Dr. Samer Makhoul, Consultant Psychiatrist

30/03/2026

20/03/2026

Proud to be part of this country that I call home

15/02/2026

Amazing 2 evenings online, the 9th Abu Dhabi schizophrenia is over and we are thrilled with the success. Most importantly, the feedback from the delegates about the need to have CME events online from the comfort of your home surrounded by family is for sure something we need to reconsider.

The event had an amazing line of speakers including Dr. Ahmed Shoka ,one of the founders and attending and speaking in each forum our dear Dr. Ahmed Shoka and a list of international speakers that are leading figure in mental health

The success of the event would have not been possible without the amazing work of Dr. Medhat Elsabbahy who planned the forum from start till finish.

till we meet again in the anniversary special 10th Abu Dhabi Schizophrenia forum

11/02/2026

It gives me a great pleasure to invite you all on behalf of the conference chair , my dear friend , colleague and brother Dr. Medhat Elsabbahy to attend the second part of our 9th Abu Dhabi schizophrenia forum later tonight online Wednesday the 11th of February 2026 with an amazing line of speakers that are leading figures in mental health .

Please don’t miss it and register on http://scznforum.com/

08/02/2026

Conferences are always rich in knowledge, innovation, and inspiring academic content — but what truly makes them special is the people.

Reconnecting with friends, colleagues, and collaborators, sharing ideas, laughter, and meaningful conversations in between sessions is what brings the experience to life.

This conference has been amazing not only for its outstanding content, but for the time spent with incredible professionals who make our field so rewarding to be part of.Tamer Metwally, Dr. Nahida Nayaz AhmedRana Abounakad Dr Zain Al Yafei Emad FarragNawfel AyadNIda AbusaidAdrian Campos Chacon Medhat ElsabbahyManar MagdiMarimae ViterboPrincess Chierecka Santos Calma RN, HAAD-RN, MSCNKhaled KadryProfessor Dr. Dina Ahmed Amin Saleh Sharon Mae Bacon Mohamed AlHattab

07/02/2026

The final talk on the second day of the SIMC2026( the 6th Abu Dhabi integrated mental health conference). Until next year for an amazing meeting , again better , bigger and the sky is the limit .

07/02/2026

I have enjoyed chairing an amazing talk about ADHD by the great professor David Coghill

06/02/2026

An amazing start for the landmark mental health conference in Abu Dhabi , under a different name the SIMC 2026(Sakina integrated mental health conference) after a successful 5 years under the name of Abu Dhabi integrated mental health conference

It was truly an honour and a pleasure to take the stage and co-chair the conference alongside our Conference Chair, Dr. Nahida Nayaz Ahmed , Chief Medical Officer at Sakina. Her vision, commitment, and leadership have been central to the growth of this conference, creating an inspiring space for meaningful dialogue, collaboration, and advancement in mental health care across the region.

03/02/2026

"From Insight to Impact: Driving the future of Mental Health"

An amazing theme for yet another year for the landmark mental health conference in Abu Dhabi , under a different name the SIMC 2026(Sakina integrated mental health conference) after a successful 5 years under the name of Abu Dhabi integrated mental health conference

It is always a great honour and pleasure to be on the stage and co- chair the conference with the conference chair , Dr. Nahida Nayaz Ahmed, CMO , Sakina.

It is less than 5 days, so make sure to register if you have not yet registered

Register here:

https://lnkd.in/djVCC9wK

See you this Friday.

02/02/2026

It is back , for the 9th year ….
When we first started it , talking about schizophrenia specifically was unusual 11 years ago when we started but interest was so big and we repeated it each year , then COVID came and we had the first all day online conference in the region .

It gives me a great pleasure to invite you all on behalf of the conference chair , my dear friend , colleague and brother Dr. Medhat Elsabbahy to attend our 9th Abu Dhabi schizophrenia forum over the next 2 Wednesdays online with an amazing line of speakers including one of the founders and attending and speaking in each forum our dear Dr. Ahmed Shoka and a list of international speakers that are leading figure in mental health .
Please don’t miss it and register on http://scznforum.com

hashtag

24/01/2026

I am very pleased to share the publication of our new paper in BJPsych Journals Open (British Journal of Psychiatry), one of the leading international journals in psychiatry, published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment on behalf of the The Royal College of Psychiatrists. It is a high-quality, peer-reviewed international journal in psychiatry with a strong impact factor (~4.6) and a respected global presence in mental health research.

Together with my colleague Dr. Nawfel Ayad , Reem Neuroscience Centre and collaborators from United Arab Emirates University ( Dr Karim Abdel Aziz, Ban Abbas, Syed Javaid FRCPsych) , we reported the first real-world study globally to examine the long-term effectiveness and side-effects of intranasal esketamine in treatment-resistant depression across more than 100 treatment sessions.

🔹 Key strength of this study:
This is one of the very few studies worldwide – and the first from a Middle Eastern setting – to provide detailed long-term, real-world clinical data over an average of 2.5 years of treatment. Unlike most existing evidence that comes from controlled trials or Western populations, our findings are based on routine clinical practice in the UAE, addressing an important gap in the literature.
🔹 Why this matters:
Most psychiatric research traditionally originates from the US and Europe. This work demonstrates that high-quality, impactful psychiatric research can and should emerge from our region, reflecting our local populations, clinical realities, and healthcare systems. It is an important step toward strengthening the UAE’s contribution to global mental health research.
🔹 Study highlights:
• 85% of patients showed improvement in depressive symptoms
• 25% achieved remission
• Significant long-term improvement in anxiety symptoms
• Sustained benefits maintained over years
• Generally good tolerability, with important signals highlighting the need for ongoing long-term safety monitoring
🔹 In brief:
Our real-world cohort of patients with complex, highly comorbid treatment-resistant depression demonstrated sustained clinical improvement with long-term intranasal esketamine, supporting its potential role as a maintenance treatment while also emphasizing the importance of careful long-term monitoring.

Publishing this work in BJPsych Journals, a journal with a strong international reputation and impact in psychiatric research, is a meaningful milestone for our team. More importantly, it reflects our commitment to building a research culture locally, contributing robust data to the scientific community, and advancing evidence-based mental healthcare from the UAE to the world.
Grateful to all collaborators and to the patients whose clinical journeys made this work possible.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/longterm-effectiveness-and-sideeffects-of-intranasal-esketamine-in-treatmentresistant-depression-realworld-singlearm-study-of-over-100-sessions/C8212696ABA37FCB1D68FA185293CA7F

07/11/2025

"Gratitude"

I extend my sincere gratitude to everyone whose collective effort transformed our vision into reality at this year’s Masterclass. The outstanding success of this landmark conference serves as a distinguished testament to the power of teamwork, dedication, and collaboration.

First, thank to my co-chair Dr. Nahida Nayaz Ahmed, and the scientific committee Nawfel Ayad, Hamish McAllister-Williams, and Allan Young, and thanks to the amazing organising committee Medhat Elsabbahy, Joseph R. El-Khoury, Rana Abounakad, Nizar Hojaili, MD, MRCPsych, Fatema Almansouri, Najat Alzbeidi, Danilo Arnone, Dina Mohamed Aly El Gabry, Dr Nadyah Alayadhi, Farid Talih, Alaa Al-Sadadi, Karim Abdel Aziz and Ali AlGaratli.

thanks to the amazing and most probably the best speakers in the world in the field of psychiatry, and we should not forget that without the huge interest of the delegates , the meeting will have no meaning.

Also , Thanks to all the people who supported us , the organising company "Focus Gulf Conferences" and most improtatnly , thanks to God.

See you next October (2026) , the same place , the same meeting, and the same quality.