Division Chair
Endocrinology
Medical Specialty Institute
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Dr. Samer El-Kaissi, MD, is Division Chair of the Endocrinology Department within Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Medical Specialty Institute.
Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. El-Kaissi served as a consultant endocrinologist and Chairman of the Endocrinology Department at King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Dr. El-Kaissi earned his medical degree from The Flinders University of South Australia in Adelaide, Australia. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Flinders Medical Center, followed by an endocrinology fellowship at Barwon Health in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
After completing his endocrine training, Dr. El-Kaissi developed an interest in thyroid disorders including nodular thyroid disease, autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. This interest was further developed through a PhD research degree at the University of Melbourne, completed in 2008, which looked at risk factors for thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy in patients with autoimmune hyperthyroidism.
After earning his PhD, Dr. El-Kaissi has continued to foster his interest in thyroid disease and conditions and has conducted in-office thyroid ultrasonography and ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration since 2003. The procedure provides patients with a convenient treatment procedure for thyroid disease and helps reduce waiting times and the need for additional consultations.
Dr. El-Kaissi resides in Abu Dhabi with his wife and three children.
Division Chair
Otolaryngology (ENT)
Integrated Surgical Institute
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Dr. Mahdi Shkoukani, MD, is Division Chair of Otolaryngology (ENT) within Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Surgical Institute.
He is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Learner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University. Also, Dr. Shkoukani is the Medical Director for Supply Chain Operations at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Shkoukani is a double American Board-certified surgeon in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, as well as in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.
Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Shkoukani served as an Associate Professor and Chief of Craniofacial Surgery at the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, US. Additionally, he was the chief of otolaryngology at the John D. Dingell Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, US.
He received his Medical Degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine with high distinction. He then completed a general surgery internship and residency in Otolaryngology at Wayne State University. Following his residency, he completed a Craniomaxillofacial/ Skull Base and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US.
Dr. Shkoukani’s clinical interests included treating cranial/skull base pathology, head and neck cancer, congenital craniofacial anomalies, craniofacial trauma, management of cutaneous malignancies, the functional and reconstructive aspects of facial plastic surgery as well as sinus disease.
Dr. Shkoukani has been active in clinical research in both fields of Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery. He has numerous publications in these fields and has given lectures at local and national scientific meetings. Dr. Shkoukani has been very involved in residents education as he served as the Residency Program Director for 3 years at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi prior to becoming the Department Chair.
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Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi for Continuing Education In accordance with the Standards for Integrity and Independence issued by Accreditation Council for continuing Medical Education (ACCME), has mitigated all faculty conflicts of interest to ensure CME activities are free of commercial bias.
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