak Award for Motherhood and Childhood. Dr. Albanna serves on the UAE’s National Committee for Addictions and has been a member of the Consultation Council for People with Determination at the UAE’s Ministry of Community Development.