LAU School of Medicine hosts national workshop on medical education

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The opening date of the new medical school at the Lebanese American University (LAU) is still more than a year away. Yet LAU, now in the second year of its collaboration with Partners Harvard Medical International (PHMI), is already establishing itself in the Lebanese academic medical community. In April, the school gathered leaders from the country’s other medical schools for a lively dialogue on the future of education in the Middle East.  

The panel discussion was part of a three-day event that included a workshop for new LAU medical faculty led by Dr. N. Lynn Eckhert, PHMI Director of Academic Programs, PHMI Senior Consultant Dr. Constance Bowe, and Dr. Zeinat Hijazi, Assistant Dean for Medical Education at LAU. A highlight of the workshop was a small-group, problem-based learning exercise conducted with eight pre-medical students at LAU.

The event culminated in a day-long symposium on medical education, featuring a keynote address by Dr. Eckhert (pictured at right with LAU Dean Kamal Badr) and an introduction to the LAU curriculum by Dr. Hijazi. The panel discussion gave voice to the rich diversity of medical education traditions in Lebanon. In addition to Dr. Kamal Badr, the founding Dean of LAU’s medical school, the speakers included representatives from the country’s six other medical schools, including five school deans.

The LAU School of Medicine, which will be based in Beirut and Byblos, will feature an American-style curriculum. Its first class of medical students will commence in September 2009.