Dr. Fadwa Attiga is the Health Initiative Head at KAUST Smart Health Initiative where she manages projects that build connections between KAUST researchers and hospitals and clinical research centers such as the Precision Health Biobank,  Human Clinical Genomics and  Smart Diagnostics in compliance with local regulations and international best practices.

Previously, she was the Chief Research Officer of the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in Jordan, where she led efforts to establish several programs in translational and clinical research that helped enroll cancer patients in international industry-sponsored clinical trials. In addition, she established and managed several programs to advance cancer research including the cancer registry, research support services, tumor biobank, Institutional Review Board, and the grants office. In health policy, Dr. Attiga led the development of the National Cancer Control Plan in Jordan and directed the Life Science Research Development and Biotechnology Promotion Initiative. She spearheaded efforts to establish the first healthcare research think tank in the Arab World with multiple international collaborators. Research areas included health policy reform, health economics, health value research and medical anthropology. At KAUST, she was the Head of Bioresearch Compliance from 2014-2017 where she established the regulatory framework for research biosafety and bioethics compliance. Next, Dr. Attiga joined Evercare in Dubai, UAE, as the Chief Scientific and Outcome Officer of the Oncology group with a mission to establish comprehensive affordable cancer centers in underserved markets both in Africa and Asia as part of a $1 billion health fund.

Dr. Attiga is a cancer researcher and healthcare policy and quality expert. She holds a Ph.D. in Oncology from the George Washington University, USA and certifications as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). Furthermore, she is a yogi and a Pranic Healer who advocates the integration of complementary medicine in clinical guidelines.  In 2020, she founded ASTANEER as a cancer literacy and patient advocacy platform. She is passionate about the training and education of local talent to meet local needs, ensure sustainability and nurture innovation, and she is invested in reshaping healthcare through research, technology, and innovation.