Kerry Olsen, MD

Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA

Kerry D. Olsen, M.D. is a named Professor at the Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota, the Joseph I and Barbara Ashkins Professorship in Surgery. He is the past Chair of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology at Mayo Clinic and former Medical Director for ten years of the Mayo Clinic Dan Abraham Healthy Living Centre. He is an Emeritus Member of Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees having served for sixteen years. He is former President of Mayo Clinic staff.

Dr. Olsen oversaw for fifteen years the construction and planning of numerous major facility projects at Mayo Clinic including the Gonda project, the largest construction project in Mayo Clinic history, and the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Centre. He is the author of the Mayo Clinic Model of Care.

Dr. Olsen received a B.A. degree in economics from Northwestern University and the M.D. degree from the first graduating class of Mayo Medical School. He completed an Internship in General Surgery and a Residency in Otolaryngology at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and Facial Plastic Surgery training at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He holds the academic rank of Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery in the Mayo College of Medicine. He currently is a member of the Division of Medical Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

He has been named Teacher of the Year multiple times and is in the Mayo Fellows Association Teaching Hall of Fame. He has also been recognized as a Distinguished Mayo Clinician. He has lectured all around the globe on Head and Neck Oncology, Wellness, and Mayo Clinic Culture and Leadership. He is considered one of the leaders and giants of Head and Neck Surgery and healthcare management worldwide.

His publications number over 250 and he has championed surgical approaches for the removal of head and neck tumors that are commonly used today.  He is widely recognized for his surgical practice, which is devoted exclusively to head and neck surgery and was one of the largest head and neck surgical practices in the country. Working with the Mayo Clinic Entrepreneurship Program he is President of 12 for Health L.L.C.

His greatest source of satisfaction is his family, a wonderful wife, four married children, and  eight grandchildren.  Dr. Olsen is often found enjoying outdoor activities at his second home in Hood River, Oregon, exercising regularly, or traveling on adventurous outdoor trips around the globe.

Randal Weber, MD, FACS

Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

Randal S. Weber, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a renowned surgeon and expert in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, a position he held for over 14 years. He has a joint appointment as Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and is Adjunct Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

He is the recipient of the John Brooks Williams and Elizabeth Williams Distinguished University Chair in Cancer Medicine. A leader in healthcare initiatives to improve cancer care, Dr. Weber has been instrumental in the efforts to improve the quality of care and the outcomes achieved through the establishment of performance-driven processes and the adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines for patients with head and neck cancer. His leadership efforts in promoting quality cancer care that is value driven have been instrumental in creating a national agenda to improve head and neck cancer care. In addition to maintaining a busy clinical schedule, he remains closely involved in the professional development and education of head and neck surgical oncology fellows. He remains active in clinical research investigating new treatment approaches for patients with head and neck cancers and is a pioneer in the use of organ-sparing oncologic strategies. Highly sought after for his expertise and professional insights, Dr. Weber has been the guest lecturer and visiting professor on more than 200 occasions both in the United States and around the world, in addition to leading numerous courses and seminars.

Dr. Weber was honored as the Hayes Martin Lecturer and recipient of the Distinguished Service Award at the April 2011 meeting of the American Head and Neck Society. He has served as President of the Society of University Otolaryngologists - Head and Neck Surgeons, the American Radium Society, and the American Head and Neck Society. He is the past President of the American Board of Otolaryngology and past Chair of the Head and Neck Surgery Committee of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group.

Dr. Weber is a prolific author with over 400 publications that include scientific articles, book chapters, and textbooks. He is the immediate past Editor in Chief of Head & Neck: Journal for the Sciences and Specialties of the Head and Neck, a position he held for 13 years. He also serves on the editorial board of several scientific journals. Effective September 1, 2016, Dr. Weber assumed the role of Chief Patient Experience Officer for MD Anderson Cancer Center and will continue an active head and neck surgical practice.

Fadlo Khuri, MD

President
American University of Beirut

Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri is the 16th President of the American University of Beirut University (AUB) and Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology) at the Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center. He assumed office on September 1, 2015. He was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, and held the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research. He also served as Deputy Director for the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Dr. Khuri was also the Executive Associate Dean for Research of the Emory University School of Medicine.

Dr. Khuri was born in Boston, MA and raised in Beirut while his father Raja N. Khuri served as dean of the AUB’s Faculty of Medicine and his mother as a professor of mathematics at AUB. Following a year of study at AUB (1981-82), Dr. Khuri earned his undergraduate degree at Yale University in New Haven, and his MD at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Boston City Hospital, and a fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Tufts-New England Medical Center. He was on faculty at the U.T. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1995-2002 prior to joining Emory University and the Winship Cancer Institute (Winship) in 2003.

Dr. Khuri is an accomplished molecular oncologist and translational thought leader, his clinical expertise and research are focused on the development of molecular, prognostic, therapeutic, and chemopreventive approaches to improve the standard of care for patients with lung and aerodigestive cancers. He has authored over 350 peer-reviewed articles and over 50 editorials and perspectives in leading journals, and written over 100 reviews and chapters. He has served for the last six years as Editor-in-Chief of Cancer, the oldest and one of the most prestigious journals in the field. His scientific work has been cited over 30,000 times according to Google Scholar, and over 17,000 times by Web of Science, where his Hirsch index is 76. Dr. Khuri has also served as a permanent member of multiple peer review committees for the American Cancer Society, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the NCI, including currently serving as the Chair of the NIH’s Clinical Oncology Study Section. He is an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Khuri’s ability to build teams with the singular vision of improving outcomes for cancer patients has helped develop Winship into a premier translational research engine. Dr. Khuri has led the recruitment of over 90 faculty including 60 clinical investigators to Emory University, helping oversee an increase in adult cancer patients placed on trial annually from 143 in 2002 to over 650 in 2014, and paving the way for NCI designation for the Winship.

Dr. Khuri’s work has been recognized with several major awards, including the 2006 Nagi Sahyoun Award of the Middle East Medical Assembly for “research that has changed the way we think about and treat lung and head and neck cancer”, the 2010 Waun Ki Hong Distinguished Professorship by the University of Texas MD Anderson, and the 2013 Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Memorial Award from the AACR for “his pioneering work in developing oncolytic viruses, signal transduction inhibitors, and biomarker based chemoprevention approaches to lung and aerodigestive cancers.” In 2013, Khuri was also recognized with the Arab American High Achievers (AAHA) Award by the Alif Society, the major Arab Cultural Foundation of Georgia. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (2007), and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (2009) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2015). He has been listed among America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly for the last 10 years.

Michel E. Mawad, MD

Dean
Lebanese American University Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine

Dr. Michel Mawad was appointed Dean of the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine in February 2017.

Dr. Mawad returned to the Middle East in 2015 after a remarkable 32-year career with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He has served as the Chairperson of the Department of Radiology, one of the largest departments in the world, which included over one hundred physicians. Among his other achievements, he also established minimally invasive techniques for the treatment of cerebrovascular disorders such as aneurysms, arteriovenous malformation, and stroke. He is considered a world expert and innovator in the field of Interventional Neuroradiology.

Prior to his appointment at LAU, he spent two years building a stroke center as a member of the Neurological Institute of the renowned Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi. He has also helped establish the Stroke Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Mawad brings an ideal combination of proven excellence in the clinical, academic and leadership fronts. At Baylor, he held various key positions in radiology, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, neurology and ophthalmology -initially as clinical assistant/associate professor and later as tenured professor and chair, in addition to serving as neuroradiology fellowship director for 25 years. Dr. Mawad stands amongst the leading neuroradiologists in the world.

Dr. Mawad holds several patents, boasts over 300 publications and has received research and educational grants totaling over $4.25 million in addition to various honors and awards. Additionally, he has hosted 30 international meetings and symposia, given 130 seminars and presentations, and authored dozens of clinical and research protocols. Dr. Mawad is a member of eight medical organizations, including the World Federation of Therapeutics & Interventional Neuroradiology, which he helped establish and ultimately led. He sits on the editorial boards of several prominent journals, including Interventional Neuroradiology, American Journal of Neuroradiology and Journal of Neurovascular Disease.

Soon after graduating with an M.D. from St. Joseph University, Lebanon in 1976, Dr. Mawad moved to New York City to complete an internship and a residency in diagnostic radiology. He then took up a fellowship in Neuroradiology at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and went on to assume his first academic appointments at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, until 1984 when he moved to Houston.

Alain Sabri, MD, MPH, FACS

Professor and Chairperson
Department Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Assistant Dean
LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine

Dr. Alain Sabri currently serves as Professor and Founding Chairperson of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and Assistant Dean at the Lebanese American University Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine and Lebanese American University Medical Center-Rizk Hospital.

Dr. Alain Sabri graduated from the American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine in 1992. He subsequently pursued General Surgery Residency training at Georgetown University Medical Center Washington DC, followed by a Residency training in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Case Western Reserve University Hospitals of Cleveland- Ohio. Dr. Sabri then completed two sub-specialty fellowships in Head and Neck Cancer/Skull Base Surgery- Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery (1999-2000) and in Otology/Neurotology (2000-2001) at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Dr. Sabri holds a Master’s degree in Hospital and Health Management from Ecole Supérieure des Affaires (affiliated with the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris). He also pursued additional Health Leadership courses at l’Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires (INSEAD). Dr. Sabri began his professional career in 2000 as an assistant Professor at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He was voted Teacher of the Year at the Mayo Clinic in 2003.

In 2004, Dr. Sabri returned home to join the American University of Beirut Medical Center as an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and was appointed as the Department’s Chairman in 2011. In parallel, Dr. Sabri served as AUBMC Associate Chief of Staff.

Dr. Sabri was then recruited by the Cleveland Clinic, USA where he was appointed as the founding Chairperson of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery in Abu Dhabi where with a carefully selected team he established one of the busiest services at that institution. In collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic leadership, he has helped establish one of the most ambitious projects in the region and the world at that time.  He was promoted to the rank of Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, USA.

Throughout his career, Dr. Sabri was continuously involved in a busy medical and surgical clinical practice, teaching activities and research. He has developed several multidisciplinary teams of excellence across departments at various institutions in the USA and the Middle East. He is a member of numerous professional societies and has held leadership roles in several committees, panels and meetings internationally. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the prestigious American Head and Neck Society. He has lectured extensively in Lebanon and internationally and presented instructional courses, almost on yearly basis for 20 years, at the American Academy of Otolaryngology and subsequently receiving the honor award from that Society in 2010. Dr. Sabri was also involved in numerous humanitarian medical missions in South America and the Middle East. He has published extensively in addition to authoring several book chapters including contributions to the Cummings’ Otolaryngology textbook.

Dr. Sabri is American Board certified in Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery and American Board certified in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Rami Saade, MD

Assistant Professor
Residency Program Director 
Department Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Lebanese American University School of Medicine

Dr. Saade is an Assistant Professor and Residency Program Director in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the Lebanese American University School of Medicine.

Dr. Saade graduated in 2008 from the American University of Beirut, School of Medicine and completed an Internship in Surgery followed by a Residency in Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery (AUBMC 2013). He then completed a very sought after 2-year Fellowship in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Houston TX, USA.

Dr. Saade’s subspecialty is focused on Head and Neck Surgery for Malignant and Benign tumors of the Oral cavity, Pharynx, Larynx, Sinonasal cavity, Anterior Skull base, Salivary Gland /Endocrine and Skin. His Surgical and research interests revolve around applications of new technologies, minimally invasive endoscopic, laser and robotic surgery to optimize Functional Outcomes and improve Head and Neck cancer patient’s Quality of Life.

Dr. Saade lectured in regional and international conferences. He authored many original articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters in the field of Head and Neck Cancer.

Dr. Saade joined LAU Medical Center-RH in 2016. Along with his clinical and surgical responsibilities, he is actively involved in the academic and administrative development of the Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery Department.

Samer Fakhri, MD

American University of Beirut

Dr. Samer Fakhri is an internationally renowned rhinologist and educator who is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). He is also a clinical Professor at the University of Texas (UT) medical school at Houston and holds leadership positions in healthcare institutions and specialty societies nationally and internationally.

Prior to joining AUBMC in early 2015, Dr. Fakhri was a tenured Professor, Residency Program Director and Vice Chair in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas medical school at Houston. He has practiced in the Houston area for over 10 years and established the division of sinonasal and skull base surgery at UT Houston, the first of its kind in Houston and southeast Texas to offer comprehensive medical and surgical care for sinus and skull base disorders by a fellowship-trained rhinologist. Patients and peers have recognized. Dr. Fakhri’s skills and expertise as a sinus and skull base surgeon and have consistently named him to the local and national Top Doc lists including America’s Best Doctors and the acclaimed Castle Connolly Top Doctors, an accomplishment achieved by only 2% of physicians. In 2013, Dr. Fakhri received the University of Texas System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, the highest honor bestowed by the UT Board of Regents and one of the nation’s most competitive awards for medical educators. He also received the medical school Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award for 8 consecutive years. In late 2014 the president of UT Health awarded Dr. Fakhri the medal of excellence for his exemplary contributions to clinical care, education and research. He is credited with transforming the learning milieu and educational structure of the otolaryngology residency and lifting it into a fully-accredited and highly sought-after training program. He contributes to the education of future otolaryngologists and has trained many residents and fellow surgeons. His expertise is widely recognized and he draws patients from across the globe.

Dr. Fakhri received his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He completed his residency training at McGill University Health Center and pursued fellowship training in rhinology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He also completed a research fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories of McGill University. Dr. Fakhri is one of very few surgeons certified by both the American Board of Otolaryngology and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the American Rhinologic Society. He serves as a committee Chair at the American Rhinologic Society and contributes yearly instructional courses to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. In addition he is on the editorial board and a reviewer for Otolaryngology journals. He is a frequently invited national and international panelist and speaker. Dr. Fakhri has published over 60 scientific articles and book chapters, including description of new minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat complex sinus conditions. Dr. Fakhri’s areas of clinical interest include medical and surgical management of refractory chronic rhinosinusitis, sinus and nasal polyps, image-guided surgery, endoscopic lacrimal and orbital surgery, cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF) repair, endoscopic removal of sinus and nasal tumors, and minimally invasive skull base surgery. Dr. Fakhri has a special interest in space medicine and managing sinus barotrauma and has been entrusted with the care of NASA astronauts, airline pilots and professional deep sea divers.

Fady Geara, MD

American University of Beirut

Dr. Geara is the Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the American University of Beirut. Dr. Geara went to Medical School at the University of Paris XI and then trained in Radiation Oncology at the University of Tours, France. He also earned a PhD degree in Radiation Biology from the University of Paris XI and MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas. He was a Clinical Fellow at The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center and remained on staff at that institution as an assistant professor. He then moved back to Lebanon where he was appointed the Chairman of the department of Radiation Oncology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. He was also the director of The Naef K. Basile Cancer Institute between 2004 and 2012. Moreover, he was the founding President of the Lebanese Society of Radiation Oncology.

Dr. Geara is widely published in the field of Radiation Oncology and specifically in the field Head and Neck Oncology. He has many research grants. He has received many prestigious awards locally and internationally including the American Cancer Society Career Development Award in Clinical Oncology. He is American Board certified in Radiation Oncology.

Hady Ghanem, MD

Lebanese American University

Hady Ghanem, MD is an American Board certified physician in Internal Medicine, hematology and oncology. He currently holds the position of Chief of the hematology oncology division at the Lebanese American University Medical center-Rizk Hospital. He attended medical school at the Faculty of medicine, Saint Joseph University in Beirut and earned his medical degree (MD).

Dr. Ghanem then completed his internal medicine Residency at Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey, USA. He then moved to Washington DC and completed a 3 year fellowship in Hematology-Oncology at the Georges Washington University hospital, which was followed by a sub specialty fellowship in leukemia at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He has earned many recognition awards for outstanding clinical achievements during his training, and has published more than 20 papers and book chapters. Dr. Ghanem is an Assistant Professor at the Lebanese American University and is extensively involved in medical students and residents teaching.

He is also a member of many committees related to patient care and patient satisfaction, and chairs the pharmacy and therapeutics committee at LAU Medical Center-RH. He is a member of many national and international societies for hematology and medical oncology.

Amine Haddad, MD

Hôtel Dieu de France

Dr. Amine Haddad is currently a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the St-Joseph University School of Medicine.

He graduated from the St-Joseph University in Beirut Medical School in 1981 and then completed a residency in Otolaryngology at McGill University in 1986. He served as a Clinical director and head of the residency training committee in the Department of Otolaryngology at the Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Canada. He then moved to Lebanon where he was appointed as the medical director of the Hotel Dieu de France Hospital between 1997 and 2000. In 2003, he served a two year term as the President of the Lebanese Society of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery. He was the Assistant Dean of Post-graduate studies at the Saint Joseph University School of Medicine. He then served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at that same institution between 2007 and 2013.

He became the Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at the St-Joseph University from 2003 to 2013. He has lectured extensively in the Middle East, Europe and North America. Dr. Haddad’s main interests include Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery, research and education.

Raghid Kikano, MD

Lebanese American University

Raghid Kikano, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology at the Lebanese American University Medical Center - Rizk Hospital and LAU School of Medicine. Dr. Kikano received his Medical Degree from the St-Joseph University, Beirut Lebanon in 2003 along with a Master in Sciences. He completed a residency training in Radiology at the Hotel Dieu de France University Hospital from 2003 till 2007 followed by an attestation en Formation Spécialisée in Radiology from Paris VI, France (2007-2009).

Dr. Kikano is a fellowship trained neuroradiologist from the University of Chicago, a fellowship trained interventional radiologist from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation with wide experience in head and neck imaging, neuroimaging and advanced neuroimaging (Perfusion and Diffusion tensor imaging, Tractography and Functional MRI).

Antoine Melkane, MD

Hôtel Dieu de France

Dr. Antoine Melkane received his medical degree from the Saint Joseph University School of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon in 2004.

After completing his Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery residency in the Hotel Dieu de France University Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon (2004-2009), he underwent fellowship training in Head and Neck Cancer Surgery at the Gustave Roussy Institute, Paris XI University, Villejuif, France (2009-2012), then at the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, MI, USA (2012-2013). Dr. Melkane joined the faculty at the Hotel Dieu de France University Hospital in 2014 and is currently Clinical Instructor in the department of Otolaryngology at the Saint Joseph University. He is actively involved in the care of patients with head and neck cancers, developing both oncologic and reconstructive surgeries. Dr. Melkane holds a Master of Surgical Science from the Paris XI University, Paris, France (2012).

His main research interests involve the implication of Human Papillomavirus in oropharyngeal cancers, the role of sentinel node biopsy in early oral cancers, and the application of confocal laser endomicroscopy in head and neck cancers.

Sami Melki, MD

Lebanese American University

Dr. Melki graduated in 2008 from the Université Saint Joseph – Faculté de Médecine in Beirut, Lebanon. He then completed a residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.  This was followed by a fellowship in Head and Neck surgery and microvascular reconstruction at the same institution. He also pursued a post-doctoral fellowship in Otology with a focus on Ménière’s Disease at Case Western Reserve University, this culminated in finding a novel treatment for slowing the hearing decline in a model of Ménière’s Disease.

He was actively involved in different innovation projects within the institution and is the first William Neides Award for Innovation recipient at Case Western Reserve University.

He is American Board-certified Otolaryngologist – Head and Neck Surgeon and is one of the very few Head and neck microvascular reconstructive surgeons in Lebanon and the region.

His surgical interests include head and neck cancers, otology, tracheal surgery and reconstruction, thyroid surgery, salivary gland surgery, sinus and skull base surgery, microvascular free flap reconstruction of the head and neck and craniofacial trauma.

He has published multiple papers in the fields of otology and head and neck surgery.

Selim Nasser, MD

Lebanese American University
& Clemenceau Medical Center

Dr. Selim Nasser is associate professor of Pathology LAU School of Medicine and Chief of Pathology at Clemenceau Medical Center and Sacred Heart Hospital. He is a graduate of St. Joseph University, School of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon. He completed his Pathology residency training and was appointed chief resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston. He also completed two fellowships in Cytopathology and Molecular Genetic Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Nasser is American Board certified in Anatomic Pathology and Cytopathology. He held a faculty position in the Pathology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital until his return to Lebanon in 2003, where he introduced several new tests, including 1p/19q FISH testing and IDh2 evaluation in brain tumors as well as liquid-based cytology.

He is a founding faculty and the leader of the Pathology program at the Lebanese American University School of Medicine and was recently appointed the founding program director of the pathology residency program at LAU School of Medicine. Dr. Nasser’s interests include Head and Neck pathology, Breast pathology and molecular tumor markers. He has authored several articles in these fields. Dr. Nasser is an active member of local and International pathology societies.

Hibah Osman, MD

Balsam Lebanese Center for Palliative Care

Dr. Osman is the Founder and Director of Balsam Lebanese Center for Palliative Care & the Director of Palliative and Supportive Care Program at the American University of Beirut Medical Center Naef K. Basile Cancer Institute – the first hospital-based palliative care program in Lebanon.

Dr. Osman is committed to developing palliative care in Lebanon and the region.

In addition to providing palliative care to patients, she has been actively working on raising awareness among policy makers, health providers and the community. She also supports hospitals to establish a palliative care culture and palliative care programs to ensure that palliative care is available and accessible to anyone who needs it.

Dr. Osman was the First physician to be licensed in Palliative Medicine in Lebanon. She is a Member of the National Committee on Pain Control and Palliative Care in the Ministry of Public Health and the Chair of its Subcommittee on Practice. Dr. Osman founded 2 NGOs that provide home-based palliative care in Beirut. Moreover, she developed and delivers courses on palliative care targeting health professionals, medical students and students in public health.

Dr. Osman obtained her Medical Degree from the American University of Beirut in 1995. She did her Postgraduate Training in Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina from 1995 till 1998. Dr. Osman is Board Certified in Family Medicine from the American Board of Family Medicine since 1998. She did her fellowship in Maternal Child Health at West Suburban Hospital, Oak Park, IL from 1998 till 2000. Moreover, Dr. Osman has a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, obtained in 2000. She also joined the International Visiting Scholar Program at San Diego Hospice in 2010. Dr. Osman is Board Certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine by the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine since 2012. Last but not least, Dr. Osman has many publications relevant to palliative care.