Dr. Wael Al Mahmeed

Dr. Wael Al Mahmeed is a senior consultant cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi — the only hospital outside of the United States to carry the Cleveland Clinic name and a landmark institution in the UAE's rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. With over 25 years of clinical experience, Dr. Al Mahmeed is one of the Gulf region's most recognised cardiologists, with a particular focus on preventive cardiology, lipid disorders, and cardiovascular risk management in the context of the Gulf's high burden of metabolic and cardiovascular disease.

The UAE has one of the world's highest rates of cardiovascular risk factors — including diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidaemia — and Dr. Al Mahmeed has dedicated his career to addressing this challenge through evidence-based preventive cardiology. His practice focuses on comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment, advanced lipid management including familial hypercholesterolaemia diagnosis and treatment, and the optimisation of cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients.

At Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, he works within a multidisciplinary cardiovascular team offering internationally accredited standards of cardiac care, combining US-standard medicine with the convenience and cultural accessibility of Abu Dhabi. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP), reflecting the breadth of his international training and professional recognition.

Dr. Al Mahmeed is also a prominent voice in regional cardiology policy and has contributed to Gulf Heart Association and Emirates Cardiac Society guidelines on lipid management and cardiovascular prevention.

Dr. Al Mahmeed completed his medical degree and postgraduate training at institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States, obtaining both the FRCP (Royal College of Physicians) and FACC (American College of Cardiology Fellow) designations reflecting his dual training background. He completed his cardiology specialist training at leading UK teaching hospitals and undertook subspecialty fellowship training in preventive cardiology and lipid disorders at a major US academic medical centre, gaining expertise in advanced lipid pharmacotherapy, familial hypercholesterolaemia management, and cardiovascular risk stratification. He has maintained continuous professional development through ESC, ACC, and Gulf Heart Association educational programmes and has completed advanced training in non-invasive cardiac imaging including cardiac CT and stress echocardiography.

Dr. Al Mahmeed's preventive cardiology practice is built on comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment using validated scoring tools (SCORE2, Framingham, ACC/AHA PCE), advanced lipid panel interpretation, and non-invasive imaging including coronary CT calcium scoring and carotid intima-media thickness measurement to refine individual risk categorisation.

For lipid disorders, he manages all phenotypes of dyslipidaemia using statins, ezetimibe, PCSK9 inhibitors (evolocumab, alirocumab), bempedoic acid, and inclisiran. For familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), he provides cascade screening, genetic counselling coordination, and — for severe cases — lipoprotein apheresis management. He has particular expertise in managing statin intolerance, identifying true statin-related myopathy, and implementing alternative lipid-lowering strategies.

For cardiovascular prevention in diabetic patients, he applies SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists as cardiovascular protective agents and manages the complete metabolic-cardiovascular risk profile. He performs and interprets stress echocardiography and cardiac CT angiography for coronary artery disease assessment in preventive care. He has published extensively on lipid management in Gulf and Middle Eastern populations.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is one of the Middle East's premier international patient destinations, offering US-standard cardiovascular care in Abu Dhabi. Dr. Al Mahmeed manages patients from across the GCC countries, the wider Arab world, South Asia, and internationally. He offers video consultations for initial cardiovascular risk assessment, lipid panel review, and second opinions on cardiovascular prevention management. He consults in Arabic and English, serving both the Arab-speaking world and international anglophone patients. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's International Patient Services provides seamless coordination of appointments, diagnostics, and accommodation for visiting patients.

Dr. Al Mahmeed is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP, UK) — two of the most prestigious international cardiology designations. He has been recognised by the Gulf Heart Association for his contributions to cardiovascular prevention guidelines in the Gulf region and is a respected speaker at regional and international cardiology congresses. He has contributed to the Emirates Cardiac Society's clinical practice guidelines and is an invited author in leading cardiovascular journals on lipid management in Middle Eastern and Gulf populations. He serves on editorial boards and scientific advisory committees for Gulf and international cardiovascular societies.