AUB SAANA

@AUB_Lebanon Surgical Alumni Association of North America is a distinguished transatlantic organization connecting #AUBite surgeons since 1980

[Abdul Karim Ghaith,MD,PhD @abdul_ghaith]

August 4, 2020.

The Beirut port explosion shattered my city. But the truth is, Lebanon had already been breaking long before that day. The economic collapse, the bankruptcy, the fear, the uncertainty, hospitals struggling to survive, and COVID pushing an already exhausted healthcare system even further, it felt like the ground was disappearing beneath all of us.

Like many young physicians, I watched years of sacrifice suddenly lose their meaning. I was told I would need to redo years of training in a reality that no longer felt sustainable. For me, that was one of the most painful realizations of all, understanding that staying might mean watching the dream I had worked for my whole life slowly fade away.
So I made the hardest decision of my life.

I left Lebanon.

I left my home, my city, my mentors, my friends, and the life I had always known. But the hardest part was leaving my family, my mother and father, whose sacrifices built me long before any title ever would, and my siblings, who carried my absence with love, patience, and strength.

I left carrying grief, uncertainty, and one stubborn belief:
this was not the end of my story.
I came to the United States with $300 in my pocket and little more than determination. For nearly a year, I worked without pay, just trying to prove myself. I heard the doubts over and over again:

“Stay in research.”
“You probably won’t get into a PhD.”
“This path is too hard. Forget about it.”
“It will take too long.”

But I kept going. Because sometimes faith has to speak louder than fear.
Eventually, I was accepted into a PhD program at the #1 hospital in the world. Around that same time, one of the most beautiful chapters of my life began, I married the love of my life, just as things finally started becoming stable and my work became funded.
They told me the PhD would take seven years. I finished it in three.
Along the way, I secured more than four grants from a single project, led two major projects, and kept building when everything around me seemed to say slow down.

At Mayo Clinic, I found a higher standard of excellence, discipline, rigor, humility, and a vision of what medicine and science can become when they are guided by purpose- a Neuroscientist.

At Johns Hopkins: Research, innovation, and device development. I learned how to think bigger, work harder, and demand more from myself. Those years did not just train me, they transformed me- a biomedical engineer.

And over time, the work grew into something I could never have imagined when I first arrived in this country: more than 120 publications and over 130 oral presentations and posters.
But even then, something inside me had never changed.

I missed the hospital.
I missed patients.
I missed the operating room.
I missed the life I had always imagined for myself in medicine.

So I made another difficult decision, to return fully to clinical medicine.
That decision brought me to one of the most transformative chapters of my life: the University of Maryland Medical Center and Shock Trauma.
There, surgeons, residents, nurses, mentors, and teams who challenged me, believed in me, sharpened me, and reminded me every day why I chose this path. The intensity of trauma, the discipline of surgery, and the privilege of caring for patients brought me back to my center.

And through every chapter of this story, I was blessed with mentors who changed my life. People who opened doors for me when I could not yet see a way forward. People who corrected me, guided me, pushed me, and believed in me when the path was uncertain.

I am deeply grateful to my mentors
and to many others whose support I will carry with me forever.

Today, after all of that, I am honored beyond words to share that I have matched as a PGY-2 Neurosurgery resident at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, one of the premier neurosurgical programs, renowned for its extraordinary surgical volume, pioneering innovation, and a legacy of mentorship.

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Congrats!!! Well deserved

[Jana Zeineddine, MD @janazeineddin]

So excited to start my journey at @TuftsMedicine 🩺

Grateful for my incomparable support system and amazing mentors 🤍

#matchday #matchday2026 #match2026

@TuftsMedicalCtr

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Super proud of your accomplishment! Congrats

[Bashar Hassan, MD, MPH @BasharHassanMD]

An honor to match in plastic surgery at @MayoClinic. What a dream come true. Thank you to my family, mentors, friends, and supporters. Can’t wait for this new chapter!

[Pascal Jabbour MD, FAANS, FACS, FAHA @PascalJabbourMD]

We have been helping IMGs match in Neurosurgery for the last 16 years in our post doc program @TJUHNeurosurg with a hit rate of 100%!
This recent publication by our superstar post doc @Joannaroy99 shows that :
1-IMGs that match into neurosurgery demonstrate higher publication counts and greater research effort compared to U.S medical graduates
2-The proportion of high-effort publications relative to total publication output did not differ among both groups

[Haytham Kaafarani @hayfarani]

Many asked me whether I still plan to go to #Beirut in June as the Surgeon-in-Chief/Chair & Assistant Dean of Medical School @AUB_Lebanon . The answer is a resounding & easy yes. I cannot wait to be even a small part of #betterdays coming to #Lebanon. These days will come. 100%.

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

@abdul_ghaith @NeurosurgeryUab @AUB_Lebanon @LebaUniversity @MayoClinicSOM @HopkinsMedicine @AUBMC_Official @UMBaltimore Congrats! Very well deserved

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

What a major step forward for the leading medical center in the region!
Congrats @hayfarani, making us all #AUBproud ! Looking for stellar accomplishments ahead.

[American University of Beirut @AUB_Lebanon]

The American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) continues to advance its mission of excellence in healthcare and academic leadership with the appointment of two internationally acknowledged physician-scientists, Dr. Osama Mohamad as chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology and Dr. Haytham Kaafarani as chair of the Department of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine (FM) and AUBMC.

https://t.co/CVvdOppCPT

#AUB #AUBProud

@AUB_FM @AUBMC_Official

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Such wonderful news! @AUB_Lebanon is so fortunate to have you on board. We can't wait to see all the great things you'll achieve!

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Congrats Dr. @hayfarani! Can't think of a better person to lead this committee! Thank you for all what you do #AUBproud @AUBAlumni @AUB_Lebanon @POAUB

[Haytham Kaafarani @hayfarani]

This week, I feel the responsibility as the new Chair of the International Relations Committee of the @AmCollSurgeons.
With 38% of this year's initiates being international, we are optimistic, celebrate our international friendships & believe in the power of #surgicaldiplomacy.

[Anton N. Sidawy, MD MPH FACS DFSVS MAMSE @GWSurgChair]

What an event, I passed by to greet close friends and colleagues and I ended up staying for a long time enjoying the conversations and the award presentations. It was a pleasure to be included. Keep on going, @AUBites. #ACSCC25

[Karim Koussa @karimkoussa21]

Wonderful night @AUB_SAANA reception @AmCollSurgeons Inspiring conversations with distinguished surgeons who once stood where we are today. Honored to meet @GWSurgChair Dr. Anton Sidawy, President of the @AmCollSurgeons Grateful for a memorable evening.

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Wonderful connecting with our stellar @AUBAlumni and honoring Dr. Michel Makaroun and Dr. Hassan Ramadan for their years of contribution to all #AUBites. Grateful for the attendance of @GWSurgChair Dr. Anton Sidawy, President of the @AmCollSurgeons #ACSCC25

[American College of Surgeons @AmCollSurgeons]

@karimkoussa21 @AUB_SAANA @GWSurgChair What a treat!

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

What a pride to all of us!

[Haytham Kaafarani @hayfarani]

I present to you Dr. Anton Sidawy @GWSurgChair, the first Arab American President of the @AmCollSurgeons

#proud
#ACSCC2025

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Dr. Makaroun is a Professor of Surgery and Clinical and Translational Science, the @UPMC Chair in Vascular Surgery, and the Director of the Endovascular Surgery Program @HviUpmc @UPMC_Vascular

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Please join us in celebrating the Academic Achievement Award presented to Dr. Michel S. Makaroun - given for his outstanding contributions to the field of vascular surgery. His work and leadership have set a high standard for academic excellence and have made a lasting impact.

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Dr. Makaroun completed his MD from @AUB_Lebanon @AUBMC_Official @AUBAlumni @AUB_FM in 1978 with Distinction

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Congrats to three of our Alumni!! Making us proud!

[Timothy M. Pawlik @timpawlik]

Enjoyed having our graduating chief residents over to my 🏡 tonight to congratulate and #thank them for all they have done for @OhioStateSurg & our patients 🙏. One last 🏓 game for ole times! Good luck & you’ll always be #Buckeyes! How firm thy friendship! ⭕️🙌

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Congrats @Savo_MD!

[Savo BouZeinEddine, MD @Savo_MD]

The path to a surgical residency as an #IMG can seem insurmountable.

Today, I'm proud to be the first ever #MENA #IMG to complete categorical #GenSurg training at @MGHSurgery @MassGeneralNews, US's #1 Residency program, and arguably the world's top surgical program #Since1811

[AUB SAANA @AUB_SAANA]

Congrats! #AUBproud

[Abdul Hafiz Al Tannir @tannir_abed]

Extremely grateful to be awarded the Iron Lobo Surgical Intern of the Year Award 🪡 ✂️ @UNM @UNM_Surgery