Sulafa Khalid Mohamed Ali (; born 24 October 1964, in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

) is a pioneer in paediatric cardiology in Sudan.

Early life and education

Sulafa Khalid Mohamed Ali was born on 24 October 1964 in

, Sudan. Sulafa completed her high school at Khartoum North High School between 1980 and 1983. She earned a

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education trad ...

from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum in 1989. In 1995, she was made a member of the

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, often referred to as the RCPCH, is the professional body for paediatricians (doctors specialising in child health) in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the postgraduate training of pa ...

and became a Fellow in 2006.

Career

Sulafa started her medical training as a house officer at Khartoum Teaching Hospital (1990–1991), before becoming a resident

paediatric Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Prev ...

(1991–1993). In 1993, she moved to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

to join the Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, as a resident pediatric, before joining the Prince Salman Hospital, Riyadh, in 1997 as a pediatric specialist, and then the King Abdul-Aziz Cardiac Center in 1999 as an Assistant Consultant and Fellow Pediatric Cardiology. Sulafa returned to Sudan to work at the Sudan Heart Center and Jafar Ibn Ouf Children’s Hospital as a Consultant Pediatric

Cardiologist Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

since July 2004 and an assistant professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum. She was promoted to an associate professor in July 2008 and later to a professor in July 2012 at the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Khartoum. She has conducted

valvular heart disease Valvular heart disease is any cardiovascular disease process involving one or more of the four valves of the heart (the aortic and mitral valves on the left side of heart and the pulmonic and tricuspid valves on the right side of heart). The ...

management efforts in numerous remote areas in Sudan with great success by raising money and utilising research funding. In 2012, She founded the Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program at the Sudan Medical Specialization Board. Along with the Federal Ministry of Health, she created a programme to control valvular heart disease in 2012. In addition to the WHO Expert Committee on Rheumatic Heart Disease, she is a member of several other national and international scientific groups. She is the creator and chairwoman of Sudan's Rheumatic Heart Disease Control Program and the Sudanese Children's Heart Society, a nonprofit organisation supporting children with heart disease. She has also been the President of the Pan African Network of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease since 2022.

Awards and honours

Sulafa was awarded the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum Prize in Community Medicine in 1988 and Pediatrics in 1989. she also received the Prize of Distinguished Young Researcher from the Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, in 1996. Sulafa was elected a Fellow of the

in 2006, and a Fellow of the

American College of Cardiology The American College of Cardiology (ACC), based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949. It bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its qualifications. Education is a core component of the ...

in 2007. During the 67th meeting of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean Area in Cairo, Egypt, in October 2020, Sulafa received the State of Kuwait Prize for the Control of Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region for her significant contribution in the field of cardiovascular diseases. Sulafa was awarded the

World Heart Federation The World Heart Federation (WHF) is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, formed in 1978. WHF is recognized by the World Health Organization as its leading NGO partner in cardiovascular disease prevention. History The Wo ...

's Advocacy Award in 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Sulafa Khalid Mohamed The State of Kuwait Prize for the Control of Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region laureates University of Khartoum alumni University of Khartoum 1964 births Fellows of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Fellows of the American College of Cardiology Living people