Gaza’s Lifeline: UNRWA’s Role in Recovery
Date: December 2, 2025
Time: 12:00-1:20pm ET
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
Join us for an inspiring session in our Webinars Guiding Healthcare Professionals series.
Healthcare systems are a community’s backbone. Israel’s targeted attacks on Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure has created unique challenges for Gaza’s largest provider of healthcare services.
UNRWA’s healthcare leaders, Dr. Ghada Al-Jadba and Dr. Akihiro Seita will discuss the agency’s healthcare operations during this conflict and what it will take to rebuild Gaza’s healthcare under continued occupation.
Moderated Q&A will follow – please submit your questions below.
📌 RSVP / registration will be required. The meeting link will be sent to registered attendees.
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Dr. Ghada Al Jadba has served as the Chief Field Health Programme Officer for UNRWA in the Gaza Field since April 2015. A Palestinian born in Gaza, she leads a program that provides basic and lifesaving primary and secondary health services to more than 1.3 million Palestine refugees—over 75% of Gaza’s population—under extremely challenging conditions. She has advanced major reforms, including the Family Health Team approach and the introduction of electronic medical systems across all Gaza health facilities, improving modernization, quality, and continuity of care.
Under her leadership, UNRWA’s Health Programme has achieved significant outcomes, such as reducing maternal deaths from 9–11 cases annually to just two in the past two years, expanding early detection of noncommunicable diseases by screening 100,000 patients and identifying 8,000 with diabetes or hypertension, and integrating mental health and psychosocial support services into all 22 health centers. She has also championed breast cancer screening initiatives for vulnerable women, and led campaigns addressing adolescent health and early marriage, all while guiding the health system through ongoing emergencies and deteriorating health conditions in Gaza.
Akihiro Seita, MD, MPH is the Director of the Health Department at UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Special Representative at UNRWA since November 2010. As the director of health, Dr. Seita is the leader in health reform. He successfully converted UNRWA health services to implement best practices based on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) including the introduction of a person-centered family medicine approach, electronic medical records (e-health), and mental health care.
Dr. Seita is an innovator in health systems. He led the introduction of smartphone applications on maternal and child health and non-communicable diseases. He is a strong advocate for Palestine refugees. He works very closely with the Lancet (global scientific journal) and international partners to organize international events and writes peer-review journal articles.
Dr. Ibrahim Sablaban is a dual boarded psychiatrist and addiction medicine physician working in acute care psychiatry and consultation, and serves as the Vice President of AMHP national. He is heavily in involved in academic medicine and teaching, holding positions as clinical assistant professor at Michigan State, Wayne State and William Beaumont schools of medicine in addition to being the APD of Corewell Health’s psychiatric residency program. He also serves the Director of Medical Education at Metropolitan Behavioral Health hospital in Dearborn, MI – treating and promoting education to a large Muslim contingent. Over the years he has received multiple awards for teaching and clinical work including the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry’s Regional Award, and the Peter Coggan MD teaching award. He serves as a psychiatry liaison for the Islamic Center of Detroit and has been an advocate for addressing the opioid epidemic in recent years – through clinical work, interfacing with mosques & community organizations and working with the Office of National Drug Control Policy and SAMHSA as part of interfaith collaboratives.
