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Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Hospital / Mubadala Health Dubai, UAE
Dr. Natacha Ajaka, DBA, MPH is a UAE-based Senior Clinical Dietitian and healthcare leader with more than 14 years of experience across Lebanon, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Her clinical and leadership work focuses on advanced clinical nutrition, diabetes, obesity, oncology, gastrointestinal disorders, dysphagia and nutrition support. She currently holds a senior clinical nutrition leadership role across Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Hospital and Mubadala Health Dubai.
Her current work includes clinical nutrition service development, multidisciplinary collaboration, quality improvement and evidence-based nutrition pathways.
Dr. Ajaka's academic background includes:
She has also completed professional certifications through Rutgers University, including training in:
Dr. Ajaka began her professional career in Lebanon, where she worked in clinical nutrition and medical nutrition therapy. She subsequently developed experience across Lebanon, Oman and the UAE, accumulating more than 14 years of professional experience.
At Mubadala Health Dubai, she has provided comprehensive nutrition care to patients across the lifespan, from neonates to older adults. Her practice encompasses both inpatient and outpatient settings and involves close collaboration with physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals.
Her clinical experience covers complex and chronic conditions including:
Her principal areas of expertise include:
She provides individualized medical nutrition therapy involving assessment, nutrition diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation.
Her work includes nutrition management for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, obesity and other metabolic conditions.
She has experience supporting patients with cancer and hematological disorders through individualized nutrition interventions.
Her expertise covers conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, constipation, diarrhea, short-bowel syndrome and malabsorption.
Her work includes pediatric nutrition, growth disorders, failure to thrive, allergies, feeding difficulties and weaning.
One of Dr. Ajaka's major career developments has been her transition from clinical dietetics into healthcare leadership and service development.
Her current responsibilities include overseeing clinical nutrition services and contributing to:
A recent professional profile states that she has built dietetic departments in three hospitals, demonstrating her contribution to establishing and developing nutrition services.
Dr. Ajaka is an active researcher and has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed medical publications. Her research interests connect clinical nutrition with healthcare delivery, chronic disease management and health policy.
One of her recent publications is “Transforming Chronic Care: Direct Access to Dietitians in Dubai.”
The paper examines the potential benefits of allowing patients more direct access to dietitian services in Dubai and discusses barriers including insurance coverage, professional integration and systematic outcome tracking. Dr. Ajaka is listed as the corresponding author.
This work is particularly significant because it addresses how dietitian-led nutrition care could be better integrated into chronic disease prevention and management in the UAE.
Dr. Ajaka is an active speaker at major healthcare events.
She was a speaker at the Forbes Healthcare Leaders Summit, where she presented on pediatric gut health and nutrition.
Her professional profile also identifies her as a speaker at Arab Health.
She has also participated in educational activities addressing:
Recent professional activity also shows her participating in an EHS educational workshop on Crohn's disease and evidence-based dietary intervention strategies.
Dr. Ajaka has been involved in public health education outside the clinical setting. During her career in Lebanon, she participated in radio programmes discussing clinical nutrition and public health topics, including oncology nutrition, eating disorders, diabetes and common nutritional mistakes.
More recently, she has participated in UAE media and community initiatives promoting healthy nutrition. Her recent professional activities include television discussions on the gut microbiome and community education on infant and toddler nutrition.
Her documented credentials and professional recognitions include:
Diabetes Educators Society DES
Diabetes Educators Society DES