Maj. Gen. Prof. Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa is a highly professional and organized health care executive with more than 30 years of experience in leadership roles, healthcare management, and providing broad patient care while embodying a personal approach in the provision of vital care and services.

Prof. Al Khalifa has been the Director of the Royal Medical Services since 2005. He is also a Consultant General and a specialized Metabolic and Bariatric surgeon at the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Previously, he was appointed as the Commander of the Military Hospital. He also served as the Director of the Training & Development Directorate and Head of the Surgical Department, at the BDF Royal Medical Services. He is an active member of the Supreme Council of Health in the Kingdom of Bahrain and Board Member of the RCSI-Medical University of Bahrain.

Prof. Al Khalifa has received extensive acknowledgment and recognition in the Kingdom of Bahrain as well as worldwide for his numerous achievements to combat obesity and obesity-related complications. He has established a “one of a kind” Metabolic & Bariatric Center including developing a multi-disciplinary bariatric team trained extensively to perform and assist in bariatric and other laparoscopic surgeries in the BDF Royal Medical Services.

The Metabolic & Bariatric Center is the only center in the Middle East which has been accredited by two different organizations: the International Federation for Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) and the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) as the Center of Excellence.

Prof. Al Khalifa is also the first Bahraini Surgeon to become a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and IFSO.

Prof. Al Khalifa received his Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery from Cairo University and completed his Internship at Rashid Hospital (United Arab Emirates). Prof. Al Khalifa completed his postgraduate training in General Surgery from 1987 to 1990 at the St. Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin. He was privileged to have trained with Prof. Niall O’Higgins and Mr. J. J. Murphy. In 1989, he obtained his Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. In 2009, he was awarded the title of honorary fellow from the Royal College of Physicians.

Prof. Al Khalifa first introduced Laparoscopic Surgery into the Kingdom of Bahrain in 1991. He started this practice in the BDF Royal Medical Services, performing surgeries such as laparoscopic cholecystectomies, appendectomies, colectomies, adrenalectomies etc. The field of laparoscopic surgery expanded in the Kingdom with its introduction into other surgical procedures. He quickly became a leader in the field. However, his medical background was not limited to performing bariatric surgeries. In 1990, he organized and established a specialized breast clinic for benign and malignant breast diseases since.

Prof. Al Khalifa has a long history of dedication to surgical training. He is credited with successfully establishing the first ever Simulation & Research Center in the Kingdom of Bahrain which is the ground-breaking achievement of his career. Furthermore, many surgeons have trained under his expert supervision and have achieved excellence in their fields. Prof. Al Khalifa has also contributed several articles to the medical literature and published in international journals.

Prof. Al Khalifa has often been acknowledged for his participation in a variety of healthcare causes. Partnering with other healthcare organizations, he created important events in Bahrain such as the 3rd Medicine Update Symposium, in coordination with King Faisal Specialist, Surgical Anastomosis Course in coordination with the Royal College of Surgeon in Edinburgh, Spinal Manual Therapy Course, the Physiotherapy House (in Australia), the Manual Concepts Education for Health Professionals, and the 1st GCC Military Medicine Conference. Prof. Al Khalifa was also the president of the 1st Trauma Conference and Vascular Symposium, which was organized for the first time in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Prof. Al Khalifa is happily married and is a proud father of a son, Abdullah, who has recently completed his Bachelors and Master degrees in Business & Accounting from Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Apart from his professional interests, he enjoys scuba diving, skiing, and spending his free time with family.

figure a