The Leadership Team

Rakesh Suri, MD., DPhil, Chief Executive Officer, Chief of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

Rakesh M. Suri, MD, is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In his role, Dr. Suri oversees the hospital’s overall strategy and effective operation as the first-ever US multispecialty hospital to be replicated outside of North America. In his previous role as Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Suri spearheaded the recruitment of more than 400 physicians, and led the medical staff to deliver a suite of complex and innovative services with safety and quality outcomes that are competitive among leading academic medical centers globally.

In his secondary role, Dr. Suri recruited and led the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgical team, and was involved in the creation of robotic and transcatheter cardiac programs at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He holds extensive clinical expertise in robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery, mitral valve repair and transcatheter valve therapies. He has completed more than 6,000 surgical procedures in his career and helped to make Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi home to the most sophisticated group of robotic cardiac surgeons in the world.

Jorge A. Guzman, MD, Chief of Staff & Chief Critical Care

Jorge A. Guzman, MD, MBA, is the Chief of Staff, Chief Critical Care and Attending Staff in the Respiratory & Critical Care Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, as well as Attending Staff in the Respiratory Institute’s Department of Critical Care at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. He sees patients at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Cleveland Clinic’s main campus. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Guzman was Cleveland Clinic’s VP of Regional Hospital Medical Operations. Dr. Guzman is a fellow of the American College of Critical Care and led ICU Operations and the development of the ICU telemedicine program (eHospital) at Cleveland Clinic. He was appointed to Cleveland Clinic’s medical staff in 2007.

Dr. Guzman received his medical degree in 1988 from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, in Córdoba, Argentina. After completing his residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in critical care medicine at Hospital Privado de Comunidad, Mar del Plata, Argentina, he completed an additional fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, he served as Chief of Medicine at Harper Hospital, the flagship hospital of the Detroit Medical Center in Michigan. Dr. Guzman has served in many leadership positions at Cleveland Clinic and nationally in the US. He has authored or co-authored more than 50 scientific papers in peered-reviewed medical journals, book chapters, and holds two patents registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Madhu Sasidhar, MD, Chief Medical Officer

Madhu Sasidhar, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer and a consultant pulmonologist and intensivist in the Respiratory & Critical Care Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. As Chief Medical Officer, he is responsible for inpatient, outpatient and surgical operations. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Sasidhar was Section Head of Respiratory Therapy in the Respiratory Institute at Cleveland Clinic in the United States, which he joined in 2008.

Dr. Sasidhar received his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree in 1992 from the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research. After completing his residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, in New York, he completed an additional fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

Sue Behrens, Acting Chief Clinical and Nursing Officer

Sue Behrens is the Acting Chief Clinical and Nursing Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, overseeing nursing services and patient care.

Sue has been working in a variety of leadership roles at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi since 2014, most recently serving as Interim Chief Nursing Officer.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Sue spent more than 25 years working at OSF St Francis Medical Center, an academic medical center in the US, ultimately overseeing Emergency Medicine and Advanced Practice.

Sue is a Fellow of the Executive Fellowship in Innovation Health Leadership, and holds a clinical Doctor of Nursing Practice. Sue maintains her APN license and board certification in adult health, as well as board certification as an Advanced Nurse Executive.

Stephen Abdenour, Chief Operating Officer

Steve Abdenour is Chief Operating Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. As part of the leadership team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Stephen oversees numerous key departments, including facilities, construction, safety, regulatory compliance, emergency management, protective services, parking, environmental services, laundry, food service, supply chain management, and patient hospitality.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Stephen was Senior Vice President of Operations for Cleveland Clinic Akron General, the largest Cleveland Clinic Foundation community hospital.

Stephen received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron and holds an MBA from Walsh University. Prior to his career in healthcare, Stephen worked for the United States Navy and in the aerospace field as a design and project engineer, and holds several US patents for military aircraft components.

E. Murat Tuzcu, MD, Chief Academic Officer and Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart and Vascular Institute

E. Murat Tuzcu, MD, is Chief Academic Officer and Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart & Vascular Institute, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In this role, Dr. Tuzcu focuses on the development and implementation of a state-of-the art research and education strategic plan.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Dr. Tuzcu served as Vice Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and as Staff Physician in Interventional Cardiology in the Heart & Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic in the United States. With nearly 40 years of clinical experience, he has held several academic appointments, co-authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, and serves on the editorial board of several leading journals. In 2015, Thomson Reuters named Dr. Tuzcu as one of the most highly-cited researchers (Top 1%) in the world for the past decade.

Dr. Tuzcu received his medical degree from Istanbul Medical Faculty in Istanbul, Turkey, before completing fellowships in Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology at Cleveland Clinic in the United States. He also completed a special fellowship for valvular interventions at Massachusetts General Hospital.

C. Okey Agba, Chief Financial Officer

C. Okey Agba is Chief Financial Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In his role, Okey oversees the financial responsibilities of the hospital, including general and financial accounting as well as the hospital’s revenue cycle. Okey has 30 years of finance experience, 20 of them in the healthcare financial management sector, having worked for several renowned US healthcare institutions.

Most recently, Okey served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, at Tufts Medical Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, where he directed all financial functions, both strategic and operational. Prior to that, Okey served as Associate Dean of Finance and Chief Financial Officer, at Harvard Medical School, also in Boston. During his time there, he was responsible for overseeing the overall fiscal functions of the medical school. He also held senior financial management roles at Brigham and Women’s Healthcare and Partners HealthCare System, Inc., both in Boston.

Okey holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana, and a Master of Business Administration from Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Okey resides in Abu Dhabi, and enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling, and fishing, and is looking forward to learning golf.

Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, Chief Administrative Officer

Hasan joined Mubadala in 2007 and is currently the Chief Administrative Officer of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, in addition to overseeing the hospitality portfolio of Mubadala Real Estate & Infrastructure.

In his role as Chief Administrative Officer, Hasan oversees several key departments, including Continuous Improvement, Business Intelligence, the Strategic Programs and Integration Office as well as the Office of Facilitated Access. As part of the executive team, Hasan also works with the CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to coordinate the hospital’s strategy, innovation programs, as well as key drivers to maximize revenue and reduce costs while maintaining quality of care.

Throughout his 10-year journey at Mubadala, Hasan has held several management roles and has been tasked with overseeing real estate projects across the United States, Asia and the Middle East, including leading international hospitality brands and operators such as the Viceroy, Four Seasons and Rosewood Hotels. Hasan remains engaged with hospitality as the Chairman of the Board for Rosewood Abu Dhabi Hotel and the Four Seasons Abu Dhabi Hotel. He is also a board member of the Viceroy Hotel Group.

Prior to joining Mubadala, Hasan worked for the office of H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In addition, he worked for Ernst & Young as an external auditor, and his family business, the Rotana Hotel Group.

Hasan is a finance graduate from the American University in Washington D.C., and has acquired Real Estate and Hospitality Investment Certification from Cornell University.

Bryan Lord, Chief Information Officer

Bryan Lord is the Chief Information Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He has more than 15 years of experience in the healthcare sector, completing complex transformation projects in the US and the Middle East.

As part of the leadership team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Bryan manages the hospital’s IT infrastructure, enabling it to take advantage of the latest innovations in the health technology domain.

Bryan has been with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi since 2010, most recently serving as Executive Director of Technology. In this role, Bryan was responsible for managing operations for mission-critical IT infrastructure, supporting over 5,000 caregivers, as well as developing and delivering IT enterprise strategies, ensuring continual innovation.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Bryan served as Development Manager at Providence Health & Services in Portland, in the United States, where his responsibilities included leading a team of onshore and offshore software architects, developers, testers and business analysts in the delivery and ongoing maintenance of software solutions to facilitate patient care.

Bryan holds a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from the University of Phoenix, Portland, USA, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems from Portland State University, USA.

Between 1994 and 2000, he served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

Michael Makarem, General Counsel

Michael Makarem is the General Counsel at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he oversees the hospital’s legal, regulatory and governance matters.

He is also the General Counsel at Mubadala Healthcare. Since joining Mubadala in 2010, he has held various roles, including at Yahsat and as General Counsel of MDC Business Management Services. He is a California-licensed attorney with 13 years of experience in complex transactions, litigation and corporate governance.

Before joining Mubadala, Michael was the Legal Counsel for OSN in Bahrain and, prior to that, was an attorney with AlvaradoSmith APC in the US.

Michael holds a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He is admitted to practice in the State and Federal District Courts in California.

Dana Kassissieh, Senior Director, Administrative Affairs & Patient Experience

Dana Kassissieh is Senior Director for Administrative Affairs & Patient Experience at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In her role, Dana is responsible for external and internal governance, and ensuring strategic alignment between management and the rest of the organization. She also oversees the hospital’s patient experience program, which supports the mission of bringing Cleveland Clinic quality care to Abu Dhabi.

Dana previously served as Senior Manager for Strategy at Dubai Healthcare City, a healthcare-focused free zone. In this role, she co-led the development of a comprehensive clinical plan, by analyzing population demographics and disease burdens to assess the current and future gaps in the provision of healthcare services in the Emirate. She has also held positions at leading pharmaceutical companies in the United States and Abu Dhabi.

Dana completed her undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She has a Master of Public Health from Columbia University, as well as Highlights of an MBA from Columbia Business School.

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