A Word from the President
Some initiatives are born from an idea. Others are born from a deep conviction, nurtured by years of passion, experience, and the desire to build and to pass on.
The Moroccan Association of Advanced Bronchoscopy (MAAB) was born this way.
Interventional bronchoscopy is far more than a specialty I am passionate about. It represents a medicine in motion, where technical skill meets innovation, where every advance can concretely transform the diagnosis and care of our patients.
Creating this association is also, for me, a way to put this passion at the service of my country. After years of training, practice and exchanges with colleagues in Morocco and internationally, one conviction became clear: we must build in Morocco a genuine culture of interventional bronchoscopy, suited to our realities, our needs and our ambitions.
The MAAB is the result of a long-considered project. It carries a clear vision: to train, to pass on, to federate and to advance.
Training is at the heart of our mission. We want to create concrete learning opportunities, foster the transfer of skills, and enable Moroccan pulmonologists, especially the younger generation, to train in advanced bronchoscopy techniques in an environment of excellence, sharing and collaboration.
Our ambition is also to open bridges with international experts and centers, to develop research, to encourage innovation, and to build a strong Moroccan community capable of sharing its experience and, in turn, contributing to the development of the discipline.
But behind the techniques, the equipment and the innovation, there is above all a human ambition: to advance our practice to better serve our patients.
I hope that interventional bronchoscopy will progressively find its full place within pulmonology in Morocco, that it becomes accessible, structured and taught, and that our country can develop its own expertise and project it beyond its borders.
The MAAB therefore represents more than the creation of an association. It represents the beginning of a collective adventure and, I hope, a true movement for interventional bronchoscopy in Morocco.
A passion that unites us. An expertise that we pass on. An ambition that we build together.
Founding members
Dr. Lamya Chrif Morand, MD, MSc, is an interventional pulmonologist and thoracic oncologist. She heads the Interventional Pulmonology Unit at the International Hospital of Kénitra and is a Partner Professor at Ibn Tofail University. Trained in France in pulmonology and thoracic oncology, she completed her education with several specialized university programs and a second-level Master's degree in Bronchoscopy and Interventional Pulmonology from the University of Florence. She is currently pursuing a PhD focused on artificial intelligence and the early diagnosis of lung cancer. Deeply committed to the development of interventional bronchoscopy in Morocco and Africa, she has contributed to introducing several innovative techniques in the country, notably performing the first pulmonary cryobiopsies, the first cryo-EBUS procedures, and the first cases of Cone Beam CT-guided and navigation-guided bronchoscopy in Morocco. She actively works on training, skills transfer, access to advanced techniques and the development of international collaborations, with a particular interest in inequalities in access to interventional pulmonology in Africa. Internationally, she is Director of Communications & Public Affairs of the European Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (EABIP) and International Vice-President of Women in Interventional Pulmonology (WIIP). The first Regent of Morocco for the World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (WABIP), she received the 2024 WABIP Distinguished Regent Award for her commitment to the development of the discipline.
Dr. Nina Maouelainin is an interventional pulmonologist based in Pennsylvania, USA, and a recognized leader in advanced bronchoscopy, education, and mentorship. She has played an important role in the development of advanced bronchoscopy in Morocco, notably introducing AI-assisted navigational bronchoscopy and performing the first LungVision-guided procedure in the country. She has since remained actively involved in training and mentoring Moroccan physicians in navigational bronchoscopy and peripheral pulmonary nodule diagnosis. In the United States, Dr. Maouelainin is the founder of Lung Health Services and Medical Director of Interventional Pulmonology at Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic. She has extensive expertise in robotic and navigational bronchoscopy, peripheral nodule diagnosis, and therapeutic airway interventions. She is a Regent of the World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (WABIP), founder and President of Women in Interventional Pulmonology (WIIP).
Dr. Lamia Berny is a pulmonologist and allergist practicing in Casablanca, with additional expertise in tobacco medicine and sleep medicine. A graduate of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca, she furthered her training in France as a former resident physician of the Strasbourg University Hospitals, where she also trained in interventional pulmonology. Particularly committed to the development of interventional bronchoscopy, Dr. Berny is among the pioneers of EBUS (endobronchial ultrasound) in Morocco, having contributed to introducing and establishing this technique in national pulmonology practice. She has a strong interest in advancing bronchoscopy, training pulmonologists, and broadening access to interventional techniques in Morocco. Deeply involved in the dynamics of Moroccan pulmonology and in continuing medical education, she was appointed Vice-President of the Association of Private Pulmonologists of Morocco (APPM). Her commitment reflects a desire to pass on her expertise, support the next generation of pulmonologists, and contribute to building a structured, accessible and innovative advanced bronchoscopy practice in Morocco.
Dr. Wassil Gaddar is a pulmonologist, allergist and sleep medicine specialist practicing privately in Casablanca. A graduate in pulmonology from the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca, he completed his training in sleep medicine as well as in the diagnosis and management of diffuse infiltrative lung disease, with specific training in thoracic imaging. His clinical practice covers the main areas of respiratory medicine, with a particular interest in interstitial lung disease, respiratory allergology and sleep-disordered breathing. Strongly interested in interventional pulmonology and advanced bronchoscopy, he is actively involved in their development in Morocco and works to promote training, the sharing of expertise and access to advanced bronchoscopic techniques. Long committed to associative life, he served as Vice-President of the Association of Private Pulmonologists of Morocco and Secretary General of the Association of Private Pulmonologists of Casablanca.
Dr. Imane Saidi is an interventional pulmonologist and professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (FMS-UM6P). She practices at UM6P Hospital in Ben Guerir, with a particular interest in early screening, diagnosis and management of lung cancer, as well as the development of interventional bronchoscopy. A medical doctor and graduate of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Marrakech, Cadi Ayyad University, she completed her training with a second-level Master's degree in Bronchoscopy and Interventional Pulmonology from the University of Florence (UNIFI). Her international training also took her to several leading European centers, notably Bologna, Frankfurt and Oviedo. She also holds a DIU in Tobacco Medicine from the University of Bordeaux. Deeply committed to the development and teaching of interventional bronchoscopy in Morocco, she actively takes part in organizing and leading workshops and training programs for pulmonologists. She is the EABIP (European Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology) Regent for Morocco and actively contributes to the development of training, scientific exchange and advanced bronchoscopy in Morocco.