WHX Labs in Dubai to spotlight the leadership skills shaping next-generation laboratories as AI and automation accelerate transformation
- International experts will gather at WHX Labs in Dubai to address the forces shaping the next generation of laboratory leadership
- With AI and automation accelerating change, experts will examine how leadership must evolve to meet the demands of an increasingly digital laboratory environment
- WHX Labs in Dubai, held from 10-13 February at DWTC is co-timed with WHX Dubai (9-12 February at DEC), reinforcing Dubai’s role as a global hub for healthcare innovation
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 5 February 2026: WHX Labs in Dubai (formerly Medlab Middle East), held at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 10–13 February, will bring together international experts to discuss the factors redefining laboratory leadership, with a particular focus on the impact of AI and automation.
The session, titled “Transformational Leadership – Creating Next Gen Laboratory Leaders”, will take place on Tuesday, 10 February, as part of the Laboratory Management track within the event’s Laboratory Management and Medicine Congress.
Bringing together regional and international experts, speakers include Dr. Laila AbdelWareth, CEO, Diagnostics Global Patient Care, M42; Mark O'Brien, Associate Fellow and Programme Director, Oxford Healthcare Leadership Programme, Saïd Business School, Oxford University; Ziad Peerwani, Medical Director, Cleveland Clinic Reference Laboratory; Shweta Narang, Executive Director – Medical & Commercial Operations, Diagnostics, Global Patient Care, M42; and Rubina Lone, Consultant Pathologist, Dubai Health.
Speaking ahead of the session, Dr AbdelWareth said: “Transformational leaders are those who inspire others to achieve extraordinary outcomes and, in the process, develop their own leadership capacity. In the context of AI and automation, they are the laboratory leaders that anticipate emerging technologies, design future workflows and strategically steer laboratories into digital maturity.”
She added that leaders must be equipped not only to deliver operational improvements, but to take responsibility for safe, ethical adoption of AI across diagnostics and patient pathways. “Leaders must apply ethical judgement, implement safeguards, and ensure compliance with accreditation, validation, and safety standards as AI introduces new liabilities — model errors, bias, drift and more,” she said.
The session will also examine how laboratory roles and career pathways should evolve as AI takes on a growing share of routine and analytical tasks. Dr. AbdelWareth explained: “AI is not simply adding tools to our workflow; it is reshaping the skills architecture of the entire profession. Career pathways must evolve from traditional, linear ladders to dynamic, multi-track growth routes that align with digital diagnostics, advanced analytics and quality-driven oversight.”
She noted that future-focused laboratory teams will increasingly include emerging roles such as AI-augmented laboratory professionals, AI algorithm supervisors, laboratory informatics liaisons, and automation and workflow architects, with AI literacy becoming a baseline requirement for all laboratory professionals.
Looking ahead, Dr. AbdelWareth said leadership skillsets are shifting from traditional management to strategic and human-centric capabilities that support high-performing teams through uncertainty, with the next generation of laboratory leaders defined not by how well they manage routine processes, but by how effectively they harness, govern, and ethically oversee AI-driven diagnostic environments.
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