Professor Ahmed Hassan Fahal

 

MBBS, FRCS, FRCSI, FRCS(G), MD, MS,

FRCP (London), FRCPath.

 

Professor of Surgery

University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.

 

 

 

Executive Profile

Professor Ahmed Hassan Fahal is a distinguished general surgeon, medical educator, and global health leader with an international reputation for his specialised focus on mycetoma and tropical surgery. He completed his foundational medical training at the University of Khartoum, Sudan, followed by advanced postgraduate surgical training in Khartoum and London.

This culminated in his appointments as Professor of Surgery at the University of Khartoum and Consultant Surgeon at Soba University Hospital. Throughout his career, Professor Fahal has consistently translated clinical expertise into systemic institutional advancement, spearheading critical national academic initiatives, establishing pioneering clinical trial networks under severe resource constraints, and driving the global policy agenda for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

 

Academic Leadership & Public Service

Professor Fahal has held numerous senior executive roles shaping higher education and scientific policy within Sudan and across the pan-Arab region. His administrative tenure includes serving as Academic Secretary, Director of the Educational Development Centre for Medical & Health Professionals, and Founding Director of the Self-Evaluation and Quality Enhancement Administration at the University of Khartoum.

At the state level, he has served as President of the Scientific Research and Innovation Agency at the Sudanese Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research and as Senior Advisor to the Minister.

Regionally, he has served as Vice President of the Federation of Arab Scientific Research Councils of the Arab League.

 

Global Authority on Mycetoma & Institutional Development

As the founding Director of the Mycetoma Research Centre (MRC) at the University of Khartoum, Professor Fahal mobilised private networks and critical international resources to build an institution that is today the undisputed global authority on the disease.

Under his stewardship, the MRC achieved designation as the world’s only WHO Collaborating Centre on Mycetoma. His monumental policy leadership was instrumental in securing official recognition of mycetoma as a Neglected Tropical Disease by the World Health Organisation in 2016, under Resolution WHA69.21.

He continues to shape international containment strategies through his ongoing appointments to the WHO/NTD Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group, the Skin NTDs subgroup in Geneva, and the NTDs Advisory Board at the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office.

 

Research Excellence & Scholarly Impact

Professor Fahal is an exceptionally prolific researcher whose academic output serves as a foundational global reference in tropical medicine. He has published over 330 peer-reviewed articles, an authoritative textbook on mycetoma, and numerous book chapters, clinical guidelines, and educational modules.

According to Google Scholar metrics, his scholarly impact reflects 14,250 citations, an h-index of 61, and an i10-index of 224, ranking him among the top 2% of scientists worldwide for citation impact.

He actively partners with more than 23 international research institutions and established the EL Hassan Centre for NTDs Clinical Trials, the first dedicated clinical trial unit of its kind in Sudan.

He and his team at the MRC have led groundbreaking clinical frontiers, including the first double-blind randomised clinical trial of a novel mycetoma therapeutic regimen and the deployment of the first field-friendly rapid diagnostic test for mycetoma.

 

 

Editorial Boards, Scientific Societies, & Medical Education

In addition to serving as Academic Editor for PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Professor Fahal acts as an active referee and editorial board member for 17 prestigious scientific journals.

He is a member of numerous national, regional, and international scientific societies, contributing directly to global curriculum development, research ethics boards, and clinical accreditation panels.

Professor Fahal remains deeply committed to teaching, pedagogical innovation, and workforce capacity building, serving as a temporary WHO Consultant for Medical Education Development in the region with an emphasis on e-learning, medical informatics, and innovative teaching methodologies.

He coordinates global healthcare training workshops in partnership with the WHO, supervises a vast cohort of undergraduate and postgraduate research students, and serves as an external examiner for numerous international medical schools and the Royal Colleges of Surgeons.

 

Community Engagement, Social Impact, and Decentralised Care

Recognising that clinical breakthroughs must reach the most marginalised populations, Professor Fahal has pioneered holistic, community-centered healthcare models.

He established three specialised satellite clinics in highly endemic, remote villages in Sudan, providing free local diagnostic, therapeutic, and health education services, which have successfully delivered free surgical care to over 1,000 rural patients locally.

To address the long-term socioeconomic impact of the disease, he founded the Mycetoma Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Centre (SAA’ID). This innovative initiative supports amputees and individuals disabled by mycetoma in acquiring income-generating skills to rebuild their livelihoods.

Furthermore, he has fostered extensive public advocacy by forming a highly active community support group comprising prominent artists, entertainers, and journalists to promote disease awareness and dismantle the profound social stigma associated with mycetoma.

 

Distinguished Awards, Honours & Fellowships

Professor Fahal’s contributions have been recognised with numerous prestigious national and international accolades, including the Sudan Republic Golden Medal for Excellence, the University of Khartoum Award for Scientific Research, and the Donald Mackay Medal from the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

He has been honoured internationally as a Knight of the Order of Palmes Académiques in France, a Knight of the Order of Merit in Italy, and a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences.

His outstanding lifetime contributions to scientific research have been further distinguished by his election to fellowships of the Royal College of Physicians in London and the Royal College of Pathologists in London.