Salama Al Muhairi

Dr Salama Al Muhairi holds a PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology of the University of Sussex, UK. She is currently working as director of the veterinary laboratories division in the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) and head of the OIE collaborating centre for quality management systems. Member of the UAE national laboratories network on COVID-19 response. Contributed as an expert with OIE multi-disciplinary group to develop a guidance for national veterinary services to support public health services with COVID-19. 

Author of over 20 scientific publications on one health-related research and contributed to the OIE bulletin on “Strengthening Preparedness and Resilience to Emergencies” and “How lessons learned from MERS have benefitted the response to COVID-19 in the United Arab Emirates”.  

Dr Al Muhairi is also a member of the OIE ad hoc group on laboratories sustainability and of OIE’s technical working group on Biosafety Research Roadmap. She participated as an expert in the OIE consultation on Sustainable Laboratories, 2018. Provided consultancy to WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office in 2019 to develop and finalize a full package tool and the guidance notes to assess the national capacities to detect and respond to MERS and other emerging zoonotic respiratory threats. Provided expert review for FAO/OIE on the Global Laboratory Leadership Program (GLLP), which is the first One Health initiative developed for teaching core competences to laboratory leaders from animal, environmental, and public health laboratories.  

She is the first national expert on one health in UAE, developed the first biosecurity strategy for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the head of Abu Dhabi biosecurity committee. Initiated and currently working with FAO/SNG on developing the first integrated biosecurity index with assessment and monitoring tools allowing the identification of potential transboundary threats and risks to food safety, animal health, plant health and human health with multisectoral collaboration.