Meet Our Inspiring Leadership Team at Kanad Hospital
Healthy Communities Transformed by the Love of God
At Kanad Hospital
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. John Birky
John Birky, M.D., is the Chief Executive Officer of Kanad Hospital. As CEO, he provides strategic leadership and direction for the hospital to ensure operational excellence and carry out the strategic values and mission as set forth by the board of directors. He joined Kanad Hospital in 2022 as an American Board-Certified Family Medicine Consultant prior to becoming CEO in 2023.
Dr. John graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 2007 with a Doctor of Medicine, and then in 2010 he completed his residency in family medicine. In 2011, he also completed a fellowship in international and tropical medicine. Since then, he has practiced family medicine and served in various leadership roles, such as Chief Medical Officer, Executive Director of a non-profit organization, and private business owner. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, driving on sand dunes, sitting around campfires with friends, learning Gulf Arabic language and culture, playing guitar, playing paddle ball, and reading on a wide variety of topics.
Chief Operating Officer
Mark Wiersma
Mark Wiersma is the Chief Operating Officer at Kanad, meaning he is responsible for the management of services and processes that support the core business of Kanad Hospital. In this role, his primary focus is to create a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in service at Kanad and to create a strategic roadmap for the hospital’s service line.
Other key responsibilities include: engineering and maintenance, bio-medical, housekeeping, security, occupational safety and health, support services, projects, marketing, and general oversight of daily operational activities in the hospital. He started working at Kanad in January 2022.
Mark holds a Master of Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and a Master of Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has extensive experience at the senior administrative level in healthcare operations, change management, strategic planning, and care redesign in large health systems. Prior to joining Kanad, Mark served as a Service Line Director in a prominent cancer center. He spent most of his childhood years living in parts of Africa and Europe. Mark and his wife have four children, one of whom was born at Kanad Hospital.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Brenda McLaughlin
Brenda McLaughlin, M.D., is the Chief Medical Officer at Kanad Hospital. In this role, she oversees the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and best practices, including facility compliance with the local health authority. She has worked at Kanad Hospital since 2010. She started out working in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department and later became the head of department. In 2015, she transitioned to her current position.
Dr. Brenda graduated from Texas A&M School of Medicine in 2002. She then completed the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Scott and White Memorial Hospital. She continued there as a staff physician for four years, during which she was also the clerkship coordinator for the Ob/Gyn rotation at Texas A&M School of Medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys doing activities with her church family, golfing, SCUBA diving, doing triathlons, and traveling.
Chief Human Resources Officer
Benjamin Thomas
Benjamin Thomas serves as the Director of Human Resources at Kanad Hospital. In this role, he oversees the staffing and recruiting processes for all hospital staff. He first joined Kanad in 2006 as the Assistant Human Resources Manager.
He received his master’s degree in human resource management from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, and his bachelor’s degree in accounting and human resources from Southern New Hampshire University through the American College in Dubai. In his free time, Benjamin enjoys traveling and exploring the seven different emirates with his friends.
Chief Community Officer
Tara Leo
Tara Leo is the Chief Community Officer at Kanad Hospital. As the co-founder of True Sojourners, the charitable organization that owns and operates Kanad Hospital, Tara has been tasked by the board of directors to use her many years of cultural and linguistic experience in the Middle East to ensure that Kanad is deeply relationally connected to the people of Al Ain. She oversees our iconic home visiting program, VIP services, patient relations, marketing and the Arabic language and cultural program. Tara is passionate about helping all of our staff to communicate in Arabic and providing exceptional care for our patients and their families.
Tara is originally from the U.S., where she studied sociology, anthropology and psychology at Colgate University. A lifelong athlete, she also has a post-graduate certificate in personal fitness from the UK. Tara is always keen to spend time with her local friends, drinking coffee or taking long walks. She and her husband, Ralph, have six children (2 adopted from Ethiopia), and count it a great blessing from God to raise them in Al Ain.
Chief Pastoral Care Officer
Isaac O Olatunde
Pastor Isaac O Olatunde, LMHC, is the Chief Pastoral Care Officer at Kanad Hospital. In this role, he leads the Chaplaincy Team in providing spiritual and emotional care for staff and patients with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. Pastor Isaac first joined Kanad Hospital in 2005 as Staff Chaplain. In 2012, he moved to the USA for graduate studies, and in 2019 he returned to Kanad and was promoted to Director of Care and Culture. He became the Vice President of Pastoral Care in 2022.
Pastor Isaac received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1989, and then in 2016 he graduated with a master’s in counseling (mental health, marriage, and family) and religion. He is a US-Licensed Mental health Counselor (LMHC). He enjoys spending time with family and friends, and in his free time, he loves observing nature and admiring God’s beautiful creation.
Chief Nursing Officer
Dr. Emmah Ncube
Dr. Emmah Ncube is the Chief Nursing Officer at Kanad Hospital. She is an accomplished healthcare leader who brings strategic direction to the nursing and midwifery services. Dr. Emmah collaborates with other Kanad Hospital leaders to plan for current and emerging healthcare needs of the community. Being a firm believer of treating patients and visitors as family, she actively advocates for relationship-based care. She proactively leads by example, visualizing change initiatives for patient care needs, and transforming them into nursing practice.
Dr. Emmah’s rich educational background includes a Fellowship of the American College of Healthcare Executives; a PhD in Nursing Administration and a Master’s degree in Nursing Leadership and Administration from Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; a BA and an Honors degree in Nursing Management and Health Sciences Education from the University of South Africa. She also holds the CPHQ and Six Sigma Yellow Belt certifications.
Before joining Kanad Hospital, Dr. Emmah was the group nursing director for Zulekha Healthcare.
In her free time, Dr. Emmah enjoys reading, embroidery work, gardening, and spending time in nature.
Dr. Emmah’s multifaceted career, marked by leadership, innovation, and dedication to excellence, truly positions her as a transformative figure in the field of healthcare administration and nursing.
Associate Chief Medical Officer
& Chief Quality Officer
Dr. Richard Bramble
Dr. Richard Bramble is the Associate Chief Medical Officer (ACMO) and Chief Quality Officer (CQO) of Kanad Hospital. He supports the CMO in ensuring the highest standards amongst physicians and therapists and directs the improvement of quality processes across the hospital. Richard graduated from Cambridge University, England, in 1997. He obtained a distinction in his board exam with the Royal College of General Practitioners and completed further training in Tropical Diseases and Hygiene.
He used this training working for a charity in Yemen for seven years, serving marginalised people on the edges of Sana’a and Hodeida.
On returning to the UK, he worked for 10 years in healthcare management, as a Clinical Lead in a healthcare purchasing organisation and then as a Medical Director in a community healthcare provider.
Dr. Richard is married to Liz and has two children, aged 22 and 19. He loves praying and worshipping and spending time immersed in local culture.
Finance lead
Matthew A Meza
Matthew is an accomplished leader striving to embody servant leadership, having spearheaded transformative initiatives and guided large-scale operational teams at Amazon. He has aided in the operational growth of Amazon operations in California and lead a team that launched Amazon’s largest warehouse, in Texas. His expertise lies in financial analysis, harnessing data aggregators to drive precise forecasting, enabling strategic decision-making, and elevating organizational efficiency through stimulating continuous improvement culture.
Matthew holds an undergraduate degree in marketing analytics and is currently pursuing an MBA at Johns Hopkins University. He thrives on challenges, embracing them as opportunities for innovative solutions that push the boundaries of excellence.
Beyond his professional acumen, Matthew and his wife, Giuliana, find inspiration in activities like camping, trekking, and cycling. Complementing these pursuits, he enjoys running, reading, and the creative art of songwriting. This blend of experiences and a passion for innovation reflects Matthew’s multifaceted approach to both professional and personal pursuits. Matthew and his wife, a Paraguayan native, share an unwavering enthusiasm for their involvement with Kanad Hospital. Their shared joy in being part of this healthcare institution stems from a deep commitment to its mission to honor God by providing whole-person healthcare with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.
YEARS WITH YOU
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Grateful to be your healthcare partner
DOCTORS
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Our experienced Medical Team
NEW COMMUNITY
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Members served yearly
BABIES
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Delivered Since 1960
Our History
When the founders of Kanad Hospital (formerly known as Oasis), Christian missionaries Drs. Pat and Marian Kennedy, first arrived in November 1960, at the invitation of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his brother Sheikh Shakhbut, the infant and maternal mortality rate in Al Ain was unusually high. Because of this and other endemic diseases like tuberculosis and malaria, the population of Al Ain was actually declining and in desperate need of quality healthcare.