2nd SSMC Burns Center of Excellence International Symposium

Dr. Fredrik Huss is a highly regarded Swedish plastic surgeon and a leading international authority on advanced burn care, wound healing, and tissue engineering. He serves as the Director of the Uppsala Burn Center and the Tissue Establishment at Uppsala University Hospital (Akademiska Sjukhuset), one of Scandinavia’s premier burn care facilities. Concurrently, Dr. Huss holds academic appointments as an Associate Professor (Docent) and Adjunct Professor in Plastic Surgery within the Department of Surgical Sciences at Uppsala University. With over two decades of clinical and academic experience, he has served as a Principal Investigator for over 100 clinical trials and frequently acts as a disaster medicine burn expert for the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. His research and clinical practice focus on pioneering new methodologies in burn treatment, tissue cultivation, and surgical reconstruction.

Dr. Quentin Frew, MBChB, BSc (Hons), PhD, FRCS (Plast), is a Consultant Plastic, Burns, Reconstructive, and Laser Surgeon practicing at the world-renowned St Andrews Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns at Broomfield Hospital, UK. Globally recognized for his clinical leadership, Dr. Frew specializes across the entire continuum of burn care—from acute surgical resuscitation and microvascular free tissue transfer to secondary complex reconstructions. Complementing his clinical practice, Dr. Frew completed a PhD dedicated strictly to burns, scarring, and patient recovery. He remains at the absolute forefront of laser and scar therapeutics research, pioneering the use of advanced fractional CO2 laser technologies to aggressively reduce pain, relieve severe pruritus, and restore range of motion for complex burn and trauma survivors. An author of over 50 peer-reviewed academic publications, he frequently travels internationally to present breakthrough data and teach global surgeons advanced methods for integrating innovative medical lasers safely into multidisciplinary burn rehabilitation.

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. 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.

Dr. 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, Dr. 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, Dr. 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, M.B.B.Chir., F.R.C.S.(Plast.), is a consultant plastic surgeon with the plastic and reconstructive surgery division at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) in Abu Dhabi. Dr. Baker is a UK-trained surgeon with 22 years of experience. His clinical expertise covers hand and wrist surgery, trauma surgery, pediatric plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery, including skin removal after weight loss. Dr. Baker received his UK medical degree from the world-renowned Cambridge University in 2000, and was awarded his master’s degree (M.A. Cantab.) in biological anthropology in 2001. For his research on reducing scarring after surgery, he received his research M.D. in 2008 from the University of London. In 2012, Dr. Baker passed the F.R.C.S.(Plast) specialist plastic surgery examination, becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He then completed specialist fellowships in hand and wrist surgery at Nottingham University Hospitals (2014–2015) and reconstructive cosmetic surgery (2014) at the University Hospitals of Leicester. He assumed the role of clinical lead for his department in 2020 until he joined SSMC in October 2023.

Dr. Basel Debal, MD, is a burn surgery medical practitioner at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) in Abu Dhabi. Dr. Debal is currently undergoing MRCEM specialization and serves in the Burn Surgery Unit at SSMC, bringing with him a diverse background encompassing internal medicine, surgery and emergency medicine. He exhibits exceptional proficiency in managing acute and chronic illnesses, particularly excelling in burn care and surgical interventions. He has contributed valuable research in the field of burn surgery and remains dedicated to advancing knowledge and improving outcomes in this specialty. He is licensed by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH).

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 a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Healthcare Simulation Educator, Board Certified Nursing Professional Development, and AHA & Emergency Management of Severe Burns instructor. She earned her BSN degree from University of Sharjah and her MSN from RAK Medical & Health Sciences University.

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.