Youth Forum Facilitators
Dr. Michelle Ann Gunn
Chief Nursing Officer, Al Dhafra, SEHA B(Nursing), LLB (Hon 1), Grad Dip (Legal Pract), PhD, GNPLI Scholar
Dr. Michelle Gunn has been a registered nurse for twenty-five years and holds academic qualifications in nursing and law. She is currently the Chief Nursing Officer for the Al Dhafra region of the UAE and has responsibility for six SEHA hospitals. She previously worked for Queensland Health as a Senior Director in the COVID19 Response and a Director in the Office of the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, where she had responsibility for Workforce Sustainability and Professional Capability state-wide.
Michelle is passionate about addressing social and health inequalities through policy leadership, and her PhD Thesis was on resource allocation and clinician decision-making. She was the first nurse to hold the Royal Australian College of Surgeons Louis Waller Medico Legal Scholarship, and a scholar of the International Council of Nurses, Global Nursing Policy Leadership Institute (GNPLI) in 2017. She has experience as: an Expert Panel Member for the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal; a Member of the Queensland Nursing and Midwifery Executive Council; and an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Queensland. She has led policy at the World Health assembly for the International Council of Nursing for the past 7 years.
Dr. Rowaida Al-Maaitah
President of the Board of Trustees at
Yarmouk University, Jordan
Prof. Rowaida AlMaaitah
President of the Board of Trustees at Yarmouk University, member of the higher Council of the National Centre for Curriculum Development, Advisor for HRH Princess Muna EL Hussein for Health and Social Development, Professor at the college of Nursing/ Jordan University of Science and Technology.
AlMaaitah has held numerous political and academic key positions including: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, President of the Hashemite University, Senator in the Upper House of the Jordanian Parliament, Minister of State for Government Performance, Minister of Social Development, Director General of King Abdullah University teaching Hospital, Chairperson of Higher Education Council, and Vice President and Secretary General of the National Council for Family Affairs. She has also assumed other positions including vice president, dean of college of Nursing/ JUST, founder and director of the WHO collaboration center of excellence at Jordan University of Science and Technology, member of the Regional Technical Advisory Committee of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, board Member of the Global Advisory Board of Anna Lindh Foundation and Chairperson of the National Agenda Technical Committee on Health and Social Security.
AlMaaitah is currently President of the Board of Trustees at Yarmouk University, member of the higher Council of the National Centre for Curriculum Development, Advisor for HRH Princess Muna EL Hussein for Health and Social Development, Professor at JUST, the vice president of the of the board of the Health Care Accreditation Council, board member of Jordanian Nursing Council, Commissioner at the WHO Global Commission on Social Determinants of Health/Geneva. Member of the Advisory Board for RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, member of the International Advisory Board for Qatar University Health and board member of the Education for Employment-Jordan. Board member of WHO Global Community of Practice and board member of Nursing Now Challenge. Member of the education and health committees at the Jordan Economic Modernisation Vision.
Al Maaitah was the first woman in the region to take over the portfolio of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, to serve as a university president (The Hashemite University), as well as Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Arab Women Organization at the Arab League. She was also the first woman in Jordan to serve as President of the Board of Trustees of a University, Vice-President of a university (JUST), and Director General of King Abdullah University teaching Hospital at JUST.
Al Maaitah completed B.Sc./nursing from University of Jordan, Master and Doctoral Degrees in Public Health from Tulane University/USA, post-doctoral fellowship in Health Administration / Louisiana State University, and completed different Senior Executive Education Programs in leadership and power at Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
AlMaaitah is an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Nursing at the Royal College of Surgeons/Ireland and Recipient of Abdul Hameed Shoman Medical Sciences Award for Young Arab Scientists.
Al Maaitah is a recipient of the Order of the State Centennial, the Order of the Star of Jordan (Wisam al-Kawkab al-Urdani) of the First Order and the Bahraini Decoration of the Second Order in 2006.
AlMaaitah has addressed many forums, conferences and global platforms in higher education. nursing, health, health policy, leadership, and women participation in politics, power, policy making, economic growth and nation building as well as global security.
She has many publications in main scientific nursing and health journal and participated/chaired many delegations at different national, regional and global conferences.
Ms. Alia Alhaddad
Nurse Manager, Endoscopy Procedures, Perioperative Services, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Alia Alhaddad is an experienced nurse with 13 years in the field. She graduated from Sharjah University in 2011 with a Bachelor’s in Nursing, furthering her education with a Master’s in Public Health in 2015 and another Master’s in Nursing in 2023, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to her profession.
What truly distinguishes Alia is her deep passion for nursing and her mission to transform its image. She authored two books sharing her nursing journey, shedding light on challenges and triumphs, aiming to inspire others and challenge misconceptions about nursing.
Beyond writing, Alia is a notable influencer on social media, actively promoting nursing as a career. Her engaging content encourages aspiring nurses, showcasing the profession’s rewards. Alia also serves as a coach and mentor to nursing graduates, guiding them toward success.
Currently, Alia is a nurse manager at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, overseeing a team during endoscopy procedures. Her expertise and leadership have significantly improved patient care quality. Recognized as a speaker at nursing conferences, she shares her knowledge and insights.
In essence, Alia Alhaddad is more than a nurse; she’s an author, influencer, and advocate, fervently promoting nursing as a fulfilling profession. Her dedication inspires countless individuals to pursue nursing, leaving an enduring mark on the field’s future.
Mr. Abdulmajeed Alanazi
Winner, Florence Nightingale Award, KSA
Abdulmajeed Alanazi from Collage of Nursing, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. I was awarded the Florence Nightingale Award in 2023 based on my experience and dedication in volunteering with Saudi Red Crescent Authority. This award means to me and other nurses a lot in the Gulf region since I was the first nurse in the Gulf region and fifth Arabic nurse to receive it. As a result, I will be honored to provide a workshop which will be aimed to encourage and help nurses in the UAE to acquire the Florence Nightingale Award in the nearest future.
Mr. Howard Catton
Chief Executive Officer of the International Council of Nurses
Howard Catton
Chief Executive Officer, International Council of Nurses
Howard was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in February 2019. He is committed to ensure that ICN effectively represents nursing worldwide, advances the nursing profession, promotes the wellbeing of nurses and advocates for health in all policies.
Throughout his career Howard has worked and written extensively on issues relating to the Nursing and Healthcare Workforce and he co-chaired the first ever State of the World’s Nursing Report. He has led ICN’s work to respond to and support nurses globally during the pandemic and has been at the forefront of advocating for the protection of and investment in the nursing profession.
Howard joined ICN in April 2016 as the Director, Nursing, Policy and Programmes. His team led the development of ICN policy and position statements. He also co-ordinated ICN Programmes and projects and oversaw the development of scientific programmes for ICN events.
Howard qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1988 and held a variety of nursing posts in England and the United States and worked for the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. He studied Social Policy at Cardiff University (BSc Econ Hons) and Industrial Relations at Warwick University (MA) and then worked as a Personnel and Organisational Change Manager in the National Health Service in the UK. For 10 years Howard was Head of Policy & International Affairs at the Royal College of Nursing in the UK.
