International patients and partnerships: Expanding access and building global capacity

Prof. Jong Woo Choi

Jong-Woo Choi, MD, PhD, MMM, serves as Vice CFO and Director of Overseas Hospital Development at Asan Medical Center (AMC), the largest 2,700-bed academic medical center in South Korea. He oversees international healthcare expansion, global partnerships, and strategic hospital development projects while contributing as Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine.

Dr Emad Estemalik

Emad Estemalik, MD, MBA serves as Chair of International Business Development for Cleveland Clinic’s International Operations, Section Head for Headache and Facial Pain at the Neurological Institute, and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Since joining Cleveland Clinic in 2013, he has combined clinical excellence with strategic leadership to advance the organization’s global mission.

Dr Estemalik brings deep clinical expertise to his executive role. He holds an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, enabling him to lead complex international initiatives with strong financial and operational insight.
In his current role, Dr Estemalik directs Cleveland Clinic’s international growth strategy, strengthening global partnerships, expanding institutional presence, and identifying high-impact market and investment opportunities. He plays a key role in aligning clinical quality, operational excellence, and long-term value creation across international markets.

Born in Cairo, Egypt, and having lived and worked across the Middle East and Europe, Dr Estemalik brings a global perspective to his leadership. He is fluent in Arabic, German, French, and Spanish and is a nationally and internationally recognized speaker on healthcare innovation, leadership, and specialty care.

Mr Joseph Hazel

Joseph Hazel is a distinguished leader in the healthcare industry with over 30 years of C-suite experience across Africa, Europe, the UK, and the Middle East. In February 2023, he joined Apex Health to spearhead the development of an integrated, collaborative private healthcare group portfolio, focusing on the MENA region. Under his leadership, Apex Health has transformed from a leading private 260-bed hospital in Qatar in 2022 to now operating 8 hospitals across 4 countries. Joseph’s strategic acumen is driving unparalleled growth and innovation, and most recently has been appointed as member of the Advisory Board for the Arab Hospitals Federation. Prior to this, Joseph spent 7 years at Mediclinic Middle East as the COO for Abu Dhabi, where he played a crucial role in elevating healthcare standards and operational excellence. Joseph holds an MSc in Healthcare Economics, Policy, and Management from the London School of Economics, an MBA, and a Diploma in Management from the Open University. He has further honed his expertise with certificates in Managing Healthcare Delivery and Strategy Execution from Harvard Business School, as well as completing director training at the Institute of Directors and leadership training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Dr Graccho Alvim Neto

Dr Graccho Alvim brings over 30 years experience to his projects. A wealth of multi national experiece is balanced by a strong Brazilian foundation. As owner of the CITIPA network of Immunotherapy clinics he helps expand access to the latest treatments for rare diseases. He is currently Vice-President of AHERJ (Association of Hospitals of the State of Rio de Janeiro), CEO of GloWe Brazil, Vice-President of the Brazilian Federation of Hospitals and General Secretary of AHOSP (Association of Hospitals and Clinics of the State of São Paulo).

Dr Graccho’s work with the Geneva Sustainability Center builds on his strong belief that we each have something to teach as well as learn, particularly in the rapidly changing world of International healthcare.