Sulaiman AlShakhs , MD, MRCPsych
Dr. Sulaiman Alshakhs is a psychiatrist, clinical fellow in intellectual disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders, and a clinical associate in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. A 2021 graduate of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, he has built a career spanning clinical psychiatry, academic medicine, mental health policy, and advocacy.
Clinically, Dr. Alshakhs has developed particular experience in neurodevelopmental disorders and their intersection with substance use and personality disorders. He established a psychodynamic clinic for patients with comorbid personality disorders, substance use disorders, and developmental disabilities. He has also helped improve opportunities for adults with autism and intellectual disabilities, serving as a lead on initiatives that helped them secure employment and become active contributors to their families and communities.
Dr. Alshakhs is deeply involved in medical education and mentorship. He teaches junior and senior medical students using problem-based learning, facilitates clinical interview skills sessions, mentors medical students in WCM-Q’s Alumni Mentorship Program, and serves as a member of WCM-Q’s inaugural Alumni Board. His academic work includes peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on psychopharmacology, polypharmacy, caregiver wellbeing, frailty, sleep, and the use of artificial intelligence in mental health. He has also contributed to research at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases.
A significant part of Dr. Alshakhs’s work has focused on strengthening mental health policy and protecting the rights of people living with mental illness. He co-authored Qatar’s first Mental Health Act Code of Practice, contributes to national training for healthcare staff on its application, and helped develop Qatar’s National Mental Health Strategies and Patient and Family Bill of Rights. He also led a policy paper for the Secretariat General of the GCC advocating for mental health legislation, protection from discrimination, and responsible use of artificial intelligence in healthcare across the region.
Beyond his clinical and academic work, Dr. Alshakhs is committed to bringing mental health conversations into the wider community. He has delivered workshops, podcasts, and public talks on mental health awareness, advocacy, resilience, and the effects of adversity. His work has been recognized with the Humanism in Medicine Award and The Good Physician Award from Weill Cornell Medicine, as well as recognition as a GCC youth representative for mental health advocacy.
Dr. Alshakhs’s work is ultimately guided by a commitment to making psychiatric care more individualized and culturally responsive, while helping build stronger mental health systems in Qatar and across the Gulf region.