As the UAE charts a bold course toward a knowledge-based future, one leader has quietly become its guiding force in public health transformation: Dr. Khalid Nasser, the nation’s Undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Innovation.
With a background in epidemiology and health systems engineering, Dr. Nasser is the architect of a data-driven, prevention-focused, and tech-empowered public health strategy that has made the UAE a global model in post-pandemic resilience. Under his leadership, the Emirates has moved beyond crisis response to proactively address chronic disease prevention, mental health integration, and digital health equity.
“Public health isn’t about treating illness—it’s about creating environments where wellness thrives,” says Dr. Nasser. “Our job is to make the healthy choice the easy choice.”
From Al Ain to Harvard: A Scholar-Practitioner’s Rise
Born in Al Ain to a family of educators, Dr. Nasser’s fascination with healthcare began early, watching his mother manage a rural clinic. After completing medical school at the UAE University, he earned dual master’s degrees in Public Health and Systems Design from Harvard University.
His doctoral research focused on urban health resilience in arid regions, laying the foundation for a career that blends clinical insight with policy innovation. By 2020, he was leading disease surveillance programs at the Ministry of Health. In 2022, following the pandemic’s impact, he was tapped to lead a complete redesign of the UAE’s public health ecosystem.
A National Health Blueprint: Precision, Prevention, People
Dr. Nasser’s public health vision is centered around three strategic pillars:
1. Precision Public Health
- Integration of real-time health surveillance systems powered by AI
- Use of predictive analytics to identify outbreaks, high-risk communities, and disease clusters
- Deployment of geospatial mapping tools to guide health resource allocation
“One-size-fits-all doesn’t work in medicine—and it doesn’t work in public health either,” Dr. Nasser notes.
2. Preventive Health Infrastructure
- National programs targeting non-communicable diseases (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular illness)
- A “Wellness Index” built into citizens’ digital health passports, tracking sleep, nutrition, and activity
- Mobile health units offering free screenings and lifestyle coaching in malls, mosques, and workplaces
3. People-Centered Policy
- Community health councils engaging emirs, imams, and educators in public health messaging
- Expansion of school-based health programs, with a focus on nutrition, mental wellness, and reproductive education
- Multilingual campaigns addressing vaccine hesitancy, antibiotic resistance, and maternal health
Pandemic Legacy: From Reaction to Readiness
Having played a central role in the UAE’s pandemic response, Dr. Nasser has carried forward hard-won lessons:
- Established a National Center for Epidemic Forecasting and Genomic Surveillance
- Mandated interoperability of all public and private health data platforms
- Instituted health resilience scorecards for major cities, hospitals, and transportation hubs
- Developed a telehealth emergency framework, now a WHO-endorsed regional model
Thanks to his protocols, the UAE achieved the fastest vaccination rollout in MENA, and today maintains regional stockpiles of PPE, antivirals, and mobile lab units.
“Readiness isn’t a plan on paper—it’s the ability to act with precision, speed, and trust,” he says.
Mental Health: A New Public Health Priority
One of Dr. Nasser’s most groundbreaking efforts is the normalization of mental health as a national wellness goal. Initiatives include:
- The MindWell program, a collaboration with schools and employers to offer regular mental health check-ins
- Integration of licensed digital therapy into national insurance coverage
- Community-based first responder mental health training for police, teachers, and imams
- Establishment of the UAE’s first Mental Health Research Observatory, tracking trends and outcomes
In 2025, suicide rates dropped to the lowest recorded level in two decades, a milestone directly linked to these efforts.
Tech-Enabled Health Equity
Dr. Nasser has championed digital innovation not for novelty, but for equity. His team has rolled out:
- The SehaMap app, helping users locate affordable care, track prescriptions, and schedule screenings
- A Smart Clinics program using AI triage bots and wearables to deliver care in remote areas
- “Digital caravans” delivering care to expat labor populations, refugees, and elderly in rural Emirates
- Partnerships with local startups to deploy Arabic-language health AI tools
“Technology is only transformative if it reaches the underserved,” Dr. Nasser insists.
Global Standing and Regional Cooperation
Under Dr. Nasser’s stewardship, the UAE has become a regional public health hub, leading:
- The Gulf Public Health Alliance, harmonizing disease reporting and emergency preparedness across GCC
- UAE’s representation in the Global Digital Health Index and UN Sustainable Health Task Force
- Strategic partnerships with Johns Hopkins, Oxford, and the Africa CDC to co-develop regional health surveillance tools
In 2024, Dr. Nasser was named to the World Health Organization’s High-Level Commission on Health Innovation in the Global South.
Reported by Dubai headlines.
