OBGYNIssueNo10 FallNewsletter2013

HER FundHealher.Embraceher.Rememberher.

TheDepartmentofObstetricsandGynecologyisproudtoannouncethe“birth”ofHERFund,acharitablefundraisinginitiative,affiliatedwiththeWomen’sHealthCenterattheAmericanUniversityofBeirutMedicalCenter.HERFundwasestablishedtohelpwomenwhosufferfromcriticalandlife-threateninggynecologicalandobstetricalconditions.ThisinitiativeisoneofthecornerstonesoftheDepartmentofObstetricsandGynecology’s140-yearmissionofprovidingexcellenceinpatientcareacrossawoman’slifespan,education,andresearch.

Anwar Nassar, MDEditor-in-Chief

WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTER: SECOND

CLINICAL SEMINAR

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

MEET THE ALUMNI* Dr. Hanaa Itani received her M.D.

degree from the American University of Beirut in 2005. She then completed her OBS/GYN residency at AUBMC in 2009. After graduation, she completed several months specializing in Infertility and Reproductive Medicine in Michigan, USA. She started her career at Fakih In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) center. Currently, she works in HOPE center for reproductive medicine at Trad Hospital and in Sahel Fertility Unit at Sahel General Hospital. Dr. Itani is mainly interested in infertility and IVF, but also practices general OBS/GYN. She is married to Mohamad Takkoush, an engineer, and has two kids: Malik (two years old) and Jana (seven months old).

* Dr. Rafka Bou Habib received herM.D. with distinction from AUB in 1997, and then completed an OBS/GYN residency at AUBMC in 2001. This was followed by a two-year experience in clinical rotations in a community hospital off-campus in Norfolk, Virginia where she was exposed to laparoscopic surgery and was lucky to enhance her ultrasonographic skills with Dr. Alfred Abuhamad at Eastern Virginia Medical School. She then started her clinical practice and is currently a full timer in a governmental hospital where she participates in tutoring OBS/GYN residents from Balamand University in addition to her admitting privileges in several hospitals. Dr. Bou Habib is a member of several societies including Osteos. She is married to Dr. Anis Wanna and has two children. She enjoys her work and always strives to better serve the community.

OnJuly4,2013,theWomen’sHealthCenter(WHC)helditssecondclinicalseminarincollaborationwithLSOG,focusingonevidence-basedscreeninginwomen’shealth.Dr.AnwarNassarstressedtheimportanceofdevelopingascreeningpackagethatisevidence-basedandutilizedonanationallevelaspartofanintegratedapproachtowomen’shealth.Theseminarhadthreemodules:thefirstfocusedonthebasicantenatalcaretestingpackageaddressedbyDr.FadiMirzaandDr.LabibGhulmiyyah.ThesecondmodulewasaddressedbyDr.FaysalElKakusinganage-basedapproachtoidentifyscreeningtestsforgeneralandgynecologicalhealthacrossawoman’slifespan.Andfinally,Dr.JohnnyAwwad’smodulefocusedoninfertilityandsubfertility.Thesessionsprovedtobeinteractiveandengagingfortheaudience.Theseminarwasthenfollowedbyadiscussionandcocktail.

HER FUND: TOGETHER

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Everywomanshouldbeprovidedwiththeopportunitytoachieve,sustainandmaintainherhealth.However,manyobstaclesandchallengesarisewhenitcomestowomen’shealthservices.Today,increasinglydifficulteconomicconditionsmakecharitablesupportmoreimportantthanever.Sincewearestrongbelieversthatwomen’shardshipsshouldnotdictatewhotheybecome,HERFundwasestablishedbyagroupofdedicatedvolunteerstohelpcoverthemedicalexpensesofwomenwhosufferfromcriticalandlife-threateninggynecologicalandobstetricalconditions.Theseinclude,butarenotlimitedto,complexgynecologicalconditions(suchasfemalecancersanddiseasesrequiringminimallyinvasivetechniques)andhigh-riskobstetricalconditions(suchaspregnanciescomplicatedbybirthdefects,geneticdisorders,andlife-threateningplacentalconditions).Inaddition,HERFundaimstoincreasepublicawarenessofwomen’shealthissues,whilerelyingsolelyonthegenerosityofbenefactorsandvolunteers.FormoreinformationonhowtosupportHERFund,pleasecalltheOfficeofDevelopment,AUBat:+9611366445.

PUBLICATIONS• FahedAC,NassarAH.PregnancyinaWomanwithHomozygousFamilialHypercholesterolemianotonLow-DensityLipoproteinApheresis.AJPRep2012Nov;2(1):33-6.

• ChantalF,NassarAH,ArawiT,AshkarH,MonsefC,AwwadJ.TheUtilizationofPreimplantationGeneticTestingintheAbsenceofGovernance:AReal-timeExperience.ClinGenet2013[Inpress].

• AwwadJ,NassarA,UstaI,ShayaM,YounesZ,GhazeeriG.AttitudesofLebaneseUniversityStudentstowardsSurgicalHymenReconstruction.ArchSexBehav2013[Inpress].

ACADEMIC NEWS• Dr.AbdallahAdrawasaninvitedspeakerattheXIWorldCongressofPerinatalMedicine,heldinMoscowonJune19-23,2013.Hegavetwopresentationsonthrombophiliaandpregnancycomplications,inadditiontochairingaspecialsessionon“PerinatologyintheArabWorld.”

• Dr.FadiMirzagavetwotalksaboutmultiplesclerosis,thefirstonJune2,2013duringtheannualmeetingoftheNationalSocietyofMultipleSclerosis(NSMS)attheMovenpickHotelBeirut,andthesecondonJuly20aspartoftheMSAwarenessCampaignoftheMinistryofPublicHealthincollaborationwithAUBMCMSCenterandNSMS.Healsogaveatalkentitled“PostpartumHemorrhageRevisited”attheFourPointsHotelonJune27,aspartoftheLSOGseminarseries.

• Dr.AdraandDr.Mirzawereinvitedspeakersatatwo-dayWomen’sHealthSymposiumforIraqiphysiciansthattookplaceattheGefinorRotanaHotelonJune26.Theylecturedon“AdvancesinContraception”and“HPVVaccine:CervicalCancerandBeyond,”respectively.

• OnAugust19,2013,Dr.LabibGhulmiyyahwasinvitedtoanexclusivepressvisitattheNovoNordiskheadquartersinCopenhagen,Denmark.Itwasatwo-dayeventfocusingexclusivelyondiabeteseducationandawareness.

FROM THE ANIMAL KINGDOMThelengthofpregnancyofadolphinvariesbetween9-17monthsdependingonthespecies.Ababydolphinisborntail-firsttopreventdrowning.Justatablespoonofwaterinadolphin’slungcoulddrownit.Afterthemotherbreakstheumbilicalcordbyswiftlyswimmingaway,shemustquicklytakethebabytothesurfacetobreathe.

Ababydolphinwillnursefrom11monthstotwoyears.Followingthat,itwillstillstaywithitsmotheruntilit’sbetweenthreeandeightyearsold.Afemaledolphinwillassistinthebirthofanotherdolphin’sbaby,andifitisadifficultbirth,the“midwife”mightalsohelppulloutthebaby.Thenewmothersgetlittletonosleepforatleastthefirsttwomonthspost-partum.Thisisduetothevigilanceneededtocareforandprotectthenewborn.Interestingly,acalfwhosebehaviorwarrantsdisciplinemaybe“buzzed”byitsmotherusingsounds,andmaybeheldnearthebottomuntilitgetsthepoint.

NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT

A NEW COURSE FOR OBS/GYN RESIDENTSTheResidentUltrasoundCoursewasrecentlyintegratedintoResidencyTrainingintheDepartmentofOBS/GYN.ThiscoursewasdevelopedbytheDivisionofMFM,andcoordinatedbyDr.AbdallahAdra.Itconsistsoffivemodulesgivenastwo-hoursessionsonamonthlybasis.Eachsessionconsistsofbasicsonographicinformation,inadditiontostillUSimagesandclipsfromthePrenatalDiagnosisUnitsonographiclibrary.Thiscourseisexpectedtoenhancethesonographicknowledgeandcompetenceofresidentsduringtheirresidencytraining.

LAUNCH OF THE NURSING LECTURE SERIESThenewlyestablishedDivisionofMaternalFetalMedicine(MFM)haslaunchedaseriesoflecturesdedicatedtonurses.Thisnovelseries,whichfurtherstrengthenstherelationshipbetweenphysiciansandnurses,coversamyriadofobstetrictopicsthatrangefromfetaldevelopmenttomaternalcomplicationsofpregnancy.Lecturessofarhavebeenverywell-receivedandhavefeaturedlivelydiscussionsamongtheobstetricteam.

Did you know?• Every90seconds,onewomandiesduringpregnancyorchildbirth.Mostofthesedeathsarepreventable.

• Womenmakeup80percentofallrefugeesanddisplacedpeople.

• Womenaccountfor70percentofthepopulationlivinginabsolutepoverty(onlessthan$1aday).

• Girlsareactuallylesslikelytoreachadulthoodbecauseofgenderdiscrimination.Tensofmillionsofgirlshavebeenaborted,killed,undernourished,orterriblyneglectedduetotheirgender.

• Reportsshowthatviolenceagainstwomenincreasesduringpregnancy.

• Morethan16.4millionwomenintheworldhaveHIV/AIDS.Insomeregions,girlsareHIV-positiveatarateoffivetimesthatofboys.

• Womenownonly1percentoftheworld’sland.

• Dr.MeritPtahistheearliestrecordedfemalephysician;shelivedinancientEgyptaround2700B.C.

• ThetwohighestIQ’severrecorded(onastandardtest)bothbelongedtowomen.

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.GHINAGHAZEERI

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

A:December2004,afterreturningfromSaudiArabia.

Q: What is your title?A:AssociateProfessorofClinicalObstetrics

andGynecology.

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

students,andIsupervisetheinfertilityOPDclinics.

Q: Prior to joining this department, what were you doing?A:IfinishedaReproductiveEndocrinologyfellowshipintheUSA(1999)and

wasappointedasmedicaldirectoratTheSpecializedMedicalCenter-IVFUnit,inKSAforthreeyears.Meanwhile,IwascompletingaMastersdegreeinClinicalEmbryologyfromtheUniversityofLeeds,UK.

Q: If you were not doing this job, what would have you chosen to do?A:Ateacherorapart-timecraftsmaker.

Q: What is the most enjoyable aspect of about your job?A:IamblessedeverydaytoseethegreatnessofGod’screations.

Q: What do you find most challenging about your job?A:Helpingpeoplereachthemostenjoyablefeelinginthislife:becoming

aparent.

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

A:MeccaandMedina.IvisitMeccaeveryyearandInevergetenough.

Q: What do you enjoy doing during your free time?A:Parenting.Myfamilyismypriorityinlife.

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

Q: What is your point of weakness?A:Icanneverseeanybodyinpain.Mypriorityistomakeallthosearoundme

happyandsatisfied.

Q: Who is your favorite artist?A:MydaughterMay.

Q: What singer are you listening to most lately? A:Adele.

Q: What is the movie or book you have lately enjoyed watching or reading? A:Iamreadingtwobooks.Thefirstis“ThePowerofHabit”byCharlesDuhigg.

Itdiscusseswhywedowhatwedoandhowtochange.Thesecondiscalled“TheStart-upofYou”byHoffmanandCasnocha.Itisaboutself-improvement.