In an evening filled with joy and pride, the LAU School of Pharmacy bestowed the doctoral hoods upon 33 PharmD graduates, honored two graduating pharmacy residents and recognized outstanding students and faculty with special awards on July 10 at the Selina Kurban Auditorium on the Byblos campus.  

Declaring the occasion “a launching pad into a future filled with potential and purpose,” Provost George E. Nasr underscored pharmacists’ critical role in Lebanon as they continue to reckon with drug shortages, educate, and support communities under immense pressure.

“Know that challenges and opportunities will come in equal measure,” he said, inviting the graduates to “lean on the support of your mentors, colleagues, and loved ones and let the passion that brought you to this point be your guiding star through every challenge and triumph.”

Dean Naser Alsharif shared his greetings with the families and friends of the graduates and acknowledged the dedication of the school’s faculty and staff to supporting the next generation of skilled, knowledgeable and ethical pharmacists. He urged the young pharmacists to become bold leaders. 

“Courage will motivate you to make tough decisions under uncertainty, to champion driving organizational change and transformation despite the existing hierarchy, to remain resilient during adversity and to turn challenges into opportunities for growth,” he said.

Dr. Alsharif further expounded on other aspects of valor in the profession, such as humility, facilitating disruptive innovation, staying true to ethical values and advocating for patients.

In the same spirit, Assistant Dean for Experiential Education and Residency Program Nibal Chamoun encouraged the class of 2024 to “invest in yourselves until you have a vision of where you want to be or what you aspire to contribute to.” In the words of author Simon Sinek, she also invited them to “talk about the future with so much passion as if you are talking about the past.”

The keynote address at the event was delivered virtually by LAU alumna and Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall University Corinne Chahine-Chakhtoura (PharmD ’00), who reminded the graduates that this milestone is a beginning and not an end. She reminisced about her time at LAU, paying a special tribute to Dr. Mohamad Mroueh.

“I was lucky to have some incredible mentors who made me develop a love for clinical pharmacy and a passion for teaching,” said Dr. Chahine-Chakhtoura, who went on to pursue an impressive career in pharmacology and critical care pharmacy after graduating from LAU. “This incredible school of pharmacy and fine faculty members have given you all the tools you need to succeed,” she added, underlining the value of perseverance, passion and dedication in helping her achieve her goals.

Thanking her professors, class valedictorian Eva Al Kary said that they had taught her and her peers how “a well-rounded pharmacist is a lifelong learner fueled by transformative leadership, ethical practice, empathy and cultural competency.”

Every year, an undergraduate is selected to receive the Sara Khatib Inspiration Award, named after a late pharmacy student at LAU who passed after a long and difficult struggle with cancer 10 years ago.

This year’s recipient was Christopher Soujah (BS ’24), who embodied Khatib’s indelible spirit as he battled with Hodgkin Lymphoma. For him, the award is not just a recognition of academic excellence, but “a celebration of resilience and the human spirit.”  Soujah expressed his gratitude to his family, faculty and friends for their support.

A number of faculty members were presented with the School of Pharmacy-CVS Faculty Awards in honor of their dedication and achievements, as follows:

• Associate Professor Aline Milane received the Citizenship and Service Award
• Associate Professor Hani Dimassi received the Teaching Excellence Award
• Dean of Students and Associate Professor Jad Abdallah received the Outstanding Research Award

Several awards were also given to excelling PharmD and BS graduates to acknowledge their exceptional performance. 

• From the PharmD class of 2024, Eva Al Kary received the Highest GPA Award, Nour Rehayem the Student Professionalism Award, Nagham Badr the Student Clinical Excellence Award and Maria Chrabieh the Pharmacy Curricular Exit Exam Award.
• From the BS in Pharmacy class of 2024, Charline Najem received both the Highest GPA Award and the Therapeutics Award. Crystl Tarraf also received the Therapeutics Award, Yara Azar the Student Outreach Award and Mahmoud Nasrallah the Student Professionalism Award.

At the end of the ceremony, class representatives were given certificates of appreciation, as they went on stage to present the “Teacher of the Year in Didactic Teaching Award” to elected faculty members.

• Professional Year 1 (P1) class representatives Ayah El Kurdy and Lana Saliba presented the award to Dr. Aline Milane.
• P2 class representatives Melissa Bou Zeid and Abdo El Hayek presented Dr. Marwan Taha’s award to Dr. Wassim Kabbara who received it on his behalf on stage as he was unable to attend.
• P3 class representatives Marc Anlian and Yara Stephan presented the award to Dr. Aline Bou Maroun.
• P4 class representatives Nour Chidiac, Jad Samaha, Mariane Bazzi and Maria Sarah Merhej received their certificates of appreciation on stage.

The ceremony closed with bittersweet emotions in reaction to a video prepared by the students that documented their P4 year experience.