Ms. Marie Therese Abi Akel

Marie Thérèse Abi Akel is a Speech Therapist & Head of Allied Health Services at the Jumeirah branch of Medcare Medical Hospital. With over two decades of experience, she has consistently shown a deep commitment to improving the lives of individuals with communication disorders through her clinical expertise, strategic leadership, and innovative approaches.

Her journey began in 1998 at the Higher School of Speech and Language Therapy, Faculty of Medicine of Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in SLT in 2002. She further honed her skills during an internship in cochlear implants at the Cochlear Implant Centre of Roger Salengro, CHR, Lille-France. She has completed specialized training programs, including It Takes Two to Talk® — The Hanen Programme®, Makaton, TalkTools® 3-Part Treatment Plan for OPT™, AAC Intervention, and the Lidcombe Programme. She also holds a special interest in treating dyslexia.

Early in her career, Ms. Abi Akel established the rehabilitation department of the Cochlear Implant Unit at Clinique du Levant Hospital in Beirut and worked at the Military Hospital in Jounieh, Lebanon, while simultaneously running her private practice. She moved to Dubai in 2006 to join the Rashid Centre for People of Determination, where she was promoted to Head of SLT services in 2012 and later to Medical Director in 2020. In these roles, she managed large, multidisciplinary teams, ensuring high-quality care for students and patients while overseeing operations and staff development.

Ms. Abi Akel treats children with a range of speech, language, communication and learning challenges, including mild, moderate, or severe learning difficulties, developmental and language delays, attention and listening difficulties, specific language impairment/developmental language disorder, speech-sound difficulties, and hearing impairment. She also addresses stuttering, autism/social interaction difficulties, dyslexia, and auditory processing disorders. Committed to providing inclusive and accessible care, she works closely with diverse populations and offers services in Arabic, English, and French. Her evidence-based approach ensures that her work is affirming and responsive to the needs of neurodivergent individuals.