Vanda Abi Raad, MD, MHPE, EMBA

Clinical Professor
Department of Anesthesiology

Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development
Chair, Department of Anesthesiology

Dr. Vanda Yazbek Karam Abi Raad is Clinical Professor in Anesthesiology at the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development. She is also the Interim Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology.

Dr. Abi Raad received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Saint Joseph University School of Medicine and completed her residency in Anesthesiology at American University of Beirut Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in cardiovascular anesthesia. She is certified in Anesthesiology and Critical Care from the Arab Board of Health Specializations. Dr. Abi Raad joined the then-Rizk Hospital in 1994 as practicing physician in the Department of Anesthesiology and subsequently joined LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine in 2010 as Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology. From 1993 to 2013, she served as a Clinical Associate at the Anesthesiology Department at AUBMC.

Dr. Abi Raad’s continuous striving for personal growth has led her to pursue a number of credentials in anesthesiology, medical education, leadership and management. She obtained university diplomas in regional anesthesia (Marseille-France, 2006), in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (LU & Rennes-France, 2011), and in the Pedagogy of University Teaching (USJ, 2010) followed in 2015 by a Master’s degree in Health Professions Education from the University of Illinois—Chicago. In 2013, she obtained certification as Healthcare Simulation Educator by the International Society for Simulation in Healthcare and was promoted to the advanced level in 2020. Moreover, Dr. Abi Raad pursued further studies in leadership and obtained a Healthcare Leadership Certificate (LAU, 2019), attended a Leadership Strategies course (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2019) and acquired recently an Executive Master of Business Administration program from the LAU Adnan Kassar School of Business. 

Dr. Abi Raad is the author of several publications in regional anesthesia and pain medicine, medical education and in leadership. She serves as reviewer and board member for several national and international journals and societies in anesthesiology, education and simulation. She is the President Elect for the Lebanese Society of Anesthesiologists.

Selected Publications

• Karam C, Zeeni C, Yazbeck-Karam V, Shebbo FM, Khalili A, Abi Raad SG, Beresian J, Aouad MT, Kaddoum R. Respiratory Adverse Events After LMA® Mask Removal in Children: A Randomized Trial Comparing Propofol to Sevoflurane. Anesth Analg. 2022 Feb 25. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000005945. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35213484.
• Aouad, Marie T. MD^a; Yazbeck, Patricia MD^b; Zeeni, Carine MD^a; Yazbeck-Karam, Vanda G. MD^c Women in anesthesiology: is it different in the Arab world?, International Anesthesiology Clinics: Fall 2020 - Volume 58 - Issue 4 - p 78-83 doi: 10.1097/AIA.0000000000000288.
• Aouad MT, Zeeni C, Al Nawwar R, Siddik-Sayyid SM, Barakat HB, Elias S, Yazbeck Karam VG. Dexmedetomidine for Improved Quality of Emergence From General Anesthesia: A Dose-Finding Study. Anesth Analg. 2019 Dec;129(6):1504-1511. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000002763. PMID: 31743169.
• Yazbeck-Karam VG, Park YS, Tekian A, Youssef N. Evaluating the internal structure and consequential validity evidence of an objective structured clinical examination. Results and experiences from a new medical school. BMC Medical Education · December 2018 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-018-1421
• Yazbeck-Karam VG, Barakat H, Aouad M, Harris I, Park YS, Youssef N, Boulet J, Tekian A. Effect of a simulation-based workshop on breaking bad news for anesthesiology residents: an intervention study. BMC Anesthesiology, 2017; 17:77 DOI 10.1186/s12871-017-0374-72017.
• Yazbeck-Karam VG, Siddik-Sayyid SM, Barakat HB, Korjian S, Aouad MT. Haloperidol versus Ondansetron for Treatment of Established Nausea and Vomiting following General Anesthesia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Anesth Analg 2017; 124 (2), 438-444.
• Yazbeck-Karam V, Raad K, Daaboul Y, Korjian S, Asmar N, Jammal M, Aoun Bahous S. Medical education in a foreign language and history-taking in the native language in Lebanon - a nationwide survey. BMC Med Educ See comment in PubMed Commons. Nov 2016; 16(1):298.
• Yazbeck-Karam V, Aoun Bahous S, Faour W, et al. Influence of standardized patient body habitus on undergraduate student performance in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Med Teach. 2014; 36: 240-244.

View Dr. Abi Raad’s publications on PubMed (search terms: Yazbeck Karam V, Yazbeck Karam VG, Abi Raad V, Karam VY).

Professional and Research Interests

• Regional Anesthesia
• Medical Education, Continuing Medical Education and Simulation Based Education

Education and Training

• M.D. Degree, Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon, 1989
• Residency in General Anesthesia, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, completed 1992
• Fellowship in Cardiovascular Anesthesia, American University of Beirut, completed 1993
• Diploma in Regional Anesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, Marseille, France, 2006
• Certification by Arab Board of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, 2008
• Diploma in Pedagogy for Teaching in University, Faculty of Education, Saint Joseph University, 2010
• Diploma in Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia, Faculty of Medicine, Lebanese University, Beirut and University of Rennes, France, 2011
• Certification in Healthcare Simulation Education (CHSE), International Society for Simulation in Healthcare, 2013 and 2016. CHSE-Advanced level in 2020
• Master in Health Professions Education (MHPE), University of Illinois, Chicago, U.S.A., 2015
• Healthcare Leadership Certificate, LAU, 2019

Professional Memberships and Organizations

• Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH)
• Society in Europe for Simulation Applied to Medicine (SESAM)
• International Association for the Study of Pain
• Lebanese Society for the Study of Pain
• Lebanese Society of Anesthesiologists
• Lebanese Order of Physicians

Grants

Dr. Abi Raad has participated in research grants provided by LAU and by the CNRS (Lebanese Council for Scientific Research).

Keywords

Anesthesiology, Regional Anesthesia, Medical Education, Simulation Based Education