Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare appoints Dr. Russell Hales to lead its Centers of Excellence, advancing specialized care in the Kingdom
Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH) has announced the appointment of Dr. Russell Hales as Chief of its Centers of Excellence, to accelerate the rollout of an integrated model for specialty care in the Kingdom in line with Saudi Vision 2030’s healthcare transformation.
Dr. Hales, a distinguished radiation oncologist and professor at the world-renowned Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, brings a wealth of experience to the role, along with Johns Hopkins Medicine’s standards, expertise, and evidence-based protocols.
His appointment marks an important milestone in JHAH’s mission to embed internationally recognized best practices within the Kingdom, enhance quality of care, and ensure patients benefit from having access to the best healthcare closer to home.
“The Centers of Excellence are about more than specialist clinics. They’re a unified model that shortens the patient journey and improves outcomes,” said Dr Hales. “By aligning Johns Hopkins Medicine’s evidence-based protocols with local insight, we’re building teams and pathways that deliver the right care, at the right time, close to home.
“Our program doubles as a platform for continuous education, ensuring JHAH teams stay current with the latest global developments while sharing learnings across the Kingdom.”
The Centers of Excellence model embodies JHAH’s mission to bring advanced, coordinated, and accessible care to communities in Saudi Arabia. Each Center unites leading-edge clinical expertise and innovation within an integrated system designed to ensure the highest quality, streamline the patient journey, and ensure that every stage of care is based on a rigorous framework.
The first such center is the Oncology Center of Excellence, which is transforming cancer care in the Kingdom. The Center focuses on breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers, which are among the most prevalent in Saudi Arabia. The Center combines multidisciplinary expertise, innovation, and Johns Hopkins Medicine’s standards to deliver precise, compassionate, and comprehensive care.
Each patient’s journey – from screening and diagnosis to treatment, survivorship and long-term health management – is guided by a dedicated team of diverse specialists working in full coordination. This unified approach not only improves outcomes, but also reinforces JHAH’s commitment to placing patients at the center of everything it does.
With the Oncology Center of Excellence fully established, JHAH is expanding this model to additional specialties.
Later this month, between October 27-30, JHAH will participate in the Global Health Exhibition 2025 in Riyadh. Attendees will gain an exclusive, insider look at its Oncology Center of Excellence – showcasing how this integrated model is already transforming cancer care in the Kingdom and setting new standards for every patient, every family, and every community.
