Since July 2020, Dr. Sayegh started a sabbatical year as Senior Advisor on Research in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at the Office of the Principal Deputy Director Dr. Hugh Auchincloss; and of Dr. Antony Fauci, Director, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this capacity, the main goal is to promote NIH funded research in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey) region by focusing on strengthening scientific collaboration among MENAT researchers and with US investigators in relevant focus disease areas. Dr. Sayegh coordinates all his efforts with Dr. Gray Handley, Associate Director for International Affairs, and is fully supported by the Office of Global Research (Director, Joyelle Dominique) at NIAID.