Nael Abdelsamad, MD, MBA, FACHE

Director, Research at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

Speaker

A physician–executive with more than a decade of cross-sector leadership, Nael Abdelsamad, MD, MBA, FACHE directs the research enterprise at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, overseeing one of the region’s most ambitious clinical trial portfolios. Under his leadership, CCAD has evolved from a predominantly observational program into a high-impact, early-phase research platform, recognized by global sponsors as an anchor site of choice for complex and first-in-region trials, including Neuralink other paradigm-shifting studies. He spearheaded the launch of the institution’s Clinical Research Unit, forged extensive industry collaborations, and built governance frameworks aligned with international standards while advancing the UAE’s vision for life-sciences innovation.

Prior to joining CCAD, Dr. Abdelsamad served as Medical Director at CVS Health’s Clinical Trial Services, where he led national patient-recruitment operations and scientific protocol review across a broad portfolio of industry-sponsored studies. Earlier in his career, he directed a national NIH-funded research network under the HEAL Initiative and served on the University of Utah’s Institutional Review Board as it pioneered the single-IRB model.

A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and dual-certified by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP), Dr. Abdelsamad bridges clinical operations, regulatory strategy, and AI-enabled research to build ecosystems that accelerate discovery and position the UAE as a global hub for life-sciences innovation.