Role Models for Women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Read the Success Story of Khawla Al-Kuraya

Khawla Al-Kuraya is a Saudi doctor and researcher in the field of cancer eradication. She holds the American Board certification from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in cancer genetics from the National Research Center in Maryland, USA. She held the title of Chief Cancer Research Scientist and headed a medical team to conduct medical research to treat cancer so effectively that it would be completely eradicated. She has also become a member of many medical bodies and societies, both locally and internationally. Let’s read about the success of Dr. Khawla Al-Kuraya.

Who is Khawla Al-Kuraya?

Khawla bint Sami Al-Kuraya was born in Al-Jawf, Saudi Arabia, in 1973. Her father, Sami Al-Kuraya, and her mother are of Jordanian origin. 

Khawla grew up in a scientific environment because all of her older brothers studied medicine with different specializations. She grew up in Al-Jouf and attended its schools. After obtaining a high average in high school, she joined King Saud University to study medicine and surgery. Then, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in 1994. Her scientific ambition prompted her to travel to the United States of America to complete her studies, so she joined Georgetown University in Washington and obtained the American Board of Pathology in 2000. A year later, she obtained a doctorate and fellowship in cancer genetics from the American National Center in Maryland.

Khawla’s Greatest Achievements:

After obtaining a doctorate degree in cancer genetics, Khawla decided to return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and began practicing her profession. She established a research program whose mission is to identify the genetic signature in 2002. Dr. Khawla continued her distinction by becoming the head of the Biotissue Research Center at King Faisal Specialist Hospital. She also received the position of medical director of the Arab Diagnostic Laboratory in the same hospital in 2003.

After that, in 2005, she became a chief cancer research scientist at King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh. She is also the director of the King Fahd Children's Cancer Center, which is affiliated with King Faisal Research Hospital. In addition, she is a lecturer at the College of Medicine at King Faisal University, knowing that Dr. Khawla has presented many educational lectures in local and international hospitals and universities.

In 2007, as a result of Khawla's research in the field of cancer, she obtained a patent from Germany after leading a medical team that discovered the amplification of the ESR gene responsible for breast cancer. Two years later, she discovered the gene that is believed to be responsible for the proliferation of cancer cells in the lymph nodes, and she began laboratory work to inhibit this gene. This discovery then helped in the treatment of lymphoma.

Dr. Khawla has published many scientific articles and research in scientific journals worldwide and has presented many scientific pieces of research in medical fields at international medical conferences such as those in China, America, and others. In 2019, Dr. Khawla started as a senior lecturer at the Dana Farber Cancer Center at Harvard University.

Dr. Khawla has received many awards and honors. In 2007, she won the Scientific Excellence Award from Harvard University. She also received the King Abdulaziz Medal of the First Class. She is a member of many medical and academic bodies, including a consulting member of National Geographic magazine, a member of the Canadian Academy of Pathology, and a member of the American Association for Cancer Research.

She represented Saudi Arabia at the International Cancer Conference in the United States of America at the Lymphoma Conference. She also represented Saudi Arabia at the European Conference on Colon Cancer. In addition, she is a member of other associations and academies.