For the third consecutive year, the Salim El-Hoss Bioethics and Professionalism Program (SHBPP) at the American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine (AUB FM) and Medical Center (AUBMC) presented a physician and a resident with the SHBPP/AUB FM Humanism and Professionalism Award at the resident’s graduation ceremony on June 9, 2015 at the Assembly Hall. The noted recipients of this year award were Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, Head of Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the AUBMC and Dr Khairat Al Habbal, third year resident in the Department of Family Medicine.
In response to this announcement, Dr. Abu Sittah commented, “I am humbled by this award. Not only because of the Salim El-Hoss name that it carries, a name that for me is synonymous with the kind of moral politics that we dream of having in the Arab world but as I join the distinguished colleagues who have been the recipients in the past two years.” He added: “I am proud to be part of an institution that champions these values in medicine. At a time when we are engulfed by a wave of brutal tribalism of different forms it is critical that we maintain our belief that a better Arab world is possible through the universal values of humanism.”
As for Dr. Khairat Al Habbal, she affirmed, “I take pride in being part of an institution which searches for those qualities in its doctors and celebrates them… It is only through reinforcing the moral aspect of physicians that we can counteract the decadence of trust that the patients are having in us as a medical body due to the stereotype of ‘businessmen doctors’."
This prestigious award, the first of its kind in the Arab world, honors qualities of compassionate care and selfless dedication to excellence. The recipient of the award is also a remarkable role model, self-reflective about his/her own continuing development. It is granted to the physician and resident who exemplifies the humane and professional aspects of medicine and who is exceptionally proficient, compassionate, kind, responsible and concerned about the welfare of patients, colleagues, staff and students.
