SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. It is a fundamental global goal that underscores the importance of accessible healthcare, disease prevention, and overall well-being. LAU has actively contributed to this goal through various initiatives and programs, aligning with its commitment to fostering a healthier and more informed society. By offering hands-on healthcare training, providing essential support to healthcare systems, and emphasizing the significance of mental health and well-being, LAU is playing a crucial role in advancing the objectives of this goal, ultimately working towards healthier communities and a better quality of life for all. Initiatives such as the development of an innovative exoskeleton to aid individuals with spinal injuries, research on the therapeutic properties of Lebanese cannabis oil extract for inflammatory diseases, and the provision of hands-on healthcare training showcase LAU’s dedication to advancing healthcare and promoting welfare.

LAU’s Seven-Year Collaboration with Michael Haddad Still Going Strong

How a professional endurance athlete and a group of visionary engineers and neurologist joined forces to produce an advanced training suit that continues to inspire ongoing research.

When endurance athlete Michael Haddad was first introduced to LAU’s leadership he reportedly said: “I’m paralyzed from the chest down and defying the odds. I need someone to defy them with me.”

Seven years since this encounter, Haddad’s collaboration with LAU is still going strong.

His condition, caused by a spinal injury at the early age of six, typically renders individuals dependent on a wheelchair for mobility and unable to walk or stand up.

Haddad, however, overcame this impediment by walking, climbing and descending stairs using the swing-to-gait method – whereby he maintains his balance with his upper body while thrusting his legs forward with the help of crutches. This movement – seemingly simple because walking requires very little mental effort for most people – is in fact proof of Haddad’s exceptional brain endurance.

Former Associate Professor and Neurology Chair Rechdi Ahdab from LAU’s Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine explained, “Since Haddad cannot rely on his spinal locomotor centers, ambulation is consciously implemented by his brain.” This means that at any given moment, his brain coordinates the movements of dozens of muscles in his upper body, calculating the trajectory of his next step, planning his landing, anticipating hazards and reacting to miscalculations or unexpected dangers – while simultaneously completing other motor tasks, as well as maintaining balance in spite of a highly deficient balance system.

“This compares to walking on a thin wire on a windy day,” said Dr. Ahdab.

Inspired by Haddad’s method, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Barbar Akle pitched to his students at the School of Engineering a project to develop a walking aid, challenging them to contribute on a volunteer basis.

Since then, the initiative grew exponentially, first into several undergraduate capstone projects, a graduate project and thesis, and then into several fundraising initiatives and collaborations with experts across the board.

From a scientific standpoint, exoskeletons developed for paraplegics are typically heavy, battery-and-motor operated machines that the person can control through minimal motion. These machines are expensive, have limited range, and worst of all, require little physical effort from the user, which is unhealthy.

LAU’s creation, on the other hand, is a much lighter “training suit” powered by the person wearing it, himself becoming “the battery and motor,” without a need for an external source of energy.

Inspired by Haddad’s swing-to-gait movement, the exoskeleton fortifies the upper body by enabling the user to achieve balance through an active control system with feedback sensors, while lower orthoses or braces help him or her retain their energy as they go, without breaking momentum.

“This scheme provides relative independence for the paraplegic,” explained Assistant Professor of Practice Ali Ammouri. Considering how the lack of physical activity can cause severe health complications, “the opportunity for movement that the exoskeleton provides has long-term health advantages,” he added.

As the exoskeleton is being developed, the approach has shifted from building assistive technology to creating a training tool that will, hopefully, free the paraplegic to walk independently.

Ultimately, “the goal of this project is to develop a training suit that will controllably help and train the balance, while specific regions in the brain are being activated with transcranial magnetic stimulation to accelerate the learning curve,” said Dr. Akle. In parallel, special orthoses reduce the energy required by the user, as a training protocol is put in place to help build the required muscle strength and support the balance requirements.

From a neurological perspective, this started with a comprehensive study of Haddad’s nervous system, spearheaded by Dr. Ahdab.

The experimental findings suggest that Haddad utilizes a great deal of motor planning and imagery in order to ambulate, which did not surprise him, as he had repeatedly defined the key to his successes as “lots of focus” and “proper planning.”

“Michael has a special type of intelligence akin to that of all-time great athletes — those who see, react and understand the game in a manner that sets them apart from others,” said Dr. Ahdab.

To help the LAU team test and perfect the exoskeleton, Haddad has been trying it out on walks across tough terrains, such as the Beirut walk for inclusion, a five-km-walk in Oyoun El Simane, the Egypt walk for “Stepping Ahead of COVID,” as well as a number of fundraising events and initiatives, where engineering students and faculty observed and collected data.

Another team from the American University of Beirut’s Physical Education and Nutrition programs has also tailored a physical training protocol along with a special diet.

In 2019, the United Nations appointed Haddad as Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Climate Action. To that end, he plans to walk 100 km across the North Pole to raise awareness on the devastating impact of the Arctic melt, and the detrimental consequences of climate change. While this endeavor was originally planned for 2020, it was postponed until spring 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the meantime, testing and improving the exoskeleton is still going strong. The scientific team hopes to produce a first working prototype of the suit within two years.

From an academic standpoint, “this has been a tremendous learning experience for engineering students as they continue to engage in solving a worthwhile problem – a truly inspiring effort,” said Dr. Akle. Not only have the students been involved in developing the exoskeleton, but have had to build other gadgets for the project, he added. In response to COVID-19, for example, the team created a ventilated face mask for Haddad, who expends approximately 30 times more energy while walking, and therefore requires more oxygen than the average person.

The project has broken new ground in research and innovation which could lead in the long run to developing an integrated Neurorehabilitation program that combines classical physical training and “brain training” tailored to the needs of paraplegic patients.

As the exoskeleton is being developed, the approach has shifted from building assistive technology to creating a training tool that will, hopefully, free the paraplegic to walk independently.

Research Highlight: Anti-Inflammatory Activity Evaluation of Lebanese Cannabis Sativa

A study by a team of LAU faculty and students published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology has revealed that Lebanese Cannabis oil extract (COE) possesses therapeutic properties in the treatment of inflammatory diseases in laboratory animal models.

According to available information in scientific literature, “In vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory activity evaluation of Lebanese Cannabis sativa L. ssp. indica (Lam.)” may well be the first applied research on Lebanese cannabis since 1984.

The study, an interdisciplinary collaboration between faculty at the School of Pharmacy (SOP), the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences (SoAS), found that COE reduced inflammation and edema in chronic paw edema of Sprague Dawley rats, further supporting its possible therapeutic properties in certain inflammatory disorders.

“The study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical and anti-inflammatory properties of a cannabis oil preparation from the cannabis plant grown in Lebanon,” said project spearhead Dr. Mohammad Mroueh, professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology at LAU.

The study findings demonstrated that COE possesses “remarkable in vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory activities comparable to dexamethasone, a potent corticosteroid,” he explained.

These strong anti-inflammatory effects, said Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the school of medicine Wissam Faour, were found to be produced by the chemical constituents of cannabis, mainly cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

“The chemical analysis of the COE, obtained from Cannabis indica (hybrid strain) grown in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, revealed that CBD; 59.1 percent and THC; 20.2 percent were the most abundant natural cannabinoids,” said SoAS Assistant Dean Robin Taleb.

CBD is recognized for its therapeutic properties while THC is known for its psychoactive properties.

Research and challenges

The investigation process involved the extraction of the essential oil using Lebanese cannabis samples, and the characterization of its constituents, including what chemicals were present and their percentage within the oil.

However, no research is without its challenges, as noted by one of the investigators Dr. Wassim Shebaby, research faculty and postdoctoral research fellow at SOP’s Pharmaceutical Science Department.

“The major challenge we have encountered throughout the research has been obtaining and collecting cannabis samples via official channels,” added Dr. Shebaby, whose work, as part of an interdisciplinary team, has focused on isolating and characterizing natural compounds from Lebanese medicinal plants and evaluating their chemical and pharmacological properties.

What’s next for the team?

While the current findings are not unique, they constitute a step toward the phytochemical (chemical compounds in plants) and pharmacological evaluation of Lebanese cannabis, said Dr. Mroueh, as “this study will pave the road for more advanced studies to explore the potential clinical and economic importance of this controversial plant.”

The team is planning to extend their research to the other cannabis species and other hybrid strains found in Lebanon.

“We have a couple of other ongoing research projects evaluating the in vitro and in vivo (in animals) anticancer properties, antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria,” said Dr. Mroueh. An important step would be to phenotype and genotype all cannabis strains grown in Lebanon, “especially after realizing that there are both the low THC/high CBD and high THC/low CBD strains in Lebanon.”     

“Eventually, we hope to start pilot clinical studies to assess the anti-inflammatory effect of cannabis on selected patients and those perhaps non-responsive to steroid treatment,” noted Dr. Faour.

“In addition, it would be interesting to evaluate any possible anti-inflammatory properties of cannabis extracts against cytokine storms caused by COVID-19,” added Dr. Mroueh. Clinical trials (i.e. in people) of cannabis, however, can only go ahead once, and if, approvals through the appropriate channels and by the concerned authorities are secured.

A collaborative effort with students

The study was also a learning opportunity that involved undergraduate students Edwin Chrabieh and Marissa El Hage, and graduate students Jane Saliba and Jana Ismail, under the faculty’s direct supervision.

“We were responsible for the in vitro part of the research. We tested the inhibitory effects of COE on LPS-induced production of TNF-alpha in isolated rat monocytes,” said pre-med biology undergraduate Chrabieh.

For four months, the students were mentored and advised by the faculty and laboratory specialists in learning and adapting to the required techniques.

“We practiced different procedures such as cell plating and treating, WST-1 assays, cell lysis, Western Blots etc. After gaining confidence, I was assigned to perform Western blots on inflammatory mediators for around four months,” he said.

For SOP undergraduate El Hage the research study reinforced her interests in pharmacy.

“I also had the opportunity to use or apply the science I have learned in the classroom to a real-world setting, and I have been able to better identify the skills needed to be successful as a research scientist in the future,” she said of the experience.

Saliba, who is pursuing an MS in Pharmaceutical Development and Management at the LAU SOP, said she was involved in the development of the study concept and design and sample collection for analysis and histopathology.

“I got to be fully involved in the entire process from start to finish and was able to develop skills and increase my knowledge on many levels,” she said.  

One thing the researchers are certain of is that cannabis research will have a great impact on future studies in the field of inflammation.

“What made this experience more interesting was the fact that the research revolved around cannabis, whose possible medicinal properties tend to be largely overlooked. I believe it is worth exploiting medically and industrially,” Saliba said.

Dr. Taleb agrees. As the race toward advancing healthcare globally gains more momentum, “scientists worldwide are finally given the green light to investigate the therapeutic effects of the plant, which for generations has provided its users with a recreational escape beyond traditional medicine.”

Scientific research confirms medicinal properties of cannabis oil extract for inflammatory diseases in animal models, paving the way for future impactful studies.

Camping Around the Sustainable Development Goals

Participants in this year’s School of Arts and Sciences Summer Camps got a taste of university-level education in line with LAU’s SDG-based Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum.

This year, 79 high-school students congregated to participate in the School of Arts and Sciences Summer Camps, which were spread out across three individual camps focusing on essential SDG-focused majors: physics, chemistry and nutrition.

Following the immersive summer camps of 2022, the Liberal Arts and Sciences Department designed lectures and activities over five days of learning, from July 3 to July 7.

Campers had the opportunity to experience a university environment and explore multiple programs they might wish to study at LAU. This was facilitated not only by the number of seminars that were given at each camp but also by the chance to earn a 10-to-30-percent scholarship to study at the university upon completing the camp.

Introductory sessions for all the participants were held at the Adnan Kassar School of Business (AKSOB) on the Beirut campus before they dispersed among different schools. AKSOB hosted most of the physics and nutrition sessions, whereas the chemistry sessions took place at the chemistry facility in Sage Hall.

At the physics camp, students participated in interactive lectures on Einstein’s theory of relativity, electromagnetism and the realm of quantum mechanics by discussing their understanding of the theories with the instructors. Associate Professor of Physics Jimmy Romanos and Assistant Professors of Physics Rana Nicolas and Walid Malaeb organized lectures, experiments and documentaries to allow for an engaging learning experience.

“We tried to give the students an overall idea of the different interesting topics in physics,” said Dr. Nicolas, “especially since the subject itself can be intimidating. In all, I think the students were very interested and motivated and posed a lot of questions that were surprisingly good for their age.”

Grade 11 student Jana Abou Hijeily said that “the camp was a great opportunity to discover new aspects of physics that we don’t thoroughly learn at school. The practical experiences, like performing a residential energy audit, enabled us to visualize the pragmatic side of most of the theoretical knowledge we’ve acquired over the years.”

Over at the nutrition camp, discourses were designed by Associate Professor of Nutrition Nadine Zeeni, Associate Professor of Food Science and Technology Hussein F. Hassan, Assistant Professor of Nutrition Rana Rizk as well as Instructors of Nutrition Marwa Fadlallah and Marie Stephan to address emerging issues in nutrition and food science with a focus on the impact of food insecurity and malnutrition on communities worldwide.

Additionally, students got to explore sustainable food practices and how they contribute to both human health and the environment. “Throughout the camp, the intricate connections between nutrition and overall health were investigated,” said Dr. Rizk. “Lectures provided a comprehensive overview of this link, explaining how proper nutrition directly impacts physical and mental wellbeing.”

Youssef Itani, Grade 11, said that having this opportunity was beneficial for him and his peers as they made “new acquaintances in the field on top of learning about the role of nutrition in addressing the sustainable development goals.”

Inspired by videos featuring testimonials from practicing dietitians in diverse nutrition fields, the participants gained insight into real-life experiences and perspectives on the day-to-day responsibilities of a career in nutrition.

Meanwhile, the chemistry camp addressed the challenges related to soil quality deterioration in Mediterranean countries and introduced experimental procedures to the participants to sharpen their understanding of soil parameters and environmental contaminants.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Elias Akoury, who was responsible for delivering all the lectures, was determined to ensure a learning experience for the students different from the methodology used in schools. And in fact, the campers felt enlightened as they discovered the multidisciplinary approaches used to address environmental issues.

All of this was made possible by the experiments they got to conduct in the chemistry labs, such as spectroscopic techniques, thermogravimetric analysis (observing the mass variation of materials with temperature changes) and X-ray fluorescence.

“I am glad I took part in the program because we were introduced to the different disciplines and experiments of science,” stated 11-grader Karim Kassem. “Tackling soil chemistry, its chemical composition and properties with Dr. Akoury was very enriching. I was able to form solid bonds with chemistry enthusiasts and obtain a rigid chemistry background knowledge.”

On the final day, in an awards ceremony held on the Beirut campus, scholarships covering up to 30 percent of the tuition were granted to the 17 participants who scored high on their final examination to kick off their university education at LAU.

Nursing Students Tell their Stories with Drama Therapy

The Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing organized a drama therapy workshop in collaboration with renowned actress Zeina Daccache for nursing students. They used drama therapy as a tool to express their feelings and bolster their social and team skills. The workshop is another example of the university’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 3: Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Wellbeing.

Hands-Only CPR program offered to school students

In line with its mission to serve the community, the LAU Clinical Simulation Center in collaboration with the NGO Youth Organization Heart Awareness (YOHAN) resumed its activities to promote the Hands-Only CPR program, a discipline of the American Heart Association designed to raise awareness in schools and the community about sudden cardiac arrest.  The CSC AHA-International Training Center certified instructors and LAU medical students delivered on January 19, 2022 a training session to Grades 11 and 12 at Collège des Apôtres, Jounieh.

Hands-Only CPR is easy and can save lives. If you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse, just remember these two steps:

• Call the Red Cross (140) or assign a specific person to do so
• Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of the disco song “Stayin’ Alive” until help arrives.

For more info, visit www.heart.org/handsonlycpr and watch a one-minute training video, which shows a straightforward way of performing Hands-Only CPR.

LAU PharmD Students Bring Home Solid Vaccination Experience

Following rotations at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas, PharmD students help to provide essential services at home amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Placing their practical training at the service of their community, Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students took part in the LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital mass vaccination campaign in Lebanon, equipped with broader knowledge gained during rotations at Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas.

LAU’s long-standing affiliation with Houston Methodist, where PharmD students complete four months of required Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs), enables them to “sharpen their skillsets and build real-world experience in diverse pharmacy practice and cultural settings,” said Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy/Director of Experiential Education Lamis Karaoui (PharmD ‘05).

According to Dr. Michael G. Liebl, Director of System Clinical Pharmacy Services at Houston Methodist, one core requirement of the program is that the students complete the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery Certificate.

During their stay in Houston this spring, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, not only were the LAU PharmD students trained to prepare and administer vaccines but “were also extensively involved in immunizing the public,” said Nour K. Farhat (PharmD ’21).

The trainings included reconstituting and preparing the different available vaccines, administering them and educating the public, as well as supporting healthcare workers in Houston.

The knowledge and experience that PharmD students gain in the US complements their training in Lebanon, preparing them for contemporary practice strategies in interprofessional settings when engaging in meaningful required APPEs.

For instance, as pharmacists in the US adopted telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic for the provision of patient monitoring and medication management, “the PharmD students had the chance to immerse themselves in this unique hands-on experience,” said Dr. Karaoui.

“They were engaged in addressing a multitude of unique patient cases, contributed to clinical decision making, and bore witness to significant events that were emotionally impactful and provided them with an opportunity for personal and professional growth and insight,” she added.

In total, LAU PharmD interns are estimated to have vaccinated more than 9,500 individuals and drawn up over 1,550 vaccine doses at Houston Methodist, explained Dr. Liebl. “They also supported more than 1,300 hours at various vaccine clinic sites with approximately 975 hours providing direct patient care and administering vaccines. More than 325 hours were also spent behind the scenes managing vaccine and supply movement logistics.”

As PharmD students, “we were heavily involved in the process; from the time of vial removal from the refrigerator right to the administration of the vaccine,” said Joe Maksoudian (PharmD ’21). “We handled checking expiration dates, lot numbers, vaccine reconstitution, draw-up and administration, individuals screening, education and counselling.”

The fact that the students were able to translate their experience into an ability to provide essential support to the Lebanese healthcare sector and people was heartwarming, said Dr. Karaoui.

“During their APPEs at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital our PharmD students helped with the preparation of the vaccine dose, taking medication histories, educating the vaccinated on possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine and reporting on the COVAX platform,” she explained.

For Katia El Harake (PharmD ’21), it was a fruitful experience that helped her contribute to a great cause: providing the public with the necessary protection against a dangerous disease.

“It was both inspiring and fulfilling to be a part of the healthcare team at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital that was, and still is, working tirelessly in the fight against the pandemic,” she said.

Although “the pandemic was a time of great devastation and loss,” noted Dr. Liebl, “with the unity we witnessed, it transformed into a time of resilience and change in an era where we needed it the most.”

The experience, however, was not without its challenges for the students who had to stay flexible and up-to-date on new studies and reports as well as the rollout of statistics and investigations into treatments.

“The amount of new information that was being published when COVID-19 started and assessing which sources were credible was a challenge at the beginning,” Maksoudian said. “But it helped me better understand the situation and ultimately answer any questions that arose.”

In both Lebanon and Houston, the PharmD students were also exposed to a great number of patients from divergent backgrounds.

“One of the most important things that we will take away from our time on the field is cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity,” explained Jad El Tom (PharmD ’21). “Our experience was sometimes challenged by language barriers, with some non-English speaking individuals who presented for vaccination in Houston.”

Through structured orientation sessions and co-curricular workshops designed to instill cultural sensitivity, emotional intelligence and negotiation skills, they learned to deal with vaccine hesitant people and build vaccine confidence.

“These sessions and workshops are meant to facilitate the PharmD students’ interactions with people, caregivers and healthcare providers from different cultures and backgrounds and help minimize negative encounters,” said Dr. Karaoui. “They may not successfully unlock vaccine fear with everyone, but this specific learning moment – the deliberate practice and continued feedback – contributes to the transformation of their mindset as future practitioners.”

As the world is pulling its uttermost resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, “pharmacists have proven once again their vital role as public health practitioners and educators,” concluded Dean of the School of Pharmacy Imad Btaiche. “In whatever place they happened to be training, LAU PharmD students have joined forces with extraordinary contributions to increase the public health benefits and vaccination rates with COVID-19 vaccines.”

LAU’s PharmD students pictured at Houston Methodist, where they completed four months of required Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs).

The PharmD students’ training at Houston Methodist included reconstituting and preparing the different available vaccines, administering them, educating the public and supporting healthcare workers.

LAU’s Youth Sports Academy

LAU’s Youth Sports Academy offers young participants of all skill levels training and practice in different sports (Basketball [currently on hold], Tennis [currently on hold], and Swimming [collaboration]) under the supervision of experienced coaches in the safe and friendly environment of the LAU Beirut campus. Training camps, friendlies and possibly Competitions against other academies, and intensive training during holidays are among the several activities of the LAU Youth Sports Academy.

Recent studies have shown that exercising helps children: 

• Study and perform better on tests
• Stay positive and energized, even off the field 
• Make friendships that last a lifetime

Give your kids the gift of athletics by enrolling them in LAU’s Youth Sports Academy.

Why join LAU YSA?

• Acquire or improve on fundamental techniques
• Develop moral principles and characteristics such as dedication, teamwork, discipline, respect, self-confidence and sportsmanship.
• Enhance your skills and performances in competition
• Practice in well-maintained and supervised facilities. 
• Stand a chance of obtaining an athletic scholarship at LAU.

Contact Us

For further information, please contact us by e-mail or call us on 03-791314, ext. 1317. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Nourishing Minds and Bodies Within LAU’s Nutrition Program

Nutrition students at LAU experience hands-on learning to gain insight into breastfeeding and optimal health.

The workshop aimed to provide students with practical insights into breastfeeding and its vital significance in promoting overall health in infants, children, mothers and families.

Under the tutelage of Dr. Bahia Abdallah, students engaged in hands-on activities and delved into the physical and emotional intricacies of breastfeeding and its impact on all genders.

As a means of fostering student-centered education, a workshop focusing on lactation was held for LAU nutrition and dietetics students on March 17, 2023. It aimed to provide students with practical insights into breastfeeding and its vital significance in promoting overall health in infants, children, mothers and families.

For these students, majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics as well as the Nutrition and Dietetics Coordinated Program (CP) gave them the opportunity to be exposed to and involved in educational and professional opportunities along the way. As such, this workshop came about as part of the Nutrition in the Life Cycle course offered in the program which is designed to bridge theoretical knowledge with real-world application.

In pursuit of tackling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – namely SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) – participants got to take part in promoting sustainable nutrition practices by exploring ways to support breastfeeding mothers and emphasizing the nutritional value of breast milk, its role in building immunity and its positive impact on maternal and offspring health.

Under the tutelage of Nursing Program Director Bahia Abdallah, students gathered at LAU’s Clinical Simulation Center – a specialized medical training facility that caters to healthcare students and professionals across disciplines – where they engaged in hands-on activities and delved into the physical and emotional intricacies of breastfeeding and its impact on all genders.

Given the workshop’s benefit in enriching the program’s curriculum, the students were taken out of their role as mere spectators and pushed to become participants in a process that equips them with skills and knowledge beyond the academic realm.

“The beauty of this workshop being part of their overall education at LAU,” said Assistant Professor of Nutrition Rana Rizk, “lies in how it immerses our students in experiences that enrich their understanding, broaden their perspectives and equip them with skills that are relevant in the field of nutrition.”

The lactation workshop is just one facet of this holistic approach, acting as another shining example of how LAU nurtures well-rounded professionals to make effective contributions in their domains.

“As nutritionists and dietitians, part of their role is to promote, support and protect breastfeeding, among other things,” noted Dr. Abdallah. “The more they know about it, the more they can advance it and be advocates for mothers, families, and communities. It’s important to highlight the sub-specialties in nutrition because there’s so much more to it than meets the eye.”

The distinguishing factor of this workshop and others similar to it at LAU is the inclusion of experiential learning, added Dr. Rizk. “Offering empirical practice while studying for the profession itself easily opens up plenty of doors for our students. This way, they’ll go into their jobs having already acquired the skills needed for excellence.”

The hope at the end of the day, be it through workshops, programs or activities as reflected by both Dr. Abdallah and Dr. Rizk, is to pave the way for a future generation of experts poised to shape healthier, more informed communities worldwide.

Someone to Talk To

LAU counselors help students overcome – and even better, preempt – all sorts of challenges.

The counselors aim to empower students by giving them the tools they would need to overcome immediate as well as future difficulties.

Every day, LAU’s counselors help students make the most of university life by empowering them to manage their workload, extracurricular activities and personal concerns. 

For second-year communications major Carly Aziz, the service “is not only important, but a must, especially during these hard times.”

Counseling is helpful for resolving a full range of challenges, no matter how “small” or serious they may seem (see the list below for examples).

“We have assisted students in getting to know their campus, getting involved, staying active on campus, and taking advantage of new opportunities,” said Joumana Haddad, principal counselor on Byblos campus.

 “This has helped them meet new people with similar interests and alleviated their feelings of homesickness and loneliness,” she added.

The past three years have been particularly taxing on students, who have borne their fair share of financial hardship, a pandemic and disruptions to their campus life. 

According to Nathalie Medlege, lead counselor on Beirut campus, “a lot of students are noticing that they are having difficulties and are aware of the importance of their mental health. Even if they have enough support from their surroundings, they know they need to supplement it, so they come to us and talk about it.”

Faculty, too, have become increasingly aware of students’ need for support, adds Medlege, and take it into consideration. 

Free and Confidential

Counseling services are free of charge and strictly confidential. They provide a safe environment for students experiencing difficulties, whether on the personal or academic level. The counselors’ offices are easily accessible and conveniently located close to the student lounge.

“I think all institutions should consider adding this to their offering, as it normalizes seeking help and goes to show that the university is invested in students’ wellbeing, and not just their academic achievements,” said Aziz.

Mission: Empowerment

The counselors aim to empower students by giving them the tools they would need to overcome immediate as well as future difficulties. 

Second-year multimedia journalism student Lyne Samury finds counseling very helpful. “My counselor provides tactics and tools to help me solve problems on my own,” she noted. 

Both counselors agreed that “it is important to seek help when needed, especially when it is available,” for there is no health without mental health.

Get some tips and more information on LAU’s counseling services here.

15 Things You Can Discuss with a Counselor: 

• Test anxiety
• Depression
• Suicidal ideation
• Eating disorders
• Sleeping disorders
• Study skills
• Sexual health
• Attention deficit disorder
• Family conflicts
• Relational concerns
• Stress
• Major confusion
• Self-confidence
• Learning difficulties