As the Medical Director and Head of Family Medicine at KAUST Health, Dr. Adeel Nazir Ahmad is closely involved in our community. For several years now, he has been looking out over the health and wellbeing of the KAUST community. In 2020, his work got dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the year, he led the fight against this novel coronavirus to keep our community safe. Along with his team, he devised specific infection control policies and guidelines. He also led the positive case management as well as the quarantining and contact tracing processes within KAUST. Besides his job on the frontline, Adeel is also one of the mosque volunteers who ensure compliance with the infection control guidelines, making sure community members can pray safely.

Adeel loves the uniqueness of our KAUST community and finds that the blend of different nationalities, backgrounds, experiences and cultures makes it quite an amazing place to live and an exciting place to work. He is grateful for the excellent initiatives and all the hard work that’s going into this special community. With all the dining, sports and recreational facilities at our doorstep in KAUST, he’s glad he can easily socialize and have fun. Coming home to his family after work instils a sense of ease and belonging on him, which is complemented by the feeling of physical and emotional safety thanks to the community’s policies, kind people and lovely places. For Adeel, KAUST truly feels like a home away from home. Being part of the community also helps him understand the healthcare and psychosocial needs of the community and hence, makes his work more inclusive and rewarding.

“KAUST is a close-knit community of wonderful people with multiple skills and talents. But there’s no way that we could have known how close, caring, and helpful our community really is, if we hadn’t experienced it during the pandemic. I have found that people are keen on helping, encouraging, and just being there for one another. That’s the KAUST spirit of being stronger together and why our community is so dear to me.”

Published: October, 2020