Board of Trustees

Zahra Saeedi Baalawi obtained her Doctorate of Education (EdD) from the University of Leicester (UK), with a focus on higher education teaching and learning. She earned her first degree in Medical Laboratory Technology from the University of Missouri Kansas City (USA) and pursued a Master’s degree in Medical and Molecular Microbiology at the University of Manchester (UK).

Baalawi has held numerous roles in both academia and industry. She worked as faculty and Program Chair of Health Sciences at the Higher Colleges of Technology, where she established the UAE’s first medical lab program. She later served as Director of Education at the Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) and as Executive Director of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Center. During her time at Dubai Healthcare City, she led several initiatives, including establishing the region’s largest clinical simulation center, a new post-graduate dental school, and a dedicated medical library.

She then joined Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the largest healthcare provider in Abu Dhabi, as the Manager of Medical Education, where she developed the UAE’s first funding model for Graduate Medical Education, alongside creating a pharmacy residency program and other clinical programs. In 2016, Zahra became the Division Director in the Higher Education sector at ADEK (Abu Dhabi Education and Knowledge), later serving as Acting Executive Director of the Higher Education Sector in 2019.

In 2020, she joined the College of Medicine at Khalifa University, the UAE’s first North American model medical school, where she oversaw operations, financial matters, and strategic initiatives. Since 2023, as an Independent Higher Education Consultant, Baalawi has supported the establishment of new higher education institutions and led quality improvement efforts for existing institutions in the UAE.