Abdul Latif Jameel Health appoints special scientific advisors to join mission in accelerating access to modern medical care.

 Abdul Latif Jameel Health has announced the appointment of three globally respected medical and biotech leaders as special scientific advisors who will work together with the leadership team to realize the Company’s mission in accelerating access to modern medical care for those who need it most.

The Right Honorable Professor Lord Ajay Kakkar PC is Emeritus Professor of Surgery at University College London and Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute.  Completing his medical degree at King’s College Hospital Medical School, he received his PhD from Imperial College London.  His research interests include the prevention and treatment of venous and arterial thromboembolic disease and cancer associated thrombosis.

Joining Professor Lord Kakkar is Professor James J. Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science at the Institute for Medical Engineering & Science (IMES) and Department of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Professor Collins’ research group works in synthetic biology and systems biology, with a particular focus on using network biology approaches to study antibiotic action, bacterial defense mechanisms, and the emergence of resistance.  

Professor Charles Coombes, MBBS FRCP MC FMedSci, Professor of Medical Oncology at Imperial College London is the third advisor to join the Abdul Latif Jameel Health Advisory Board.  As Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at Imperial College Healthcare Trust, and Director of The Imperial CRUK Cancer Centre, Professor Coombes is engaged in developing novel methods for prediction of response to endocrine therapy in breast cancer and research aimed at understanding the mechanisms of resistance to endocrine therapy, including the development of novel anti-cancer drugs.

Akram Bouchenaki, Chief Executive Officer, Abdul Latif Jameel Health, said: “Appointments of this caliber underline just how seriously we take our mission to make health care more accessible in every corner of the globe.  With the guidance, support and commitment from Lord Kakkar, Professor Collins, and Professor Coombes we are very well situated to make impactful and meaningful change to communities in need.  It is an honor to work alongside these three hugely qualified individuals, true experts in their fields, and I look forward to addressing these challenges with them.”

Fady Jameel, Deputy President and Vice Chairman, Abdul Latif Jameel, added: “It is my firm belief that working collaboratively with scientific specialists and true experts is the most effective way to create change.  These three additions to our growing team are true measures of the impact we will have.  Abdul Latif Jameel Health builds upon my family’s long-established philanthropy, Community Jameel, and its focus on innovating for a better future by seeking the solve problems at source.  We take this philosophy into a commercial environment addressing tangible real-world needs today, for a better tomorrow.  Lord Kakkar, Professor Collins and Professor Coombes share this vision with us, and I am very excited welcome them all to the Abdul Latif Jameel Health Advisory Board team.”

Abdul Latif Jameel Health was founded in 2020 as a response to one of the greatest problems of today’s global society – the disparity in access to modern medical care, notably in the fast-growing markets and economies of the developing world.  Backed by Abdul Latif Jameel, one of the Middle East’s most respected diversified family businesses and investors, with a 75-year heritage, deep roots, and established networks, as well as a multi-sector presence in 30 countries across six continents, Abdul Latif Jameel Health is uniquely positioned as a trusted partner to realize the exciting opportunities ahead.