Dr. Nayef Saleh Ali Al Ghanim

Dr. Nayef Al Ghanim is a Consultant Rheumatologist based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He currently serves as Rheumatology Lead at the Ministry of Health (MOH) since January 2024, and has practised as a Rheumatology Consultant at King Saud Medical City (KSMC), First Health Cluster, Riyadh, since January 2016. He earned his B.Sc. from Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain (1999), followed by a Medical Diploma from the same university (2001). He completed his Internal Medicine residency training at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh (2002–2005), and continued Internal Medicine residency at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (2005–2008), obtaining the American Board of Internal Medicine (2008) and the Canadian Board of Internal Medicine (2009). He completed a Rheumatology Fellowship at the University of British Columbia (2008–2010), earning the American Board of Rheumatology and Canadian Board of Rheumatology (both 2010), followed by a Clinical Research Fellowship in Lupus at the University of Toronto (2010–2012). He is currently completing an MBA in International Healthcare Management at Frankfurt School, Germany (2024–2026). His clinical practice focuses on systemic lupus erythematosus, including lupus nephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis, alongside vasculitis, antiphospholipid syndrome, Sjögren's syndrome, gout, fibromyalgia and scleroderma. He led the establishment of a dedicated spondyloarthritis clinic and served as Rheumatology Fellowship Program Director at KSMC (2018–2020), where he also taught residents and fellows the clinical approach to rheumatological disease. He has contributed to Saudi national clinical practice guidelines for axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, and to the development of the national Psoriatic Arthritis Registry. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC, since 2011) and a member of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR, since 2010). His research, published in journals including Rheumatology Therapy, Clinical Rheumatology, Cureus and the Journal of International Medical Research, covers the burden of lupus in Saudi Arabia, bone health in lupus patients, biologic and JAK-inhibitor therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, and national consensus recommendations for psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis. He previously held academic and consultant posts in Canada, including Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Rheumatology Consultant at St. Clare's Mercy Hospital and Health Sciences Center, St. John's (2013–2015). He was awarded 1st place at King Faisal Specialist Hospital's Research Day (2004) for research on DVT prophylaxis.