Khawla Al Kuraya, cancer expert at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, has been praised for her proactive stance since being appointed to Saudi Arabia’s highest consultative body, the Shoura Council.
Most recently she has called for the establishment of specialised centres for the care of cancer patients in order to offer comprehensive healthcare services, and provide a peaceful environment for terminal patients.
Dr Al Kuraya obtained her medical degree from King Saud University before enrolling in the Pathology Residency programme at Georgetown University Hospital in 1995, followed by a fellowship in hematopathology and molecular diagnostics at the same institution.
In 2010 she became the first Saudi woman to receive the King Abdulaziz Award of Excellence – First Class.
Among her scientific achievements, Dr Al Kuraya became the first person to identify a gene (FOSM1) that prompts the formation of cancer cells in the human body.
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