AUC’s Board of Trustees has welcomed Hassan Allam ’02 as its newest member. Allam is the chief executive officer of Hassan Allam Holding, a leading group specializing in engineering, construction, investment and development, as well as real-estate development projects.

“We are pleased to welcome Hassan Allam to our board,” said Mark Turnage (ALU ’82), chair of AUC’s Board of Trustees. “He has always been a tremendous partner to AUC, a proud graduate who has championed the University and shown tremendous leadership in preserving Egypt’s culture and heritage.”

“Hassan Allam has always been a tremendous partner to AUC, a proud graduate who has championed the University and shown tremendous leadership in preserving Egypt’s culture and heritage.”

A graduate of civil engineering from AUC, Allam has been the group’s CEO since 2009. Allam oversees the company’s operations in 10 different countries, with a focus on efficiency, safety and cost-effective management. Under his guidance, the group has seen remarkable growth, driven by his leadership in facilitating international expansion and promoting diversification. The group is ranked 45th in the 2025 Engineering News-Record list of the top 250 global contractors.

Allam’s commitment to development and quality are reflected in his dedication to Hassan Allam Holding, as well as his civic engagement. Allam actively engages with prestigious international organizations such as the Young Presidents’ Organization, Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt and British Egyptian Business Association. He recently received AUC’s Global Impact Award for his leadership in bringing the Grand Egyptian Museum from concept to operation through Legacy for Management & Development, a Hassan Allam Holding company.

Joining AUC’s Board of Trustees will be a continuation of Allam’s engagement with his community and commitment to excellence. “His insight and experience will be invaluable to the work of the University,” said Turnage.

AUC’s School of Continuing Education (SCE) has launched a Business Leadership in Healthcare Certificate to annually train approximately 450 medical students from the Faculty of Medicine at Ain Shams University on business and leadership skills in the healthcare sector. The program is the first of its kind in Egypt and is now a requirement for all Ain Shams medical students, aiming to advance healthcare education nationwide.

“By integrating leadership and business competencies early in their careers, the program helps build a new generation of healthcare leaders capable of improving systems, efficiency and patient outcomes,” said Noha Salem, assistant director of grants and special programs at SCE.

“By integrating leadership and business competencies early in their careers, the program helps build a new generation of healthcare leaders capable of improving systems, efficiency and patient outcomes."

The program, which began this month, will equip medical students with critical leadership, management, digitized healthcare, and strategic thinking skills through hands-on, interactive learning. The course takes place over eight modules during the four years of medical school, with 125 hours of class time. The structure includes interactive sessions, group discussions, real-life case studies, and project-based learning. 

Reinforcing its commitment to lifelong learning, SCE aims to bridge the gap between medical knowledge and real-world leadership skills through this program, encouraging medical students to think beyond clinical practice into the skills that are still necessary for the administrative side of medicine. This represents a shift in medical education toward producing holistic healthcare professionals, explained Salem. “In today’s healthcare environment, medical professionals are not only clinicians; they are decision makers and team leaders,” she said. “Skills such as strategic thinking, project management, teamwork and organizational leadership will make students stronger healthcare providers, ensuring they know how to interact strongly with patients and understand the business framework of medical care.”

This program also fosters the path forward for continued partnerships between SCE and Ain Shams. The initiative is the beginning of a broader collaboration between various schools and departments across Ain Shams and AUC, with the potential for expanded joint programs, research initiatives and cross-disciplinary training. “Inter-university collaboration combines the academic and medical expertise of Ain Shams University with the professional development and training excellence of AUC’s School of Continuing Education,” Salem explained. “Such partnerships enhance the quality and relevance of education, benefiting students and institutions alike.”

“Inter-university collaboration combines the academic and medical expertise of Ain Shams University with the professional development and training excellence of AUC’s School of Continuing Education."

With graduates more capable of handling business administration, they are able to better connect to patients and ensure clinics are running smoothly and efficiently. This program helps build a new generation of healthcare leaders capable of improving systems, efficiency and patient outcomes. “The Business Leadership in Healthcare Certificate will strengthen healthcare institutions across Egypt,” Salem confirmed. “Graduates will be more capable of leading teams, improving patient care systems and contributing to healthcare reforms. Ultimately, it will raise the standard of healthcare leadership nationwide, supporting Egypt’s broader vision for sustainable development and innovation in the medical sector.”

Artificial intelligence is changing the journalism field, and the Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism is changing with it, as they introduce the AI Journalism Diploma. This new program, which is set to launch in April 2026, is pioneering integrating AI and journalism, and will offer its cohort the tools to navigate AI within the changing media playing field.

Hussein Amin, professor of journalism and mass communications and director of the Kamal Adham Center, emphasized the significance of developing a diploma with an AI focus at AUC. “We are a center of excellence,” he affirmed. “We are always looking to include new avenues for professional development, and artificial intelligence is the cutting edge.”

“We are always looking to include new avenues for professional development, and artificial intelligence is the cutting edge.”

The program’s first cohort will run for six months, with five courses delivered to participants over five-week increments. There will be two synchronous classes per week, with additional resources and assessments.

Creating the Next Generation of Media Professionals

The diploma seeks to assess AI utilization across a range of areas that could be beneficial for journalists. Students will learn how to use AI to maximize efficiency and organizational clarity. They will also become proficient in adopting AI solutions for audience engagement and innovating data procurement and production. The diploma also includes an AI ethics course, ensuring that AI media practitioners are equipped with the tools to avoid bias and prioritize transparency, accountability and public trust.

Amin hopes that participants in the AI Journalism Diploma program walk away with a fundamental understanding of the ways AI can be a tool for content creation, news automation and data management. “The media world is changing,” Amin confirmed. “We’re here to help students leverage this change and become changemakers themselves.”

"The media world is changing. We’re here to help students leverage this change and become changemakers themselves.”

An Entirely New Curriculum

The diploma’s curriculum will range from classes such as AI and Digital Platforms and AI Strategies for the Newsroom. “The diploma is a combination of practical and theoretical,” says Dina Saad ‘94, ‘96, associate director of professional development for the Kamal Adham Center. She has spent the past year helping to bring the program to life. “AI is being used across all fields. A specialized study for journalists will continue to highlight student excellence and bring the Kamal Adham Center to the Forefront.”

 “AI is being used across all fields. A specialized study for journalists will continue to highlight student excellence and bring the Kamal Adham Center to the Forefront.”

A market study and research was conducted over one year to design the curriculum alongside the Center for Learning and Teaching. Several international subject-matter experts were consulted to develop the program and create courses around different AI programs.

The diploma program is aimed at journalists and media professionals working across the Arab world. Participants will have to have bilingual proficiency in both Arabic and English, as English-language skills are required for working with some of the machine-learning models. Applications will open in November 2025, with 35 media professionals expected to be accepted into the first cohort.

“AI can help people if it’s being used in the right way,” Amin proclaimed. “We are developing an excellent curriculum to help journalists understand this. and shape the future media leaders.”