An-Najah journals | Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal (Pal. Med. Pharm. J.)Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief

Prof. Waleed Sweileh, Dean of Scientific Research, Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology, Neuropharmacology, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Prof. Sweileh holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Yarmouk University (Jordan) in 1986, and a Masters and PhD in Pharmacology from Northeastern University in Boston, USA. Prof. Sweileh was the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Dean of Scientific Research at An-Najah National University, and the head of accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission in Palestine. During his academic career, Prof. Sweileh has published more than 250 papers in the field of medical and health sciences and in international and specialized journals. For more details, you can visit his profile on the staff website of An-Najah National University. https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/2293/

Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Dr. Mohammad Qneibi, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Basic Clinical Skills/Medical School, Neurochemistry, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Dr. Mohammad Qneibi earned his Ph.D. in Neurochemistry from the State University of New York at Albany, followed by postdoctoral training at Yale University School of Medicine and Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine. Since 2016, he has served as an Associate Professor and the Director and Founder of the Center for Neuroscience Research at An-Najah National University.
His research centers on the molecular and kinetic mechanisms of membrane proteins responsible for transmitting extracellular signals into cells, including the modulation of their function through protein-protein and protein-drug interactions. He is also engaged in the development of compounds to regulate these proteins. His research integrates electrophysiology, neuroscience, molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysical chemistry.
https://staff.najah.edu/ar/profiles/3570/

Associate Editors

Prof. Samah Al Jabe, Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacy, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Prof. Samah Al-Jabi holds a B.Sc. in Pharmacy and an M.Sc. in Clinical Pharmacy, with a Ph.D. completed under an Islamic Development Bank scholarship at Universiti Sains Malaysia/ Malaysia. She is Head of the Clinical and Community Pharmacy Department and Coordinator of the Master’s program in Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management at An-Najah National University. Recognized among the top 2% of scientists globally for the previous three consecutive years, based on the Scopus database in collaboration with major global publishers Elsevier, her research focuses on medication counseling, ambulatory care, community pharmacy practice, pharmacotherapeutics in critical care, and drug usage evaluation.
https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/1363/
Dr. Mohammed Hawash, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Dr. Hawash is an associate professor at the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, with an extensive background in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery. My research interests center on discovering and developing novel therapeutic agents, particularly targeting cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes. With a Scopus H-index of 21 and an FWCI of 1.75. Dr. Hawash's work has been recognized globally, as evidenced by inclusion in the Top 2% of the world's scientists in the 2023 and 2024 Stanford lists. About 89 research articles, contributing significantly to the fields of Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery
https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/3617/
Dr. Zaher Nazzal, Department of Medicine, Community Medicine, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Dr. Zaher Nazzal is an Associate Professor of Community Medicine at An-Najah National University, specializing in public health and medical education in Palestine. He holds an MD from Istanbul University and is certified by the Arab Board. As head of the Palestinian Board Committee of Community Medicine and rapporteur for the Arab Board’s Scientific Council, he advances community medicine standards. He designs and teaches courses in Community Medicine, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Health Promotion. With over 70 publications, his recent research covers COVID-19 vaccines, mental health, tobacco use, and bone health in dialysis patients. He has also contributed to international health projects with WHO and the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/3513/

Editorial board members

Dr. Adham abuTaha, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences/ Pharmacology, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Dr. Adham S. Abu Taha is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and his M.Sc. in Clinical Hematology from Northeastern University in Boston, USA. With over three decades of experience in academia and clinical laboratory management, Dr. Abu Taha is the Medical Laboratories Manager at An-Najah National University Hospital, overseeing multiple critical laboratories. His previous roles include chairing the Pharmacology and Toxicology department and directing clinical labs across various institutions. Dr. Abu Taha has received numerous accolades, including a Fulbright Scholarship, and has authored over 50 research articles on topics such as antimicrobial resistance, hematology, and pharmacology.
https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/2432/
Dr. Faris Abushamma, Urology, Department of General Surgery & Department of Medicine, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Dr. Faris Abushamma (MD, HSUrol(MSc), FPBU, FRCS(Urol)) is an associate professor at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine. He holds a doctorate in Medicine and Health Science from the university. Dr. Abushamma is a consultant urologist at Najah National University Hospital, a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh's Surgical Specialty Board in Urology, and an honorary urological consultant for the Bristol Urological Institute. He directs the Urology Center of Excellence at An-Najah National University Hospital. He also serves on the highest research committee and the Board of Trustees at An-Najah University Hospital in Nablus, Palestine.
https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/3619/
Dr. Iyad Ali, Biochemistry, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Basic Clinical Skills/Medical School, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Professor Iyad Ali is a biochemist and faculty member at An-Najah National University in Palestine. He currently serves as a Professor of Biochemistry within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, where he has also held roles such as Head of the Scientific Research Unit (2014-2020). His academic journey began with a B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Aligarh Muslim University, India. Recognized for his contributions to academia, Professor Ali has received multiple honors, including the Senior Fulbright Research Fellowship at Wayne State University (2013/2014) and the prestigious "Best Academic Personality" award at An-Najah University (2015/2016

Throughout his career, he has contributed extensively to scientific literature, with publications addressing topics ranging from vitamin D deficiency and oxidative stress to COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. His editorial experience includes founding the Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal, where he served as the Medical Editor. He is also on the advisory board of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. He has been an active member of several research bodies, including the institutional review board at An-Najah University. He supervised over 20 graduate projects in the health sciences and is known for his involvement in various international conferences. His work is particularly noted for its impact on public health issues in Palestine, including studies on pesticide exposure, dyslipidemia, and metabolic health. Professor Ali continues to advance the field of biochemistry through research, teaching, and active participation in international scientific communities
https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/3502/
Dr. Mahmoud Mustafa, Department of Urology, Urology, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Prof. Mustafas finished his MD degree at Marmara University, Istanbul (1990-1996), followed by a specialization in urology from Haccetepe University, Ankara, 1997-2001. He also serves as a full-time urologist at Medicana Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey (2002–2004), SIU Fellowship Urology and Nephrology Center in Mansoura, Egypt (2005), Osmaniye State Hospital, and Izmir Ataturk Teaching Hospital in Izmir, Turkey (2005–2010). He was at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas, USA, as a visiting scientist. He has been a member of the Turkish Association of Urology since 2011. Appointed as Associate Professor of Urology at An-Najah University's Faculty of Medicine on September 22, 2011. On January 23, 2023, he was promoted to full professor in Turkish higher education. He was also nominated for a full professorship at An-Najah University in 2019. He has published over 70 papers and 150 presentations, with over 300 citations, in the respected Journal of Urology. Prof. Mustafa is a member of the European Association of Urology, the Turkish Association of Urology, the SIU, and the American Association of Urology. Reviewer for over six publications, including the Journal of Urology and Endourology. Secretary of the Palestine Urological Society from 2012 to 2022 and a member of the Arab Association of Urology scientific committee and the Arab School of Urology. Winner of various accolades, including the international prize of Prof. Dr. Mohamad Ghoniem in 2018, Dubai, granted by the Arab Urology Association
https://staff.najah.edu/ar/profiles/3516/
Dr. Nidal Jaradat, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Dr. Nidal Jaradat is a professor at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine. He specializes in pharmacognosy, natural product chemistry, and medicinal plants. His research focuses on the extraction, chemical analysis, and biological evaluation of essential oils and traditional herbal remedies, emphasizing their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant activities. Professor Jaradat actively advances knowledge in natural product-based medicine through teaching and publishing research.
https://staff.najah.edu/ar/profiles/2380/
Dr. Riyad Amer, Department of medicine, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Najah National University Hospital, Palestine
Dr Riad Amer is an Associate Professor of medicine and consultant hematologist.
Earned his MB ChB degree in Medicine from Basrah University in Iraq in 1985
Dr Amer completed his higher training in general Medicine and hematology and was awarded the degrees of FRCPI from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and FRCPath from the Royal College of Pathologists in London, UK in the field of Hematology
Dr Amer was also awarded the Jordanian boards in Medicine and hematology
With almost four decades experience in the fields of medicine and hematology, he is now the lead person in the hematology department at Al Najah National University Hospital (NNUH) .
Dr Amer has been privileged to establish the Autologous Bone Marrow transplant unit at NNUH in 2014
He was also the lead person to establish the Palestinian Oncologists Society affiliated to the Jordan Medical Association, Jerusalem branch in 2007
Dr Amer was responsible for the training program in hematology and oncology at the Palestinian Medical council between 2011 and 2023 which supervises the training protocols and awarding the Board degrees in hematology or oncology

Dr Amer authored around 20 publications in the fields of medicine and hematology and supervised many student projects in the same fields
Dr. Saed Zyoud, Scientific Research and Medical Projects Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology / Toxicology, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Dr. Zaher Nazzal is an Associate Professor of Community Medicine at An-Najah National University, specializing in Palestine's public health and medical education. He holds an MD from Istanbul University’s Cerrahpasha Medical Faculty and is certified by the Arab Board. As head of the Palestinian Board Committee of Community Medicine and rapporteur for the Arab Board's Community Medicine Scientific Council. Dr. Nazzal plays a key role in advancing community medicine standards. His academic work includes designing and teaching Community Medicine, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Health Promotion courses. With over 70 peer-reviewed publications, his recent studies focus on topics like COVID-19 vaccines, mental health, tobacco use, and bone health among dialysis patients. Dr. Nazzal has also contributed to international healthcare initiatives, including projects with WHO and the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/1424/
Dr. Abdelhaleem Khader, Associate Professor in Environmental Engineering and Assistant Dean of Scientific Research
Dr. Khader has received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from An-Najah National University in 2004 and his M.S. in Water and Environmental Engineering from An-Najah National University in 2007, and his Ph.D. degree from Utah State University in Logan, Utah, USA in 2012. He has been at An-Najah since the fall of 2013, prior to that he was a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from 2012 to 2013, and a site engineer at An-Najah National University from 2004 to 2007. His recent research interests center around characterization of urban air quality using low-cost sensors and car emissions. Dr. Khader’s expertise includes air quality monitoring, solid waste management, groundwater quality monitoring network design, and hydrological modeling. For more details, you can visit his profile on the staff website of An-Najah National University https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/3119/

International Advisory Board

Prof. Abdelkader Zarrouk, Department of Chemistry, Chemistry, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco
Prof. Abdelkader Zarrouk was born in 1973 in Taza City, Morocco. He obtained his Ph.D. in Materials and Corrosion Science from Mohammed First University in Morocco in 2011. He has published over 655 articles in international journals (indexed Scopus), with an h-index of 81 (Citations 20711 Google Scholar); Scopus h-index: 80 (18464 citations); and has delivered about 300 presentations at symposia and national/international gatherings. He owns two Moroccan patents and six United States patents. He serves on the editorial boards of twenty-eight (30) international publications. He has evaluated over 70 peer-reviewed international journals published by Elsevier, Springer, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Chemical Society, and Taylor & Francis. He is the author of two books and many book chapters, and he is ranked among the top 2% of researchers worldwide by Stanford University. His primary research interests are in physical chemistry, namely electrochemistry. He is now interested in applying various quantum chemical approaches such as density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics simulation, and other semi-empirical methods and removing heavy metals and radioactive elements by adsorbents, coating, and electroplating. He has recently been interested in organic solar cells, the synthesis and characterization of thin films by electrodeposition and their applications. He is also interested in the electrofenton technique.
http://fsr.um5.ac.ma/
Prof. Anan B Y Shtaya, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Head of Neurosciences at Ishtishari Arab Hospital, Palestine
Biography: Dr Shtaya is an Academic Consultant Neurosurgeon with complex spine
subspecialty. Dr Shtaya is the Head of Neuroscience at Arab Hospitals Group (Ishtishari
Arab Hospital in Ramallah, Specialized Arab Hospital in Nablus and Ibn Sina Hospital in
Jenin).
Staff website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anan-shtaya-84836775/
Prof. Assem Mahmoud El-Sayed Barakat, Organic chemistry, Department of chemistry, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
BARAKAT A. was born in Egypt in 1981. (B.Sc. Chemistry in 2002,
Alexandria University, Egypt; Ph. D. in 2010 from Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy in
a joint program with ETH, Zurich, Switzerland and University of Stuttgart, Germany. He
joined King Saud University in 2011 as assistant Professor, then promoted into associate
professor in 2017. Research interest focus on the organic synthesis of biologically active
compounds. He has been accomplished more than 160 articles and 3 patents. Supervised
6 Master students and 3 PhD students. He has got Arab Chemistry Award 2016 (Saudi
Chemical Society Scientific Excellence Award for Youth Section).

Staff Website: https://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/ar/ambarakat/cv
Prof. Belkheir Hammouti, Analytical Chemistry and environmental applications, Department of Chemistr , Mohammed I University 1, Euromed University of Fes, Morocco
Biography: Prof. Dr. B. Hammouti was awarded a PhD degree in corrosion science in
1994. He is currently a Researcher in the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes after 32

years (1991-2023) in the Faculty of Science, University of Mohammed I, Oujda,
Morocco and 6 years (1985-1991) in the University Mohamed 5 in Rabat. His research
interest covers acidity sensors and corrosion inhibition of iron, steel, lead, aluminium and
copper in mineral acids by tetrazole, pyrazole, polymer, thiophene, pyridine, peptide,
aminoacid and ester compounds. Additionally, his research interest is moreover directed
towards the field of the pesticides, selective electrodes water treatments. He has
published more than 700 papers in corrosion and sensors fields. In last March, 2006, he
received the Elsevier Award as the most published author in Morocco since the year
2000. On July 30, 2015 by His Majesty. The King Mohammed VI, decorated Prof.
Hammouti of Wissam (Faress) on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of King Mohamed
VI's accession to the throne day. Prof. Hammouti received also the Arab Award in
Chemistry 2013. The Award granted by the Union of Arab Chemists in its 32nd meeting
in Ras Al Khaimah-Emirates- and funded by the Saudi Chemical Society in April 2013.
The University of Mohammed Premier Oujda on Thursday, 10 October 2013 honored
Professor Dr. Belkheir Hammouti, during the ceremony on the occasion of the tenth
anniversary of the start royal initiative for the development of the eastern provences. The
event was organized at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ouja. Belkheir
Hammouti, professor of Chemistry and research professor in the faculty Sciences at the
University of Mohammed Premier Oujda, received recently the Arabic Award in
Chemistry, in April 2013 at Rass al Khaima, Emirates Arab United from the Union of
Arabic Chemists and funded by the Saudi Chemical Society. Prof Hammouti received in
2006 the Elsevier-Scopus Award as the most Author published in Morocco since the year
2000. He has contributed greatly to the area of Corrosion Inhibition, sensors and natural
products research. He produced more than 840 publications and owns 10 patents related
to his research. He is co-author of 4 books.
Staff website: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pRZxYrQ…
Prof. Christoph Fahlke, Department Institute of Complex Systems – Cellular Biophysics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, University of Düsseldorf, Germany, Cellular Biophysics, Germany
Prof. Fahlke is a Director at Institute of Complex Systems, Forschungszentrum Jülich and
Professor at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. He uses a combination of
experimental and computational approaches to study the function of these proteins at the
molecular level and to understand their contributions to cell and organ functions. His
work aims at understanding the role of ion channels, ion transporters and receptors under
pathological conditions and at contributing to the development of novel therapeutic
approaches for human diseases.
Email: [email protected]
Prof. Islam Younis, Clinical Pharmacology, George Washington University, Gilead Sciences Company, Washington, DC, United States
A senior leader in clinical pharmacology, currently Senior Director and TA
Lead in Quantitative Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics at Merck & Co., where he
oversees cardiovascular and metabolic therapeutic areas. He brings over 15 years of
experience, having previously held key roles at Gilead Sciences, Astellas Pharma, and the
FDA, where he served as Team Leader in Clinical Pharmacology. Dr. Younis holds a
Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from West Virginia University and has

taught as an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University. His expertise includes
drug development, regulatory sciences, and public health.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&am…
Prof. Mazen Khaled, Prof. Mazen Khaled , Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Earth Sciences, Qatar University, Qatar, [email protected], http://qufaculty.qu.edu.qa/mkhaled/
Professor Khaled has obtained his BSc in Chemistry (1987) from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Alabama in 1992. He did his first post doctorate year 1992-1993 at Denver University studying fullerenes using Electrochemical and EPR techniques, and his second post doctorate year at North Carolina State University 1993- 1994 developing very fast voltammetry. In 1994 he joined King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals until 2019 and then joined Qatar University in August 2019. In 2007, he was appointed as the first interim director to establish the first Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology at KFUPM. Prof. Khaled main interest is in surface modification and its application in corrosion, electrochemical conversion of CO2, membrane coatings, dust repellent coatings for solar panels, etc. He published more than 100 papers and awarded twenty-seven patents. He published many papers in the field of corrosion protection and membrane coatings utilizing different techniques. Dr. Khaled was the LPI/PI of 15 research projects, and supervised/participate in supervision of 25 MS/PhD students from the Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences. Currently he is a member of a 5M USD Cluster funded project by QNRF to develop electrodes for the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to formic acid.
Assoc. Prof. Mahmoud Abu Dyak, Pharmaceutical Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology, Istanbul University, Istanbul
Dr. Mahmoud Abu Dyak graduated from the School of Pharmacy at An-Najah University
(Palestine) at the end of 2010 and worked for a year as a pharmacist in a community
pharmacy. He completed his Ph.D. in 2015 at Istanbul University, Turkey (Faculty of
Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Toxicology). Since then, he has served as an
Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Toxicology at the Faculty of
Pharmacy at Karadeniz Technical University (KTU) and Altınbaş University. Currently,

he holds an Associate Professor position at Istanbul University, School of Pharmacy.
Throughout his academic and professional career, he has focused primarily on
nanoparticle toxicity. Additionally, his work has included research on the toxicity of
pesticides, herbal substances, and organic pollutants. Recently, his research interests have
largely shifted toward the reproductive toxicity of various chemicals, particularly
persistent organic pollutants, and on developing co-culture models that support molecular
toxicity evaluations.
Dr. Nimer Adeeb, Cerebrovascular diseases, Neurosurgeon, UTHealth Houston/Louisiana State University, United States
Dr. Nimer Adeeb, a neurosurgeon with specialized expertise in cerebrovascular diseases,
completed his medical degree at An-Najah National University, Palestine, in 2014. In
2015, he joined the University of Southern California as a Post-Doctoral Research
Fellow, where he focused on skull base lesion management. Dr. Adeeb further honed his
skills through a Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center, specializing in the surgical and endovascular management of cerebral
aneurysms. He recently completed his Neurosurgical Residency at Ochsner-LSU,
dedicating his research to advancing treatments in cerebrovascular diseases.

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4OBE550…
Dr. Walaa abu Alya, Rheumatologist, Internist, Fairview hospital, Cleveland, United States
Dr. Abu Alya is an accomplished physician who completed her medical degree at An-
Najah National University. She went on to complete her residency in Internal Medicine at
Fairview Hospital in Cleveland.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3cu7Y0c…