The 2025 recipient of the Leadership Excellence Award for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is Dr Nahida Ahmed.

In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, mental health reform is being led with both strategy and heart. Dr Nahida Ahmed has modernised services across the system by training general practitioners, improving electronic medical records, launching telepsychiatry, and integrating virtual care into everyday practice.

She has built digital pathways that bridge counselling and prescribing, introduced a digital wellness clinic for screen addiction, and championed policies that place mental health on equal footing with physical health.

As chair and advisor on multiple national bodies, Dr Ahmed is helping to design an integrated model of care, including a mental health disease registry, while advocating for stigma reduction and equitable access.

Dr Nahida Ahmed exemplifies leadership that blends clinical insight with visionary reform, demonstrating meaningful impact on mental health care across the Emirate.

Congratulations to Dr Nahida Ahmed.