LAU has welcomed a new Executive Vice President for Health Services, a position that was created to strengthen and unify the university’s health system. 

In this pivotal leadership role, Dr. Zeina Khouri-Stevens, who joined LAU on July 1, 2025, is tasked with developing and implementing a strategic vision that aligns clinical care with academic excellence and driving operational performance, financial sustainability, and community impact.

While overseeing LAU’s medical centers, Dr. Khouri-Stevens will also collaborate closely with the deans of the health schools and the provost to deliver exceptional patient care, uphold academic integrity, train LAU students and residents, promote community engagement initiatives, and expand the influence of LAU’s medical programs. 

“My mandate is essentially to drive the vision and mission of having an academic health system, which will include standardized practices between hospitals and integration with the university,” said Dr. Khouri-Stevens. She plans to enhance the operational efficiency of both the clinical and administrative functions across the health services division at LAU, “by bringing in operational and clinical/academic best practices to build on an already great legacy,” she added.

Dr. Khouri-Stevens brings over 20 years of international experience in healthcare leadership and nursing strategy across the US, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and emerging markets. She has held senior leadership roles at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Clemenceau Medical Center, and most recently, as group chief nursing officer at Emirates Hospitals Group.

She is also a managing partner at Emerging Health International, a global nurse consultant with Cedars-Sinai International, senior director of Clinical & Operational Excellence at Vmarsh Healthcare in Dubai, and most recently was Interim CEO at ASA Hospital in Sarajevo.

A great believer in transformational leadership, which she says, “is needed as we rebuild across many verticals” in LAU’s health system, Dr. Khouri-Stevens will seek to foster a culture of innovation, adaptability and growth while ensuring operational stability across the medical centers and the schools.

At the academic level, where clinical expertise, ethical judgment, and a commitment to patient-centered care are cultivated, Dr. Khouri-Sevens will collaborate with the deans of the health schools and the provost to help ensure that the educational programs are seamlessly integrated with clinical practice. Academic and clinical excellence will be reinforced by lifelong learning and professional development initiatives for both clinical staff and faculty.

Dr. Khouri-Stevens also plans to establish partnerships with local organizations and promote public health initiatives in strengthening LAU’s ties to the communities it serves.

“Academic health centers should play a vital role in changing the healthcare landscape in Lebanon,” she noted, “and LAU should lead the charge in elevating the healthcare status across the country and the region.”

What drew Dr. Khouri-Stevens to LAU, she said, were “its values, its mission and vision, leadership style, and collegial spirit.”  Drawing on years of experience and the lessons learned, she added, “By coming back home, I intend to ensure that LAU fulfills its mission and vision and give back to our communities, the country and the region.”