Wellness & Medical Tourism

Maria D. Georga is a Health Tourism professional, IMTJ article contributor and International Speaker. She is the Regional Manager of LaingBuisson dealing with its international business sector. The company is a leading company in Health Tourism and has a long & deep expertise in Medical Travel Consultation & Solution projects, International Surveys, Web Media Marketing, Medical Tourism Conferences and Workshops. LaingBuisson though is widely known for www.TreatmentAbroad.com the main gate for patients who are looking for healthcare options abroad and for the International Medical Travel Journal www.Imtj.com the main e-newspaper currently distributed to readers from all over the world. Mrs Georga is a University graduate with studies in Business Administration & Philosophy. She is an awarded writer of two books. Her interviews have been published in local and international Web, Press and TV media. She has participated several health tourism events and seminars as an international speaker. Her involvement with ministries, associations and healthcare providers from different destinations has given her an international perspective of Health Tourism.

With four decades of experience in healthcare, Irving Stackpole is the President of Stackpole & Associates, Inc., a strategy, marketing and research firm founded in 1991. Stackpole & Associates has conducted strategic research and marketing projects throughout the world, and has worked for providers, governments and agencies on 4 continents, and many countries, including Costa Rica, Korea, Saudi Arabia, India, Argentina, Colombia, Poland, Mexico, Cayman, Greece, as well as the EU and the UN. Irving is a mentor for the European Institute for Innovation in Health, an EU program to stimulate healthcare entrepreneurship. He edited Medical Tourism Marketing the 1st book on the subject, is the co-author of The Marketing Handbook in Health Tourism, co-hosts the podcast, The Medical Travel Show, is widely published, and has been quoted in The New York Times, The Financial Times, Forbes and many trade publications.

A passionate healthcare professional with advanced experience in international business development, management and international standards conformance audits. Promotional, training and communication activities in the healthcare sector, in cross-border care strategies and elements, as well as in the certification and compliance assessment sectors have been the main responsibilities over the 10+ years of her experience in various countries as Germany, Cyprus, Croatia, Turkey, Brazil, Philippines, China, Hungary, Ukraine, Iran, Albania and Greece. An experienced business manager of accreditation and certification sector on international level, specialised in the wider healthcare sector (providers and satellite sectors) and an internationally active consultant and tutor for value-based care, risks’ management, quality, patients’ safety, regulatory and management systems. In the frame of the international business’ expansion projects she has been evaluating partnerships worldwide through an innovative business SLA framework that she structured and implemented.

Saif Aljaibeji is Co-Founder & Chairman of Sehteq, a digital health insurance startup based in Dubai. Saif was the regional CEO at UnitedHealth Group. He worked with Aetna, Daman and AXA Green Crescent prior to that. He also worked as a policy maker at DHA and DGHR.

Tina is a Certified Health Coach (IIN) Personal trainer and Registered Nurse who has worked in the healthcare industry for 30 years in both the healthcare environment and the corporate world. She believes in a holistic approach to health that incorporates fitness, nutrition and lifestyle changes that promote both physical, mental and emotional well-being. Tina can provide you with tools and support to empower you to make changes in behaviour and mindset that will help you achieve a healthier lifestyle With over 20 years of experience in the corporate world Tina has an in-depth understanding of the stress and impact a demanding corporate role can have on you. Her Corporate Wellness program focuses on helping individuals manage their time ensuring they don’t lose sight of their health and wellbeing. She can provide group sessions or one- one coaching for those who may require it.

Dr. Ahmad is Director of the Genetics Laboratory at Al Jalila Children’s. He completed his doctoral studies (PhD) at Dartmouth College in the USA followed by a fellowship in molecular diagnostics at Dartmouth Medical School. In 2013, he joined Harvard Medical School where he completed his clinical molecular genetics fellowship and, in 2015, became board-certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG). Dr. Abou Tayoun is a fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Prior to joining Al Jalila Children’s, he was a director in the Division of Genomic Diagnostics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and also an assistant professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. To support clinicians in various specialties at CHOP, Dr. Ahmad developed genomic sequencing-based diagnostic tests for a range of pediatric disorders. He also developed and published several tools and assays involving next generation sequencing and variant interpretation. Dr. Abou Tayoun is a co-chair of the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) Hearing Loss Expert Group, and is a member of the ClinGen Sequence Variant Interpretation group. In both capacities, Dr. Abou Tayoun is working with international experts to establish guidelines and recommendations for sequence variant interpretation in general, and in the hearing loss disease area specifically.

Dr Anil Bankar, is the Vice President of Business Intelligence for Global Medical Services. Dr. Bankar has diverse work experience in health and medical tourism, including consulting, strategic planning, research, teaching, and training. As an active and practicing Professor specializing in medical tourism, Dr. Bankar has affiliations with, Gulf Medical University UAE, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Institute of Clinical Research India, Global Healthcare Network, Web Med Central U.K., Infoline Research, TÜV Rheinland Middle East, Dubai Healthcare City, and Medico Travel Club. He is a member of the Sector Advisory Committee by National Qualification Authority (NQA), Government of UAE. Dr. Bankar is also developing a National Occupational Standard (NOS) for Medical Tourism in association with UAE medical tourism stakeholders. In addition, he was named one of the 100 Most Impactful Healthcare Leaders Award by CMO ASIA. Dr. Anil Bankar received his master’s degree in Tourism Administration and PhD from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University. His research thesis is an analytical study, Organization and Management of Medical Tourism. It is the pioneer research study in the country

The Honorable Dr. David J. Shulkin was the Ninth Secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs having been appointed by President Trump. Secretary Shulkin previously served as Under Secretary for Health, having been appointed by President Obama and confirmed twice unanimously by the US Senate As Secretary, Dr. Shulkin represented the 21 million American veterans and was responsible for the nation’s largest integrated health care system with over 1,200 sites of care, serving over 9 million Veterans. Prior to coming to VA, Secretary Shulkin was a widely respected healthcare executive having served as chief executive of leading hospitals and health systems including Beth Israel in New York City and Morristown Medical Center in Northern NJ. As an entrepreneur, Secretary Shulkin founded and served as the Chairman and CEO of DoctorQuality and has served on boards of managed care companies, technology companies, and other health care organizations including the IsraelUAE Health Collaborative. Secretary Shulkin is the University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute Distinguished Health Policy Fellow and Professor at the Jefferson University College of Population Health. He is a board-certified internist and received advanced training in outcomes research and economics as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. Over his career Secretary Shulkin has been named, “One Hundred Most Influential People in American Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare.