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ILMA Conference July 2024: Day Two

  • ILMA USA
  • ILMA Conference July 2024: Day Two

Strengthening Lebanon’s Healthcare Together – A Global Commitment

Session one:
ILMA and Lebanon Working Together.

A recent session brought together global experts and Lebanese officials to discuss strategies for strengthening Lebanon’s health sector, focusing on establishing cost-effective clinics and ensuring public health. The International Lebanese Medical Association (ILMA) supports medical education, advances the pharmaceutical industry, and ensures a stable supply of essential medicines.

Key participants included:

  • HE Dr. Firass Abiad, Minister of Public Health
  • HE Mr. George Bouchikian, Minister of Industry
  • Dr. Walid Ahmar, President of The International Lebanese Medical Association
  • Mr. Joe Salloum, President of the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists
  • Dr. Aniss G. E. Chami, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Vitex Pharmaceuticals, Australia
  • Dr. Carol Abi Karam, President of the Syndicate of Pharmaceutical Industries in Lebanon
  • Professor Roland Asmar, President of the Foundation-Medical Research Institutes
  • Ms. Pamela Zgheib, Head of Mother-Child and School Health Unit, Lebanese Ministry of Public Health

Panelists included:

  • Dr. Bilal Abdallah, Chairman of the Health, Labor, and Social Affairs Committee, Lebanese Parliament
  • Dr. Nadim Abou Jaoude, Senior Lecturer at the Lebanese University Dental School Post Graduate Program and Clinical Associate in the Department of Orthodontics and Dento-Facial Orthopedics at the American University of Beirut Hospital
  • Dr. George Saade, President-Elect of the Lebanese Society of Cardiology and ILMA Lebanon Country Representative
  • Dr. Mouhammad Safi, President of the Order of Physicians of Tripoli (LOP Tripoli)
  • Dr. Nazem Haffar, Head of the Dentists’ Association in North Lebanon
  • Dr. Christian Georges Kettaneh, EMS Medical Director, Lebanese Red Cross
  • Dr. Mohamed El Sahili, CEO/CVO at Medland Hospital and Board Member of the African Health Federation, Zambia
  • Dr. Salvador Salem, Specialist in Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonology, Mexico
  • Dr. Mirjam Messo, Family Physician and President of the Swedish Lebanese Medical Association
  • Dr. Hani Mhaidli, Head of Spine Surgery Department at Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
  • Major General Mohammed Kheir, General Secretary of the High Relief Committee
  • General Danny Al-Bishrawi, Administrative Chief of Military Medicine, Lebanese Army, Lebanon
  • Father Michel Abboud OCD, President of Caritas Lebanon
  • Mrs. Abir Kurdy Alame, President of the Order of Nurses

This collaboration aims to create a resilient and accessible healthcare system in Lebanon.

The collaboration featured the signing of an agreement between the pharmaceutical sectors of Lebanon and Australia, aiming to create a resilient and accessible healthcare system in Lebanon. A memorandum of understanding was signed between Vitex Pharmaceuticals and Lebanon’s Pharmaline.

Session Two:
BUILDING BRIDGES: LEVERAGING THE DIASPORA’S POTENTIAL TO STRENGTHEN HEALTH RESILIENCE IN LEBANON.

This session focused on strengthening the connections between our organization and Lebanon’s health system through collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Parliament, and relevant unions. The aim was to establish robust foundations for the exchange of expertise and diverse health support, benefiting Lebanon and its population.

Distinguished speakers included:

  • HE Dr. Firass Abiad, Lebanon’s Minister of Public Health
  • Dr. Rana Hajjeh, Director of Program Management at the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office
  • Dr. Bechara Choucair, Executive Vice President & Chief Health Officer at Kaiser Permanente
  • Dr. Ali Mokdad, Chief Strategy Officer of Population Health at the University of Washington
  • Dr. Francois Fadell, Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care, VA Western New York Health Care, and Associate Professor at the University at Buffalo
  • Dr. Nadeen Hilal, Advisor to the Lebanese Minister of Public Health and Consultant in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Lebanon.

The session addressed the current challenges in the Lebanese healthcare sector, highlighted health care inequities and disparities, and discussed both short-term and long-term solutions to improve the healthcare system and access to care. The significant role of the Lebanese medical diaspora was emphasized, culminating in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

Insights from panelists, including:

  • Dr. Bilal Abdallah, Chairman of the Health, Labor, and Social Affairs Committee, Lebanese Parliament, and Consultant Dermatologist
  • Prof. Abdul El Rahman Bizri, Member of the Lebanese Parliament and Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at AUBMC, Lebanon
  • Prof. Nadey Hakim, International Relations Director and Professor of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic London, and Professor of Transplantation Surgery at Imperial College London, UK
  • Prof. Mounir Abou Asali, International Education Advisor, Consultant, and Founding Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, LU
  • General Danny Bicherrawi, Administrative Chief of Military Medicine, Lebanese Army, Lebanon
  • Dr. Gilbert Bejjani, President of the Professional Association of Anesthesiologists and the Belgian Association of Medical Unions, Brussels, Belgium
  • Prof. Nada Melhem, Director of the Division of Health Professions, Chair of the Medical Laboratory Sciences Program, and Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at AUB
  • Prof. Joe El Zein, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Research at the Mayo Clinic
  • Dr. Christian Kettaneh, EMS Medical Director – Lebanese Red Cross

These panelists contributed to outlining a path forward for a more resilient health system in Lebanon

Session Three:
Building Bridges, Building Brilliance: Lebanon's Medical Education.

Medical education is the cornerstone of producing competent and compassionate healthcare professionals. Excellence in clinical and ethical training equips aspiring doctors with the necessary skills to diagnose and treat illnesses effectively while instilling a profound understanding of the ethical responsibilities inherent in their profession. A robust medical education program emphasizes critical thinking, evidence-based practice, and empathy, fostering a culture of lifelong learning and patient-centered care. By prioritizing excellence in research, clinical, and ethical realms, medical education ensures that future physicians not only possess the technical expertise to heal but also the moral integrity to advocate for their patients’ well-being and dignity.

In Lebanon, medical education is vital for maintaining high standards in the healthcare sector. This recent session highlighted the importance of forming teams to create productive programs, exchange research, and assist students to strengthen Lebanon’s medical education.

Notable speakers included:

  • Prof. Joe El Zein, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Research at the Mayo Clinic
  • Prof. Mounir Abou Asali, International Education Advisor, Consultant, and Founding Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at LU
 

With moderators:

  • Dr. Francois Abi Fadell, Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care, VA Western New York Health Care, and Associate Professor at University at Buffalo
  • Prof. Hassan Hosseini, Professor of Neurology, Head of the Stroke Unit, and Founder of ICCE, Paris, France
  • Dr. Gregory Nicolas, Faculty in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at the University of São Paulo, Adjunct Professor at LAUMC, and Visiting Professor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and AIIMS

The panelists featured:

  • LAU Dean, Dr. Sola Bahous
  • USEK Dean, Dr. Pierre Edde
  • USJ Vice Dean, Dr. Eliane Ayoub
  • BAU Dean representatives, Dr. Salah Malas and Dr. Amal Al Naous
  • SGUB Dean representative, Dr. Ziad Tannous
  • LU Dean representatives, Dr. Randa Choueiri and Dr. Hassan Salameh
  • UOB Dean representative, Dr. Karim Echtay
  • Dr. Chady Sarraf, Clinical Assistant Professor and HM Medical Director at Sound Physicians, Via Christi Hospitals
  • Dr. Cynthia Hayek, Associate Program Director and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine Wichita
  • Dr. Rabih Maatouk, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at Harley Street Medical Center, Abu Dhabi, and Member of the German Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Former Head of Plastic Surgery at HBK Zwickau, Germany

Muhammad Barakat (Medical student and IJCR Central Head of Conference Organizing Committee), and Zeinab Chamseddine (Medical student and LeMSIC representative)..

This session underscored the collaborative efforts needed to enhance medical education in Lebanon, ensuring that future generations of physicians are well-prepared to meet the healthcare needs of the community with both technical proficiency and ethical integrity.