His Beatitude Cardinal Bechara El Rahi expressed willingness to support and collaborate with the Salim El-Hoss Bioethics and Professionalism Program (SHBPP) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, in a meeting with the SHBPP founding director Dr. Thalia Arawi in Bkerki on December 12, 2013.Launched in 2010, the SHBPP is the first targeted initiative in the Arab world that seeks to educate, research, and champion issues related to professionalism, medical humanism and bioethics. It is an interdisciplinary resource for faculty, students, and healthcare providers involved in bioethics education, research, policy making and consultation in Lebanon and the region.
Cardinal El Rahi stated his appreciation for the SHBPP and its numerous activities aimed at raising awareness on issues of bioethics and expressed interest in involving Dr. Arawi and the program in his talks on the topic.
Since its inception, the SHBPP has engaged and included the church by hosting members of the clergy in its various bioethics conferences. The program mission includes engaging all faiths and will soon be meeting with the Grand Mufti Mohamad Rashid Qabani.