Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar, continues to round its leadership team out with the hiring of Lester Aron as chief of staff to the CEO, according to a news release.

The academic research center is under construction in Doha and is being built thanks to a $7.9 billion endowment from the Qatar Foundation. Aron was the senior VP, general counsel and chief governance officer at University of Medicine and Dentistry of (Newark) New Jersey. He'll report to Dr. William Owen Jr., Sidra's CEO. Owen started in August.

“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Aron to Sidra as chief of staff,” Owen said in the release. “Dr. Aron's expertise complements our organization's aims and priorities perfectly. I am confident that we have recruited the ideal person to fill this critical and unique senior leadership role.”

The facility had been scheduled to open at the end of the year, but officials in the release now said they're working with their partners to determine when the center will be operational.