Prof. Shaalan graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1983 and then joined the National Research Centre (NRC) as a researcher in the field of biological anthropology, in addition to his original interest as a pediatrician. He completed his Master by 1989 and his Doctorate by 1993 and his research activities focus on growth, development and nutritional status in children. He has more than 30 publications in this field and was awarded much recognition. In 2004, he was promoted as a professor of biological anthropology, and shortly, he was selected as the head of Medical Research Division in his institute. Ashraf participated in the 1st African Nutrition Leadership Program (ANLP 2002) and he is a founding member of Middle East and North Africa Nutrition Association (MENANA). Recently, Ashraf was selected as the vice-president of the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT). He organized and chaired the 3rd Africa Nutrition Epidemiology Conference, held in Cairo on October 2008.