2nd SSMC Burns Center of Excellence International Symposium

Fredrik Huss is Professor in plastic surgery at Uppsala University; Senior consultant in Plastic surgery, Director of Uppsala Burn Center (2011-), and Director of the Tissue Establishment (2011-) at Dept of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery, Uppsala University Hospital. He is also Co-founder and Medical Advisor of CTC Clinical Trial Consultants AB, Sweden and vice-president of the European Burns Association.

Professor Huss was trained at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Sweden, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Ma, and Mayo Medical School, Rochester, Mn, USA. He earned his MD at Karolinska Institutet 2001, finished a research residency in plastic surgery/burn treatment at Linköping University Hospital 2005, and received his PhD title at Linköping University 2005 with the thesis “In vitro and in vivo studies of tissue engineering in reconstructive plastic surgery”.

Professor Huss became Specialist in Plastic Surgery – 2005 and in Hand Surgery – 2008. He has held the position as Director of the Burn Center at Linköping University Hospital 2006-2010 and Director of Specialized Plastic Surgery at Uppsala University Hospital 2011-2014.

His interests: burn care; wound care; tissue engineering; cell & tissue banking; skin substitutes; burn mass casualty incidents; clinical trials.

Professor Huss is a regular lecturer for medical students and physician in specialty training, as well as supervisor for students in the Master’s program.

Dr. Quentin Frew, MBChB, BSc (Hons), PhD, FRCS (Plast)

Mr Quentin Frew is a Consultant Burns, Plastic Surgery and Laser Surgeon at St Andrew’s Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, United Kingdom. His practice spans acute burn care, complex reconstruction and laser treatment of scars in adults and children, bringing together surgical and laser expertise to address appearance, symptoms and functional limitation.

He holds a PhD examining burns, scarring and gait and serves as Research Lead, supporting multidisciplinary research and clinical trials. His clinical and academic interests include fractional carbon dioxide and vascular lasers, individualised scar treatment and the integration of laser therapy with rehabilitation and reconstructive surgery. His expertise in reconstructive and aesthetic laser treatments attracts patients from around the world who travel to the United Kingdom for his care.

An invited international speaker and laser trainer, he also serves as Training Programme Director for Core Surgical Training in the south of the East of England and as an examiner for the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Plastic Surgery. His teaching emphasises practical decision-making, patient safety and outcomes that matter to patients.

Siobhan has been working in burns for 27 years and is currently the Burn Prevention/Education Manager of the ACI Statewide Burn Injury Service since 2005. Before this time she worked as a burn nurse specialist in the Burn Unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. She remains a registered nurse.

She has completed a Bachelor of Nursing and Masters of Nursing Science (Burns Nursing). She is currently a PhD candidate with UNSW.

She is a Key Coordinator for the Emergency Management of Severe Burns (EMSB) course run by the Australian & New Zealand Burn Association (ANZBA). Teaching through Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, PNG, Fiji, Nepal, Indonesia, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste for almost 20 years.

She is Chair of the ANZBA Burn Prevention Committee and a member of the ANZBA Board.

She has co-authored multiple papers and developed numerous resources for burn management and prevention.

Dr. RuthAnn Fanstone is an internationally recognised physiotherapist specialising in scar treatment and rehabilitation. Her passion for improving outcomes for people with scarring began early in her career, working as a physiotherapist in burns and plastic surgery. Over the past 30 years, she has treated thousands of scars—ranging from the smallest to the most complex. She has a special interest in burn injuries and scars from trauma.

Dr. Fanstone has held leadership roles across the NHS, academia, private practice, education, charitable organisations, and humanitarian settings. Regardless of context, her work has consistently focused on advancing the care and outcomes of people affected by burns and scars. She has pioneered numerous burn and scar-related treatments, services, and training programmes both in the UK and globally. Her PhD research examined the risk factors for burn scar contractures. She is Associate Editor of Scars, Burns & Healing, a PubMed-listed journal dedicated to advancing evidence-based scar care.

Dr. Fanstone is a Consultant at The London Scar Clinic, the Director of Scarchange, her clinical consultancy and of DrContracture an advocacy campaign to reduce the global burden of burn contractures. She also works as a medical-legal expert in the areas of burn and scar rehabilitation. She is on the Board of various working groups that focus on developing standards for burns and scars nationally and internationally.

Known for her highly specialised and diverse knowledge and experience, empathy, dedication and collaborative approach, Dr. Fanstone is committed to raising the standard of scar care worldwide.

Professor Simon Myers, PhD, MBBS, FRCS (Plast), is the consultant and division chair of the burn surgery division at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) in Abu Dhabi.

Possessing over 20 years of extensive experience, Professor Myers graduated from St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School and trained as a plastic surgeon in London and the South East of England, after which he earned a PhD from the University of London in skin repair, regeneration and engineering. As a clinical academic at Queen Mary University, he became a substantive professor of Plastic Surgery after directing London’s Burn Centre at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. Until recently, he was the head of the local Group for Academic Plastic Surgery (GAPS), which directed MSc courses in burn care, reconstructive microsurgery, aesthetic medicine, and a microsurgery simulation centre. Additionally, Professor Myers established the International Microsurgery Simulation Society (IMSS) and was a Burn Consultant at the internationally renowned St Andrew’s Burn Centre in Broomfield, Essex.

Dr Richard Baker has been a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) in Abu Dhabi since October 2023. Dr Baker trained in medicine at Cambridge University and qualified in 2001. Dr Baker undertook research into insulin and its anti-scarring properties at the RAFT Institute of Plastic Surgery achieving an MD(Res) at the University College London in 2008. He has completed fellowships in Reconstructive Cosmetic Surgery in Leicester and Hand and Wrist Surgery in Nottingham culminating in the European Diploma of Hand Surgery in 2014. Mr Baker was appointed Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Wexham Park Hospital in August 2015, becoming Clinical Lead for the Department in 2021 before moving to SSMC. He has published multiple academic papers and presented his work at multiple conferences. His special interests are hand & wrist surgery, reconstructive microsurgery, paediatric plastic surgery, aesthetic surgery and body contouring after weight loss.

Huda Tarek Sliman is a researcher and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) student at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Her research interests include antimicrobial resistance, genomic epidemiology and patient outcomes, particularly in infectious diseases and burn care. Her work brings together clinical, epidemiological and genomic approaches to understand healthcare-associated infections and pathogen transmission. Her research background includes bloodstream infections, retrospective cohort studies and clinical data analysis, with the broader aim of informing infection prevention and improving patient care.

Mohammad graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan. He holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management from York University, UK. Mohammad’s professional journey began as a Charge Nurse at the Arab Medical Center for Heart and Special Surgery in Amman, followed by a role as a Clinical Instructor in Critical Care area at Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan. He later joined Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) as a Senior Charge Nurse in the Medical-Surgical ICU. Currently, he serves as the Senior Charge Nurse and Unit Manager of the Burns Intensive Care Unit (BICU) at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC).

Deborah is the Burn Program Manager. Deborah has worked across the continuum of healthcare services and taught in a physiotherapy degree program. Deborah is passionate about providing safe, efficient and effective healthcare services and developing other healthcare professionals. Her dedication to achieving these is evidenced by her ongoing professional development including her MBA (Health Management) and Certifications: Project Management Professional (PMP), NEBOSH Occupational Safety and Health, CPHQ (Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality) and Certification in Adult and Tertiary Education.

Sondos Jarrad, works as Emergency Department Clinical Resource Nurse Educator at SSMC. She is Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Healthcare Simulation Educator, Board Certified Nursing Professional Development, AHA & Emergency management of severe burns instructor. She earned her BSN degree from University of Sharjah & her MSN from RAK medical & Health sciences university.

John Michael Felipe is a Registered Nurse and Burn ICU team Leader with extensive experience in critical care, infection prevention, and nursing quality improvement. He is passionate about advancing patient safety and delivering high quality of care.

Holds a master’s in hospital management, worked as a laboratory technologist +2yrs, currently working as a patient experience officer in the ED.

Dr. Suad Nassif, M.B.B.S., is a specialist surgeon in the department of surgery – burn centre at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Nassif is a dedicated and accomplished specialist surgeon with 11 years of experience in the field. Known for combining precision with compassion, Dr. Nassif provides exceptional patient care while advocating for innovation in surgery. Her expertise includes burn surgery, general surgery, and breast surgery, developed through her work at Amina Hospital in the UAE and North Manchester General Hospital in the UK. A member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Dr. Nassif holds certifications from the Arab Board of Health Specialisations and Jordanian Board Certificate of Specialisation in General Surgery. She is actively involved in research, with several published articles in reputable medical journals. Committed to inspiring future generations of surgeons, Dr. Nassif is dedicated to advancing medical care through her work and advocacy.

Sphelele Sikhakhane is a South African physiotherapist and Rehabilitation Supervisor at SEHA Salma Rehabilitation Hospital in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Cape Town in 2010 and holds an MBA in Healthcare Management.

With 16 years of clinical experience, Sphelele has a broad rehabilitation background, with extensive experience in neurorehabilitation as well as clinical experience in burns rehabilitation, including exposure to paediatric burn care in a specialist children’s hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.

She is passionate about rehabilitation and believes that helping people regain their function, independence, and quality of life is central to her purpose as a physiotherapist. For Sphelele, one of the greatest rewards of her profession is supporting patients through challenging stages of recovery and seeing what can be achieved through compassionate, evidence-based rehabilitation.

In her current leadership role, she is committed to advancing rehabilitation practice, strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration, and improving the quality and accessibility of rehabilitation services across the continuum of care.