About

Zeinat Hijazi, MD

Professor Emerita

Dr. Zeinat Hijazi is Professor Emerita of Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology and retired Associate Dean for Medical Education at the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine. She graduated from Cairo University School of Medicine, and subsequently had twelve years of training and experience in the United Kingdom where she obtained her higher specialized qualifications from the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health.

Dr. Hijazi joined LAU in 2007 and carried out the task of planning, initiating and executing the first Modern Integrated Curriculum in Lebanon for the School of Medicine based on critical thinking, problem-based learning and early clinical exposure together with new pedagogies in teaching such as Simulation and Standardized Patients, as well as new assessment tools including Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE).

Dr. Hijazi has a longstanding interest and experience in medical education. Before joining the LAU, she held the position of Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Kuwait University School of Medicine (SOM), changed the written examination format in the pediatric department from essays to problem-based MCQs, modified bedside teaching and proposed the OSCE which later replaced the long and short clinical cases in the pediatric clinical examinations. In addition, Dr. Hijazi was actively involved and committed to the challenging and demanding task of shifting from the traditional medical curriculum to a modern case-triggered and system-based curriculum at the SOM in Kuwait. 

As a pediatrician, Dr. Hijazi has extensive experience in clinical pediatrics/pulmonology as well as teaching. She is well published in pediatric pulmonary diseases especially childhood asthma, wheezy infants, and chest infections. Dr. Hijazi was the first to publish on RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) infections in children in a desert country as well as on genetic mutations in the Kuwaiti asthmatic population.

A member of several professional societies in the field, she represents Lebanon on the International Advisory Board of the International Pediatric Pulmonary Congress (CIPP). Dr. Hijazi is frequently invited as a speaker to international congresses, and as session chair for numerous local, regional, and international conferences.  She has been acknowledged and honored by the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health in Britain by being selected as Examiner for the MRCP exams, the highest degree in Pediatrics in Britain.

Dr. Hijazi has continued to serve the school of medicine throughout its accreditation process, and as a mentor for faculty and students.  She is the first medical faculty member to have been honored with the title of “Professor Emerita” upon her recent retirement from her academic position.

Selected Publications

Professional and Research Interests

Education and Training

Professional Memberships and Organizations

Keywords

Medical Education, Curriculum Planning and Evaluation, Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology, Pediatric Asthma