Founder & Lead Trainer
Dr. Alfan Alketbi
PhD, MPH, PMP · Assistant Professor of Public Health, University of Sharjah
Dr. Alfan Alketbi founded HEIKA and leads its workshops. Her research and practice focus on school bullying in the UAE and the wider Middle East: how common it is, what prevents it, and how schools, families and decision-makers can respond together. Her peer-reviewed work includes national evidence on bullying victimization in UAE schools and reviews of intervention strategies that guide policy and practice.
She brings research, training and stakeholder engagement together so that every HEIKA session is grounded in evidence and fits UAE schools.
Research focus
- School bullying epidemiology and prevention in the UAE and Middle East
- Designing, implementing and evaluating school-based and multi-stakeholder interventions
- Child protection and wellbeing, including healthcare provider readiness
Roles
- Assistant Professor, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Sharjah (2025–present)
- Associate Faculty, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (2023–present)
- Treasurer, Emirates Public Health Association (2019–2022)
Education
- PhD in Public Health — United Arab Emirates University (2024)
- MSc in Public Health — Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (2017)
- Executive Master in Organizational Leadership — American University of Sharjah (2015)
- BSc, Dental Hygiene — Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah (2014)
PhD dissertation: Policymakers’ perspectives and student experiences of bullying at schools in the UAE — a mixed-method approach.
Selected publications
- Mapping stakeholders of the National Bullying Prevention Strategy in Abu Dhabi with document analysis — a qualitative and comparative study
Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 2026
- Development of a comprehensive school anti-bullying logic model in Abu Dhabi
Frontiers in Public Health, 2025
- Anti-bullying efforts in the United Arab Emirates: policy makers’ perspectives
International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 2025
- Bullying victimization in schools in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study
BMC Public Health, 2024
- School bullying prevention and intervention strategies in the UAE: a scoping review
Injury Prevention, 2024
- Bullying in private schools in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study
Population Medicine, 2023
Selected talks
- World Anti-Bullying Forum 2025 — Stavanger, Norway
- American Public Health Association Annual Meeting 2021
- 14th World Conference on Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion 2022
- Conference on Tolerance and Bullying Prevention — Al Ain, 2019
Certifications
- Project Management Professional (PMI)
- Certified Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist (KHDA)
- Diploma in Teaching — UAE University
- Professional Art Therapist
- Certified Compassionate Inquiry Therapist
- International Professional Trainer of Trainers License