Dr. Samer El Hayek, MD, MSc, is an Adult and Addiction Psychiatrist and the Medical Director of Ardens Medical Center in Dubai, UAE. His clinical expertise encompasses substance use disorders, behavioral addictions, and dual-diagnosis presentations, alongside mood disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), psychotic disorders, trauma-related conditions, and personality disorders.

Dr. El Hayek completed a Fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System in Miami, Florida, following his Psychiatry Residency at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon. He earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut and holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management from the Swiss Business School.

Dr. El Hayek also serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. An active researcher, he has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications focusing on global mental health, addiction, and stigma. His scholarly work has received more than 3,000 citations, with an h-index of 26. He is also the editor of Addiction and Neurodegenerative Disorders: Unraveling the Nexus, published by CRC Press in 2026.

In recognition of his academic and research contributions, Dr. El Hayek was inducted into Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society. He also serves as a Board Member and Eastern Mediterranean Region Representative of the Network of Early-Career Professionals Working in Addiction Medicine (NECPAM).