Dr. Maria Khan Junaidi is a vascular neurologist currently working in Rashid Hospital, Dubai, UAE. She graduated from the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. After completing her residency training in neurology, she joined the vascular fellowship program which was recruiting its first trainee. Prior to this no programs were available in the country. This was followed by another fellowship in Translational research which was funded by the National Institute of Health, USA. As part of the latter she completed a master’s degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

She has since worked in two different geographies, Pakistan and the Middle East, and tries to contribute to education and research in both. She is teaching faculty since 2020 for a virtual stroke fellowship organized by All Pakistan Physicians of North America (APPNA) whereby neurologists from Pakistan and few other geographies are trained in vascular neurology. In the Middle East, she has been actively working towards improving stroke care in the region. She is one of the founding members for the Middle East North Africa Stroke Organization and together with other likeminded individuals in the region, she has been involved in training and education of stroke neurologists and nurses across the region.

She has been the stroke lead from her hospital for a recent joint accreditation as a Comprehensive Stroke Centre from the American Heart Association and MENA Stroke Organization. Rashid hospital is one of the first two centers outside of the USA, to receive this certificate. As a member of MENASO, she is now actively involved in guiding other centers to streamline their processes for a similar accreditation to standardize stroke services in the region.

Her research interests include geographical, ethnic and sex differences in stroke epidemiology and access to healthcare and she has over fifty publications in international peer reviewed journals. She is also the National Coordinator for SITS from the UAE and is involved in several SITS based research projects from the region.

She has recently been elected as a board member to represent the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Mediterranean region in the World Stroke Organization. Under the umbrella of MENASO and WSO, she aspires to do more impactful work to improve stroke care in the region she serves.