Insights / Topics
Notes from advising health technology entrants and operators across the Gulf. The parts of the ecosystem that are misread from Europe and the partnerships that actually move.
14 May 2026 · 4 min read
I spoke at the Global Health Exhibition Capital Xchange webinar opened by the Saudi Ministry of Health, and the headline story in healthcare venture this year is concentration — less capital, larger checks, AI dominating in techbio and clinical workflows, and a Saudi market that is shifting from consumer to producer economy.
10 Feb 2026 · 3 min read
The Gulf has three things most emerging life sciences ecosystems lack: sovereign capital, speed of decision making, and political will. What it still needs is the operational layer that turns investment into outcomes — and an investor base that understands the life sciences risk profile.
4 Dec 2025 · 1 min read
I joined a Health Tech Forward panel in Barcelona on AI regulation in healthcare, where I argued that outcome-based regulation — focused on what AI actually does for patients — is far more effective than layering a second horizontal tech framework on top of existing medical device rules.
6 Nov 2025 · 1 min read
After working with both global pharma leaders and early-stage AI firms, I've seen a pattern: partnerships, done right, are the only scalable route to real-world adoption of AI.
30 Oct 2025 · 1 min read
At the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh, I moderated two panels bringing together top investors and operators to explore how AI can move from pilot to platform across pharma and care delivery — and the consensus was clear: execution, not technology, will define the winners of the next wave of digital health.
27 Oct 2025 · 1 min read
AI implementation in healthcare in the KSA is progressing at a breathtaking speed — I was inspired by Saad Alhuzami's case study on the MOH Cortex project at Global Health Exhibition, covering agentic AI, ML modeling, digital twins, and care orchestration.
9 Sept 2025 · 1 min read
In Dubai at WHX Tech, AI in healthcare isn't just being debated — it's being deployed. A new health-data sandbox is launching so startups can work with de-identified EMR under clear governance, build quickly, and prove safety.
4 Sept 2025 · 1 min read
I joined Sonal Rupani on Dubai Eye 103.8's The Reboot to explore real-world AI applications in healthcare and the ethical considerations we need to address as we move forward — a perfect primer for my panel on real-world AI usage in healthcare at WHX Tech Dubai.
22 May 2025 · 1 min read
After several recent trips to the GCC, I've seen firsthand how the UAE and Saudi Arabia are putting serious momentum and capital into building AI-first healthcare ecosystems. This week's Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi partnership with G42 and Oracle Health is one to watch.
15 May 2025 · 1 min read
I joined fellow panelists from Saudi FDA, WEF, LEAN, and others at the menatelehealth conference in Riyadh to discuss how AI is reshaping virtual care. We explored Saudi Arabia's regulatory sandbox approach, high-impact use cases from LLMs in critical care to agentic AI, and the infrastructure enabling it all.
15 Apr 2025 · 1 min read
I attended AbuDhabiGlobalHealthWeek and heard compelling talks on the UAE's AI and healthcare ambitions. The region is investing heavily in data infrastructure, international R&D partnerships, and the funding ecosystem needed to attract global investment.
30 Jan 2025 · 1 min read
I attended the FutureofHealth summit in Dubai today, where leaders from PureHealth and GE HealthCare shared their visions for agentic AI in primary care and oncology — including the bold idea that primary care could become free over time.
29 Jan 2025 · 1 min read
I attended a really insightful panel discussion on longevity at WHX Dubai, and it challenged my assumption that longevity was mostly a US west coast buzzword. The UAE's patient safety-first, scientifically validated approach — combining genomics, AI, and precision medicine — could be a genuine game changer.
27 Jan 2025 · 1 min read
I share interesting insights from Microsoft's Chief Medical Officer David Rhew, M.D. at ArabHealth in Dubai, covering GenAI's role in healthcare — from ambient scribes saving admin time to multimodal models, agentic AI, and the critical importance of trust in adoption.
28 Oct 2024 · 1 min read
Just back from the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh, I was inspired by the 'can-do' mindset driving healthcare advancements across the GCC. AI and digital health solutions are making a tangible difference in patient outcomes, and Saudi Arabia is fast becoming a global example of digital transformation in healthcare.