MD Program

Program and Curriculum

Preparing Physicians for a Changing World

The LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine is committed to educating competent, compassionate, and socially responsible physicians who are prepared to meet the evolving health needs of Lebanon, the region, and the global community.

Our four-year MD program integrates the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences within a student-centered and competency-based learning environment. From the beginning of their medical education, students connect foundational knowledge with clinical practice through early patient exposure, simulation, active and experiential learning, research, community engagement, and interprofessional collaboration.

At the heart of the MD program is the evolving INSPIRE curriculum, designed to prepare students for the rapidly changing landscape of medicine and healthcare.

Our graduates are prepared to enter residency with a strong foundation for clinical practice and to continue developing as physicians, scholars, collaborators, advocates, innovators, and leaders throughout their professional lives.

Key characteristics of the MD Program:

• Integrated, competency-based education
  The curriculum connects biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences across the four years of study, enabling students to progressively develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, professional attitudes, and behaviors expected of a physician.

• Student-centered and active learning
  Students take an active role in their education through case-based and problem-based learning, self-directed learning, collaborative activities, reflection, and other interactive approaches that foster curiosity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.

• Early and longitudinal clinical exposure
  Clinical learning begins early in the MD program and develops progressively, allowing students to connect foundational science with authentic patient care and the realities of clinical practice.

• Simulation and experiential learning
  Through the Clinical Simulation Center and other experiential learning opportunities, students develop clinical, procedural, communication, teamwork, and decision-making skills in safe and realistic learning environments before applying them in patient care.

• Research, inquiry, and evidence-based practice
  Students develop the ability to formulate meaningful questions, critically evaluate scientific evidence, engage in research and scholarly activity, and apply evidence to clinical and public health decision-making.

• Innovation, Artificial intelligence and digital health
  Students are prepared to use AI and emerging digital technologies critically, ethically, and responsibly. The curriculum emphasizes their appropriate use to enhance learning and healthcare while preserving human judgment, accountability, patient safety, privacy, and patient-centered care.

• Social accountability and community engagement
  Students learn to understand health within its broader social and population context and to recognize and respond to the needs of the patients, communities, and populations they serve.

• Interprofessional collaboration and teamwork
  Learning experiences prepare students to communicate and collaborate effectively with other healthcare professionals and to contribute meaningfully to multidisciplinary teams.

• Professional identity and responsibility
  Throughout the curriculum, students develop the ethical principles, professionalism, communication skills, empathy, resilience, and sense of responsibility essential to the practice of medicine.

• Continuous assessment, feedback, and growth
  Formative and summative assessment approaches support progressive development of competence. Regular feedback helps students recognize their strengths, address areas for improvement, and take increasing responsibility for their learning.

A fundamental goal of the curriculum is to develop independent lifelong learners, problem solvers, and critical thinkers. In an era of rapidly expanding medical knowledge, students must learn not only what to know, but how to learn, how to evaluate evidence, how to adapt, and how to apply knowledge responsibly in the care of patients and communities.