Dr. Samar Al-Homoud is a Saudi consultant colorectal surgeon at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center.

Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed Al-Homoud as chair of its ethics committee. She is the first member from the Middle East region to hold this position.

Al-Homoud is the regional expert in colorectal cancer screening and prevention, and has been involved heavily in drafting invaluable national, regional, and international policies and recommendations in this area.

In 2017, Al-Homoud was selected out of 23 world leading experts to draft the IARC Handbook on Colorectal Cancer Screening, from which a summary of the evidence was published early this year in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals.

Al-Homoud was appointed as honorary visiting consultant surgeon at St. Mark’s Hospital, west London, in the UK, and has served in several organizations and scientific societies, including the Gulf Center for Cancer Control and Prevention. 

She has enrolled in strategic collaborations with national and international organizations such as the Saudi Health Council, the Saudi Ministry of Health, Gulf Cancer Control Federation and many more.

Al-Homoud is also actively involved in organizing and conducting national and regional campaigns to increase public awareness about the early signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer and the best methods for early detection.