Dr. Hassen obtained a B.Sc (Combined Honors) in Pharmacology and Biochemistry from the University of Aston-in-Birmingham, UK, and an M.Sc. in Toxicology from the University of Birmingham, UK. He obtained his doctoral degree in Toxicology from the University of Manitoba, Canada. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship in the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto he joined the Therapeutic Products Directorate at Health Canada, Ottawa, in 1996. In 2002, he was appointed Manager of the Division of Gastroenterology in the Bureau of Gastroenterology, Infection and Viral Diseases. In 2009, he left Health Canada to take up a position with the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi, as Manager of the Pharma/Medicines and Medical Products Department.