Aspetar Magazine

135 ASPETAR MAGAZINE ASPETAR CHAMPION Interview with Dr. Jamal Al Khanji Dr. Jamal, can you tell us about your role as Aspetar Chief Experience Officer? Hello. At Aspetar, my role is to ensure the best possible patient experience by overseeing the operation of patient- facing clinical departments across the hospital. This includes outpatient clinics, operating rooms, and inpatient departments, in addition to specialised sections like sports medicine and physical therapy. I also supervise the pharmacy, laboratory, imaging, and nursing departments, and am responsible for the electronic health information systems. I coordinate these departments to provide comprehensive, high-quality care. What past roles and experiences shaped your current professional identity? I started my career as a cardiac and vascular surgeon, a very demanding field. However, my passion for sports and outdoor activities led me to transition into medical administration. I worked at the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar as the Director of the Medical Licensing Department and later as the first CEO of the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners. I was also assigned as the Director of the Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Department. These diverse roles nurtured my strong passion for health regulation and quality of care. My joining Aspetar was an opportunity to utilise all these experiences to serve this global medical institution and help maintain its prestigious status. What are the most important lessons you've learned during your long career? Over more than 25 years in the medical field, I've learned that managing medical services requires patience, persistence, and strong determination. Change demands perseverance and a forward-looking perspective. In a prestigious hospital like Aspetar, it is crucial to constantly offer something new and advanced. Therefore, I can say that patience, persistence, determination, and teamwork are the most important principles I apply in managing these departments. Moving to your personal life, congratulations on completing the London Marathon. Tell us about your relationship with sports and your marathon experience. I have always been passionate about sports since childhood, and I played for Al Arabi Club. After a serious knee injury, I stopped playing for a long time, which led to significant weight gain. The journey to lose that weight was long, and I started with low- impact sports like cycling. My passion for sports returned strongly, and I later entered the world of swimming and running. One of my most significant athletic achievements was crossing the English Channel in 2018 as the first Qatari team to do so, an accomplishment that earned us the Qatar Sports Award. After that, my passion for running has grown, and I've participated in various races like "Samla" and other international marathons. In April 2025, I completed the London Marathon and now aim to finish all six major world marathons in less than 12 months, which would make me the first Arab to achieve this historic feat. We often hear about the experiences of athletes during their recovery journeys, but what about the minds behind the operation? In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Dr. Jamal Rashid Al Khanji, Aspetar Chief Experience Officer. His role extends beyond administration; he is also a passionate athlete who has overcome extraordinary challenges. These are some of his answers, where he combines his love for sports with his medical and administrative expertise to offer unique insights into building a world-class sports medicine institution.