Ghada Salah El Manbawi

Ghada Salah El-Manbawi (Arabic: غاده صلاح المنباوي; born 9 June 1969) is an Egyptian military physician and the first Egyptian woman to serve as president of the Military Medical Academy (April 2020–June 2022) and served on the academy's COVID-19 task force. Previously, she was Regional Health Inspector for Prevention and Awareness at WHO-EMRO (2018–2020).

Early life and education

El-Manbawi was born in Cairo on 9 June 1969. She earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBCh) degree from Qasr El-Eyni Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University in 1993. In 2002, she obtained a Master of Medicine (MMed) degree from the Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, and in 2008 she graduated with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Public Health from Cardiff University. Four years later, she completed an MSc in Strategic Science at Nasser Military Academy. In 2015, she was awarded a PhD in National Strategy for Developing the Egyptian Health System by the Military Academy for Postgraduate and Strategic Studies.

Career

Military service

El-Manbawi joined the Egyptian Armed Forces Medical Department in 1994. She served at several military hospitals and medical complexes. And as medical section chief for the Northern Military Region (2000–2005), she oversaw equipping and deploying the field hospitals during maneuvers and large-scale exercises, which qualified her for field medical management in the War on Terrorism in Sinai. In 2010 was promoted to Brigadier General (Medical), then she became the Vice President for Medical Studies at the Military Medical Academy, where she directed officers medical training and the strategic planning for the military medical curriculum. She also introduced problem-based learning modules vetted against regional best practices in military medical education, as documented in a study on curriculum transformation.

Public health and WHO role

At WHO EMRO (2018–2020), El-Manbawi was seconded as Regional Health Inspector for Prevention and Awareness. She directed regionwide immunization strategies, and oversaw introduction of inactivated poliovirus vaccine in Egypt and neighbouring states, and led data-quality assessments for measles Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs) that reached over 326 million children between 2018 and 2020.Template:Failed verification She collaborated with the MECACAR initiative to synchronize measles and polio campaigns across 22 member states.

Her coordination supported a multicentric retrospective immunogenicity assessment published in "Vaccine", emphasizing regionwide vaccine uptake recovery post-pandemic. A WHO editorial credited El‑Manbawi's office with achieving ≥95% coverage in four national measles SIAs during 2022.

COVID-19 response

As President of the Military Medical Academy (Apr 2020–Jun 2022), she managed the institution's operational pivot to support Egypt's COVID-19 response, by:

• Converting training centres into isolation wards for COVID-19 patients.
• Managing the preparation of military hospitals to quarantine and treat COVID-19 patients.
• Developing an infectious-disease control refresher programme for military medical personnel.
• Coordinating deployment of military medical teams alongside the Ministry of Health to hardest-hit governorates.

Her clinical protocols and rapid-response deployments contributed to reduced in-hospital COVID-19 mortality, as demonstrated by a retrospective scoring-system study of Egyptian military hospitals, in "Scientific Reports" (2022) validated her triage scoring system and reported a significant reduction in in-hospital COVID‑19 mortality.

In addition, she managed the negotiations of vaccines manufacturing in Egypt. Her efforts were aligned with pandemic influenza preparedness frameworks, fostering vaccine manufacturing in Egypt, and contributed to a measurable rebound in vaccine coverage, as documented in a 2024 study detailing measles/rubella surveillance trends in the region.

She implemented WHO‑aligned pandemic preparedness guidelines noted in East Mediterranean Journal's 2024 commemorative issue.

Legacy and recognition

In 2021, El‑Manbawi was named among the "Top 10 Public Service Leaders" by Cairo Morning magazine, in recognition of her trailblazing leadership and contributions to public health in Egypt. In 2022, a study in "Military Medicine Quarterly" placed her within Egypt's "leadership cohort of women" leading diplomacy initiatives in the MENA health sector. Her tenure at WHO EMRO was commended for advancing regional health coordination and communication—Arab News reported that "WHO chief praises Egypt's regional health inspector". She has been cited as a case of study military-civilian pandemic planning and example in integrating strategic planning into military medical education and in increasing female representation at senior levels in Egypt's Armed Forces.

Selected publications

• El-Manbawi, G.S., "Reforming Military Medical Education in Egypt," Journal of Military Medicine, vol. 47, no. 2, 2021, pp. 102–110. (internal publication, Military Medical Academy)
• El-Manbawi, G.S., et al., "COVID-19 Management Protocols for Armed Forces Hospitals," El-Nasr Journal, vol. 26, no. 5, 2022, pp. 34–35.

See also

• Template:Section link

External links

• WHO EMRO profileTemplate:Dead link
• Egyptian Medical Military Academy COVID-19 Management ProtocolsTemplate:Dead link
• Historical overview page on the Military Medical Academy website