Recent Faculty Appointments
Wadih Ghaname, M.D.
Dr. Wadih Ghaname is Clinical Associate Professor at the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, and Chief Medical Officer and Chief of Section/Obstetrics and Gynecology at the LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital. Dr. Ghaname obtained his M.D degree from the Saint Joseph University in Beirut. He pursued residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hôpital de la Conception- Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Fréjus Saint-Raphaël in Marseille, France, and subsequently completed several fellowships and diplomas of advanced training. During his illustrious career, he has been associated with a number of academic health-care institutions, and has held many leadership positions in medical societies both in Lebanon and France. Throughout, he has been committed to medical and surgical education and has contributed to scholarship as a published author and as a journal reviewer.
Joumana Kmeid, M.D.
Dr. Joumana Kmeid joins the Division of Infectious Diseases at LAU Medical Center-St. John’s Hospital. After receiving her M.D. degree at Lebanese University, she completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the American University of Beirut. She went on to pursue a prestigious postdoctoral research fellowship at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Dr. Kmeid is an active researcher, and she is proud to serve as a practitioner in the worldwide effort to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ramzi Nakhle, M.D.
Dr. Ramzi Nakhle is a polyvalent Emergency Medicine physician with special interest in Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS), trauma and resuscitation. He received his medical degree from the LAU - Gilbert and Rose Marie Chagoury School of Medicine in 2016, followed by a four-year residency in Emergency Medicine where he served as Chief Resident during his final year of training. He then joined the full-time faculty of the school of medicine in 2021, with appointments at both LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital and LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital.
Toufic Chaaban, MD
Dr. Toufic Chaaban, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, is a specialist in pulmonary diseases and critical care. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Lebanese University, he completed his medical residency and specialty training at the American University of Beirut. He then pursued a two-year fellowship in Neurocritical Care at Ohio State University in the U.S.A., and subsequently worked with Doctors Without Borders on a project related to COVID-19. Dr. Chaaban has authored many peer-reviewed publications and has received a number of academic awards. In addition to his clinical pursuits, he has a special interest in the education of medical students, residents and fellows.
Rana Barake, MD
Dr. Rana Barake is Clinical Assistant Professor and Residency Program Director in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, at the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine and LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital. Dr. Barake graduated from the American University of Beirut School of Medicine, and completed her residency in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at AUB Medical Center. She followed this with a prestigious fellowship in Otology/Neurotology at the University of Toronto in Canada. Dr. Barake has a clinical and research practice focusing on diseases of the ear, nose, and throat, and a special interest in providing expert care for patients with dizziness and vertigo.
Jinane El Khoury, MD
The School of Medicine welcomes Dr. Jinane El Khoury to the Department of Dermatology. Dr. El Khoury obtained her medical degree and specialty training in Dermatology at the American University of Beirut. She pursued advanced training in cutaneous oncology and other disorders at the Cochin Tarnier Hospital in Paris, France. In addition she is a member of the Lebanese Dermatology Society. Dr. El Khoury has a special interest in the management of challenging conditions in medical dermatology, and she serves as Director for the dermatology residency program at LAU Medical Center-RH.
Wael Salame, M.D.
Dr. Wael Salame joins the full-time faculty of the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine in the Division of Psychiatry. Dr. Salame is a graduate of LAU’s school of medicine and its residency program in psychiatry. He has special clinical interests in adolescent psychiatry, borderline personality disorder, and impulse control disorders, and research interests in interventional psychiatry and simulation-based medical education. Dr. Salame is an international member of both the European Psychiatric Association and the European Council of Neuropsychopharmacology.
Ralph Nehme, M.D.
The school of medicine welcomes Dr. Ralph Nehme as a full-time faculty physician in the practice of pulmonary medicine and critical care, with a special interest in interventional pulmonology. Additionally he has a great interest and extensive involvement in academic teaching. Dr. Nehme completed his M.D. degree as well as a five-year residency in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Saint Joseph University (USJ) in Lebanon. Subsequently he pursued a fellowship in interventional pulmonology at the University Medical Center of Nice – France. Dr. Nehme is an active member of many local and international societies, and is the president of the lung cancer committee of the Lebanese Pulmonary Society.
Ahlam Azar, M.D.
Dr. Ahlam Azar is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, specializing in endocrinology, at the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine and LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital. She has expertise in a variety of endocrine diseases of childhood (related to puberty, growth, and other conditions), diabetology, and childhood obesity.
Dr. Azar completed her M.D. degree at the University of Auvergne I- France, and pursued postgraduate training at a number of leading medical institutions in Paris. She is an active member of several scientific committees and an active researcher, and has served as a consultant in pediatric endocrinology at multiple hospitals in Lebanon.
Abdo Saad, M.D
Dr. Abdo Saad joins the Division of Gastroenterology in the Department of Internal Medicine, as Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Fellowship in Gastroenterology. Dr. Saad received his M.D. degree from the American University of Beirut. His postgraduate training included residency in Internal Medicine at Indiana University, fellowships in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Wisconsin and in Gastroenterology at the University of Missouri, and an advanced fellowship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the University of Chicago, all in the U.S.A. Prior to returning to Lebanon, he practiced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he also served as medical director for the gastroenterology (GI) group within a large statewide healthcare system. Dr. Saad has special interests in GI motility disorders as well as esophageal diseases such as reflux and dysphagia.
Andre Megarbane, MD., PhD.
The LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine is delighted to welcome Andre Megarbane, M.D., Ph.D., to the full-time faculty as Professor, Assistant Dean for Research, and Chair of the new Department of Human Genetics; additionally he will hold an appointment in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Megarbane obtained his M.D. degree from St. Joseph University (USJ) in Beirut, specialty diplomas in genetics from USJ and the Pasteur Institute, his Ph.D. and postdoctoral training at Paris V, and an M.B.A. in Health Management through the USJ/Paris Dauphine/Sorbonne international program. He is a clinical geneticist with a special interest in orphan diseases, and an educator within the discipline of genetics. His research interests include intellectual disability, dysmorphology, osseous malformations, and neuromuscular disorders. At the school of medicine, Dr. Megarbane will carry on his illustrious career marked by academic leadership positions in genetics, three books and more than 350 peer-reviewed publications, as well as numerous scientific and research awards.
Eliane Chouery, PhD.
The LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine welcomes Dr. Eliane Chouery to its new Department of Human Genetics. Dr. Chouery has had extensive education and training in genetics as well as molecular biology and molecular diagnosis, culminating in a Ph.D. from the Université de Versailles at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in France. She has a special interest in the genetics of rare diseases, and has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications. Dr. Chouery will contribute substantially to teaching, genetic testing, and research activities at the school of medicine.
Cybel Mehawej, PhD.
Dr. Cybel Mehawej joins the school of medicine as a founding member of the Department of Human Genetics. She obtained her Ph.D. in Genetics from Paris Descartes University and from Saint-Joseph University (International Dual Degree Ph.D.), and she pursued postdoctoral training at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Her interests within human genetics include molecular biology and immunogenetics. Dr. Mehawaj has contributed to many peer-reviewed publications and is the recipient of several fellowships and awards. She will serve as Co-Coordinator of the Genetics Discipline at the school of medicine.