Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare appoints Dr. Russell Hales to lead its Centers of Excellence, advancing specialized care in the Kingdom
October 15, 2025
Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare has proudly earned the Gold Standard in Mowa’amah accreditation for the fourth consecutive term. This achievement reflects our sustained commitment to inclusion, accessibility and dignity for persons with disabilities. It also reaffirms our belief that high-quality healthcare must be equitable and accessible to all.
Maintaining this level of accreditation over multiple cycles demonstrates that inclusion is not a one-time effort, but a core value embedded in daily operations and in how JHAH serves its patients and community.
Mowa’amah is a national accreditation program led by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. It recognizes organizations that actively support and empower persons with disabilities. For patients, families and staff, Mowa’amah represents more than a certification. It is a promise that healthcare services are designed with accessibility in mind, and that environments are respectful and accommodating. It is a commitment that individual needs are recognized and addressed with care, compassion and professionalism.
Achieving the Gold Standard again required dedication and resilience. The journey involved upgrading physical accommodations, adapting to updated requirements, refining policies, introducing thoughtful easements and continuously improving practices to better serve persons with disabilities.
These efforts required collaboration across multiple teams and a willingness to evolve. Throughout this process, the Persons with Disabilities Subcommittee played a pivotal role. They demonstrated exceptional commitment, advocacy and leadership in driving meaningful change. They ensured that inclusion was a lived practice rather than just a written policy.
This milestone is also closely aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which emphasizes improving the quality of life, promoting social inclusion, and ensuring equal opportunities for all members of society. As His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated:
The Centers of Excellence are about more than specialist clinics. They’re a unified model that shortens the patient journey and improves outcomes,
said Dr Hales. “By aligning Johns Hopkins Medicine’s evidence-based protocols with local insight, we’re building teams and pathways that deliver the right care, at the right time, close to home."
“Our program doubles as a platform for continuous education, ensuring JHAH teams stay current with the latest global developments while sharing learnings across the Kingdom.”
The Centers of Excellence model embodies JHAH’s mission to bring advanced, coordinated, and accessible care to communities in Saudi Arabia. Each Center unites leading-edge clinical expertise and innovation within an integrated system designed to ensure the highest quality, streamline the patient journey, and ensure that every stage of care is based on a rigorous framework.
The first such center is the Oncology Center of Excellence, which is transforming cancer care in the Kingdom. The Center focuses on breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers, which are among the most prevalent in Saudi Arabia. The Center combines multidisciplinary expertise, innovation, and Johns Hopkins Medicine’s standards to deliver precise, compassionate, and comprehensive care.
Each patient’s journey – from screening and diagnosis to treatment, survivorship and long-term health management – is guided by a dedicated team of diverse specialists working in full coordination. This unified approach not only improves outcomes, but also reinforces JHAH’s commitment to placing patients at the center of everything it does.
With the Oncology Center of Excellence fully established, JHAH is expanding this model to additional specialties.
Later this month, between October 27-30, JHAH will participate in the Global Health Exhibition 2025 in Riyadh. Attendees will gain an exclusive, insider look at its Oncology Center of Excellence – showcasing how this integrated model is already transforming cancer care in the Kingdom and setting new standards for every patient, every family, and every community.