His Excellency Dr Saad bin Saud Al Fuhaid, President of the Arabian Gulf University (AGU), issued a decision appointing Dr Khaled Saeed Tabbara as the Acting Head of the Princess Al Jawhara bint Ibrahim Al Ibrahim Centre for Molecular Medicine, Genetics and Hereditary Diseases.
Dr Tabbara previously served as Vice President of the University from 2010 to 2020. He holds the position of Associate Professor of Immunology and Microbiology at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, and he is one of the founding faculty members of the College of Medicine at AGU, having joined in 1984.
Moreover, Dr Tabbara played a crucial role in developing innovative curricula and has actively participated in various founding committees. His administrative experience spans over three decades, during which he has held several significant positions in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences. These roles include Head of the Pre-Medical Programme, Vice Dean for Student and Graduate Affairs, Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Head of the Master’s Programme in Laboratory Science, Head of the Biotechnology Department at the College of Graduate Studies, and Dean of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences from 2014 to 2018.
Dr Tabbara is also a member of numerous national and international associations. He has served for many years on the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Medical Society Journal and has contributed as a member of the Supreme Council of Health, the Academic Committee of the Higher Education Council, and the Immunization Committee at the Ministry of Health. He is a member of the American Society of Immunology and the American Society of Microbiology.
Dr Tabbara earned his PhD in Immunology from Washington State University in the United States in 1979, and he holds both his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the American University of Beirut. After returning from the United States, he headed the Science Department at the College of Health Sciences at the Ministry of Health and subsequently worked for two years at the College of Medicine at the University of Texas at Galveston before returning to AGU.
He received a McLaughlin Scholarship from the University of Texas, where he conducted research, and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2002 as a visiting scientist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the National Institutes of Health in the United States.
Throughout his career, Dr Tabbara has authored more than 20 scientific research papers published in international peer-reviewed journals and has presented his research at numerous international conferences in Asia, Europe and the United States. He has also supervised the theses of many Master’s and doctoral students.
During his tenure at AGU, Dr Tabbara has overseen various academic and development projects, leading efforts in quality assurance, academic accreditation, and administrative development. He has played a crucial role in planning and supervising the construction of King Abdullah Medical City and has been instrumental in establishing policies and foundations for clinical research, intellectual property, and technological advancement. Furthermore, he served as Chairman of the Scientific Council, overseeing all scientific affairs at the university.
