OBGYNIssueNo09 SummerNewsletter2013

Thisseasonmarksthegraduationofourresidents.Afterfourlongyears,theyfinallybidusfarewell.Thismomentousoccasionwasrecentlycelebratedinwhatmanyreferredtoasa“anighttoremember”.Browsingthroughthisissue,you’llseewhy.Alsohighlightedarefacultypromotionnews,aprizegrantedtoamedicalstudentforaGynecology-relatedresearchproject,inadditiontoavarietyofacademicnewsandinformationwehopeyouwillfinduseful.

Sincerely,Anwar Nassar, MDEditor-in-Chief

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

ThedepartmentalgraduationpartywasheldonJune6thatLeMaillonRestaurantinAshrafieh.Asanticipated,thiseventwasattendedbymedicalandparamedicalstaffattheDepartmentofOB/GYNandanumberofguests.Theeveningprovedtobeuntraditionalonalllevels,kickingoffwithmarvelousperformancesbyAlainChalhoub,PGYIIIandElieRamleh,aMedIVwhoplayedonhisguitar.In-between,theaudienceenjoyedavideo(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALf2F0TX_kI&feature=youtu.be)preparedinhonoroftheoccasion,tocelebratethethreegraduatingresidents:Drs.RayaneRahal,BassemSkaff,andAhmadFakih.TheaudiencethentravelledeasttoenjoyaselectionoforientaltunesbyMr.BassamBadourandhisfamousband.Thiswasfollowedbyahumorousshortmovieandabreathtakingshowperformedbytwoprofessionaldancers.TheinviteesthentravelledbackintimetoenjoywonderfulArabicoldiesrecitedbyguestartists.Inthisrefinedsetting,thegraduatingresidentsreceivedtheirgiftsfromDrs.NassarandGhulmiyyah.Also,MEDIIIstudentsNayaElHage,KarmaSalemandRachelleElHelou(inabsentia)receivedprizesforbeststudentpresentations.Atmidnight,theaudiencetookoverthedancefloorandpartiedtothehottestsongsoftheseason.June6thatLeMaillonwasindeed,anighttoremember.

PUBLICATIONS• BaziT,Kabakian-KhasholianT,EzzeddineD,AyoubH.ValidationofanArabicversionoftheglobalPelvicFloorBotherQuestionnaire.IntJGynaecolObstet2013May;121(2):166-9.

CONGRATULATIONS• ThreefacultymembersattheDepartmentofOB/GYNgotpromotedthisyear.Dr.JohnnyAwwadwaspromotedtoProfessorofObstetricsandGynecology,andDrs.TonyBaziandGhinaGhazeeritoAssociateProfessorsofClinicalObstetricsandGynecology.Congratulations.

MEDICAL STUDENT AWARDED

A GRANT

WELCOME DR. FAYSAL EL KAK

MohammedDany,asecondyearmedicalstudentatAUB(nowaMedIII),wasawardedtheIssamFaresInstitutestudentgrantfortheprojectproposalentitled:“HumanPapillomaVirusvaccine:Assessingknowledge,attitudes,andreadinessofcollegefemalestudentsforfuturepolicyimplications”.Theproject’sprimaryinvestigatorisDr.AnwarNassar.Thestudyaimstoexaminetheknowledge,attitudes,andreadinessoffemalecollegestudentsatAUBwithregardstoHPVinfectionandvaccination.ConsideringtherisingincidencesofHPVamongstthefemalepopulationandtheattenuatedaverageagegroupofsexuallyactiveyouthfulpersonsinourregion,thisstudycouldshedlightontheoverallwillingnessoffemalecollegegirlsinadevelopingcountryattendinganinternationallyacclaimedacademicinstitution,tosupporttheadministrationofHPVvaccination.

Dr.ElKakjoinedtheDepartmentofOB/GYNasaClinicalAssociateeffectiveApril1,2013.Dr.ElKakisaseniorlecturerattheFacultyofHealthSciences(FHS)atAUB.HewillworkcloselywiththeInterimChairmantoensurethedevelopmentofintegratedclinicalservicesoftheWomen’sHealthCenter;ensurecoordinationandimplementationofoutreachandcommunity-directedactivities(thatrelatetopublicawarenessandhealthpromotionandmaintenance)including:educationalmaterial,nationalstakeholders’seminars,mediacollaboration,networking,andpublicmeetings.Inaddition,hewillhelptheestablishmentofawomen’shealthregistrythatwillbeavailabletoresearchers,andcoordinateandcollaboratewithFHSontasksrelatedtoeducation,research,andpublichealthissues.PleasejoinusinwelcomingDr.ElKaktoourDepartment.

Women’s Health Center Blog: Coming SoonWeareverypleasedtoannouncethatablogfortheWomen’sHealthCenterwillbelaunchedsoon.Staytunedformoreinformation.

MEET THE ALUMNI* Dr. Mounira Habli finished her OB/GYN residency at AUBMC in 2002, then repeated it at Dartmouth Medical Center. She then did a Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship followed by a fellowship in Fetal Surgery at the University of Cincinnati where she also completed a Masters degree in Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Translational research. Dr. Habli is the associate director of fetal fellowship and an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). She is also the associate Director of Perinatal Clinical Research at Good Samaritan Hospital, a member of several international societies and the recipient of many awards as the NIH best young investigator, SMFM excellence in research, and Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Award. Dr. Habli has authored several research publications and co-authored several books. Dr. Habli is married to Nader Allan. She enjoys outdoor activities and traveling around the world.

* Dr. Antoun Al Khabbaz graduated with distinction for BS in Chemistry (1991) and received an MD degree (1995) from AUB. He then completed his OB/GYN residency at AUBMC in 1999 and from SUNY at Stony Brook in 2002. Dr. Khabbaz joined Crusader Community Health Clinics in Rockford Illinois in 2006. He chaired the OB/GYN services from 2007 to 2012, and resumed this responsibility in May 2013. He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Chicago and an active member of the Quality and Assurance Committee at the Swedish American Hospital. He is the recipient of the Golden Scalpel Award for best surgical skills in 2002. Dr. Khabbaz is married to Launa Middeler and was blessed with a set of twins (Joseph and Alina) born in November 2011. He is expecting a baby boy in September 2013. His favorite hobby is fishing but changing diapers has taken over recently. He also loves to cook.

ACADEMIC NEWS• Dr.JosephNassif,thesecretarygeneraloftheMiddleEastSocietyofGynecologicalEndoscopy(MESGE),wastheco-chairofthescientificprogramofthe1stMESGEannualmeetingheldinAntalya–TurkeyonApril24-28,2013.HewasthechairmanoftheYoungEndoscopistplatformsessionandthelivesurgerysession.Healsopresentedthreetalks.

• OnApril26,2013,Dr.LabibGhulmiyyahwastheguestspeakerattheMedicalLaboratoryProfessionalsWeekatAUBMCandgavealectureaboutsexualhealthawareness.OnMay14th,Dr.GhulmiyyahonceagaingavealectureforInternationalCollege’sintermediatestudentsaboutpubertyandsexualdevelopment.OnMay22nd,hegaveaseriesoflecturesaspartofacoursegiventoUNRWAphysiciansentitled“UpdatesinCardiology”incollaborationwiththeCMEofficeatAUB.OnJune14,2013,hewasthehonoredguestspeakerattheSharpsSafetyAwarenessDayorganizedbyAUBMC.

• Dr.JohnnyAwwadwasinvitedasaguestspeakerbytheEuropeanSocietyforHumanReproductionandEmbryology(ESHRE)foritsAnnualJuly2013MeetinginLondon;bytheAmericanSocietyforReproductiveMedicine(ASRM)andInternationalFederationofFertilitySocieties(IFFS)fortheirConjointAnnualOctober2013MeetinginBoston;andbythecART2013ScientificOctober2013MeetinginMumbai.Dr.AwwadhasalsobeenassignedbytheESHREtoorganizeandchairaone-daypre-CongresscourseduringitsAnnualScientificMeetinginBerlin2014.Inaddition,hehasbeenofferedtheopporunitytojointheInternationalAdvisoryEditorialBoardofthe“JournalofMinimalStimulationIVF”(IVFlite),anhonoraryappointmentforaninitialtermoffiveyears.

• Dr.FadiMirzagaveseveraltalksinChtaura,ClemenceauMedicalCenterandattheHiltonMetropolitanHotelinMarchandApril,2013.Healsogaveatalkon“MultipleSclerosis(MS)andWomen’sHealth”inBekaaaspartoftheMinistryofPublicHealth’scampaignincollaborationwithAUBMC’sMSCenterandtheNationalSocietyofMS,onApril13th.OnMay28th,Dr.MirzawasaninvitedspeakerbytheJordanianSocietyofObstetricsandGynecology.

• Drs.AbdallahAdraandFadiMirzawereinvitedspeakersatthe22ndannualmeetingoftheSaudiObstetricsandGynecologySocietythatwasheldonApril9-11,2013inJeddah,KSA.

NURSES RECOGNITION: A NEW PRIZE THIS YEARForthesecondyear,theDepartmentofOB/GYNrecognizedthe“BestRegisteredNurse.”Thisyear’sawardeewasMrs.CarlaJurdak,theClinicalNurseCoordinatorfromthedeliverysuite.Carlawasdescribedbythephysiciansashighlyprofessional,dependableanddevotedtopatients.Inaddition,thisyearthedepartmentintroducedan“AwardforOB/GYNAuxiliary”inrecognitionofthebestAuxiliaryNurse.Mrs.ZeinabShreiffromtheWomen’sHealthCenterwasthewinnerbecauseshe“alwayscollaborateswithotherauxiliarieswithasmileandisalwaysreadytoassistpatients.”CongratulationsCarlaandZeinab.

NATIONAL MATERNAL MORTALITY MEETING OnApril14,2013,theWomen’sHealthCenter(WHC)atAUBMCandtheLebaneseSocietyofObstetricsandGynecology(LSOG)incollaborationwiththeMinistryofHealthheldthe“NationalMaternalMortalityMeeting”atIssamFaresAuditorium,whichwasattendedby130colleagues.ThiseventwasthefirstinaseriesofclinicalinitiativestobeorganizedbytheWHC.Dr.AnwarNassarwelcomedthecrowdandstressedontheleadingroleoftheDepartmentofOB/GYNandtheWHCinimprovingthequalityofcareinmaternalandchildbirthhealth.ThespeakersDrs.AdnanMroueh,FayezBitar,WalidAmmar,FaysalKakandMuhieddineSeoudreflectedontheglobalandnationalburdenofmaternalmortality.TherewasaconsensusonseveralrecommendationsthatwillbefollowedupbytheWHCandtheLSOGwiththeMinistryofPublicHealthandallrelevantparties.

CourtesyofDr.AntoineAbu-Musa.

Did you know?• Catsanddogscansenseiftheirownerispregnant,treatingherwithmoreattentionthanusualandbecomingmoreprotective,oftenlickingandnuzzlingthegrowingbelly.

• Babiesstartdreamingevenbeforethey’reborn.

• Manyhospitalsmakemoneybysellingtheumbilicalcordscutfromwomenwhogivebirth.Theyarereusedinveintransplantsurgery.

• Thelengthofthefingerindicateshowfastthenailgrows.Thenailofthemiddlefingergrowsfasterthanothers.

• Apack-a-daysmokerwillloseapproximately2teethevery10years.

• Mostdustparticlesinyourhousearemadefromdeadskin!

• Humanshavetheabilitytodifferentiateabout10,000odors.

• Thehumanliverperforms500differentfunctions.

• Unlikehumans,themenstrualcyclesofcatsanddogsoccursonlytwiceyearly,lastingbetween12to21dayseach.

• Mostnewbornswillloseallthehairtheyarebornwithinthefirstthreeorfourmonthsoflife.

• Apples,notcaffeine,aremoreefficientatwakingyouupinthemorning.

Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyAmericanUniversityofBeirutMedicalCenterOfficeC-827,PhaseI

Newsletter EditorAnwarNassar,MDTosubmitnews,commentsorqueries:Email:rb01@aub.edu.lbPhone:01-340460ext.5610

Departmental LeadershipInterim ChairpersonAnwarNassar,MD

Vice-ChairMuhieddineSeoud,MD

OB/GYNWireispublishedquarterlybytheDepartmentofObstetricsandGynecologyatAUBMC.

IN THE SPOTLIGHTDR.ANTOINEABU-MUSA

Q: When did you join the department of OB/GYN?

A:June1993,afterreturningfromJapan.

Q: What is your title?A:ProfessorofClinicalObstetricsandGynecology.

Q: What are your main duties?A:Inadditiontomyclinicalduties,Iteachmedicalstudentsandresidents,

andsupervisetheinfertilityOPDclinic.

Q: Prior to joining this department, what were you doing?A:Iwasdoingwhatnobodyelsehadeverdone.IwaspreparingaPhDin

Japan.IconsidermyselfluckyhavinghadthechancetoliveinJapanforsixyears,anexperiencethatgoesbeyondanydescription.

Q: If you were not doing this job, what would have you chosen to do?A:Anartist;eitheramusicianoraphotographer.

Q: What is most enjoyable about your job?A:Helpingdesperatecouplesformafamily.

Q: What do you find most challenging about your job?A:Keepingpatientssatisfied.

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you chooseto go and why?

A:ToJerusalemtovisittheburialofJesusChrist,andtothestratospherewhereFelixBaumgartnerjumped.

Q: What do you enjoy doing during your free time?A:Photography.I’vealreadyhad3exhibitionsinoneyearandI’m

planningfora4thinthesummer.Ialsoenjoyhiking-discoveringincredibletrailsandplaces.

Q: What is something that most people don’t know about you?A:Iamaveryreligiousperson.

Q: What is your point of weakness?A:I’munabletosayno.

Q: Who is your favorite artist?A:AnselAdams,themasterofphotography,andMozart,themaster

ofClassics.

Q: What song are you listening to most lately? A:IamlisteningtoJohannBaptistVanhalsymphonies,and'JustGiveMe

AReason'byPink.

Q: What is the movie or book you have lately enjoyed watching or reading? A:'Outliers'byMalcolmGladwellisastunningbook.‘TheMonkWhoSold

HisFerrari’byRobinSharmaisinspiring.IamalsoafanofJamesBondandBatmanmovies!