Contents:
- Did you know? Lebanese Statistics
- Minutes of the Seattle meeting
- The President's Message
- The Message of the Secretary Treasurer
- The Message of the Editor
- The Second WALN Homecoming Congress: Announcement
- Medicine in Lebanon in the XIXth century
- The Second PANS Meeting In Sharm-El-Sheikh
- Upcoming Events
- Letters to the Editor
- Member News
- Quotes of the Issue


Did you know? Lebanese Statistics

Fifty four percent of the Lebanese Population is under 24 years of age.

Eighty eight percent live in the cities.

The Birth rate is 24.2 per thousand and the Death rate is 6.4 per thousand.

The Infant mortality rate is 29 per thousand births.

Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years.

The number of disabled persons in Lebanon was estimated to be 29,867 distributed according to the type of disability:
Blind: 7.4%
Deaf: 9.8%
Paralyzed: 20.4%
Disability in Limbs or Amputation: 20.3%
Mentally Retarded: 24.4
Other Disabilities: 17.7%

Source: Ministry of Social Affairs in cooperation with the U.N. Population Fund (1997).


Minutes of the Seattle Meeting

The previous WALN business reunion was held at the Sahara Restaurant in Seattle on Monday October 5, 1998, during the CNS meeting. The reunion was well attended with over 20 members and guests. Among the attendees were Dr. Mokbel Chedid, Dr. Joseph Maroon, Dr. Ghassan Bejjani, Dr. Youssef Comair, Dr. Issam Awad, Dr. Patrick Hitchon, Dr. Fady Charbel, Dr. Ali Krisht, Dr. Jacques Morcos, Dr. Naaman Salibi, Dr Benjamin Iskandar, Dr. Bernard Bendok, as well as other members and guests.

After -as usual- a rich Lebanese dinner, the business reunion took place. The WALN President, Dr. Chedid welcomed the attendees, especially Dr. Maroon, our Honorary president, and Dr. Comair the newly elected representative for Lebanon. The main topic of discussion was the 1999 Homecoming meeting of WALN in Beirut, Lebanon. The meeting date was confirmed as June 20-23, 1999. The location in the Riveria Hotel was confirmed with the possibility of adding additional hotels to lodge some of the attendees.

Dr. Comair, the local committee chairman, and Dr. Charbel, the scientific program chairman, briefed the attendees about the preparations for the meeting. It was decided to send two mailings and call for abstract before the meeting. New for this meeting is the practical course on the first day of the meeting. This course will have two sessions: a morning session focusing on intracranial surgical anatomy and approaches and an afternoon session dealing with hands-on spine instrumentation. The Lebanese Neurosurgical Society will be hosting the meeting in conjunction with WALN. Again, emphasis will be placed on a varied and rich social program. For the occasion the efforts of Dr. Georges Haddad, the head of the local committee for the First Homecoming Congress of WALN in July 1997 were again remembered and acknowledged. The possibility of alternating a bi-yearly practical courses in Lebanon with the WALN Homecoming Congress was entertained.

Dr. Chedid discussed briefly the progress made on the application for the “not-for-profit” status of WALN. A new lawyer has been chosen to pursue that issue and hope is that it will be solved before the Beirut meeting.

Dr. Bejjani discussed the latest on the contacts made with the Pan Arab Neurosurgical Society. He was invited to attend the PANS meeting in Egypt at the end of October where he will give a presentation on skull base surgery and participate as an observer in their bylaws committee meeting. Members were strongly encouraged to submit articles to the PANS journal. All WALN members were placed also on the mailing list of the PANS journal. Contributions to the WALN Newsletter were again solicited.

Various other minor issues were addressed and shortly thereafter, the meeting was adjourned.


Message of the President: The Future of WALN

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

This is my second year as President of WALN. I have seen it grow and prosper but we still have a lot of obstacles to circumvent. We have jut started our task. First, I am grateful for all of the support received from members of WALN in the United States, Lebanon, Brazil, and France and all those who have contacted us from all continents, offering much apreciated help, support and advice.

We are currently working on several projects.

1. The most important project is the Second Homecoming Meeting of WALN, June, 1999 in Beirut, Lebanon. We have been working diligently with the local people in the United States and our colleagues in Lebanon to organize and plan this meeting. We hope that you have received our call for the meeting and abstracts. I do urge everyone to submit abstracts as soon as possible so that we may finalize our scientific program. The abstracts can be sent to Dr. Bejjani or to Dr. Charbel, in the United States or to Dr. Comair in Beirut. We would like to make this program fruitful, full of useful information and helpful to everyone. We have planned two hands-on courses before the meeting, one on spine surgery and the other on cranial surgery, and we hope that we will see everyone participate in these courses. Organizing a meeting and putting it together is not a small job. I do urge everyone of our members to help us bring this meeting to a success by providing input, help and presence to make from this meeting the best there is. Let us forget about our differences, let us forget about our individual and personal problems, and concentrate to make this meeting a success so we can repeat it again and again in the future. Now is the time to share any suggestions or ideas. The meeting will be, as it was last time, composed of a scientific meeting and a social program. We hope to see everyone in Beirut in June.

2. The second issue that we would like to strengthen and see improve is our Newsletter. Dr. Bejjani, our Editor, has been working hard to provide the best coverage possible. I ask all members, to contribute to the Newsletter articles, information and news to publish so all members will be aware of their whereabouts and what is going on in this association. I would like to see this newsletter get bigger and stronger and maybe at one point we will be able, with help, to publish it more than twice a year.

3. The meetings that occur during the AANS and CNS annual meetings are crucial and important to our success. I know that many of us cannot attend every meeting but those WALN members who attend the AANS and CNS meetings should check our Newsletter for dates of our scheduled dinners. I would like to see everyone there and hear their opinions. This is usually one of the best times to discuss the issues facing WALN.

4. I have made contacts with the Pan Arab Neurosurgical Society and I have had the privilege to review their journal. I would recommend highly to our WALN members to contribute articles to the PANS journal, which I think would be a very good place for us to publish and help our friends in that society. This journal is of good quality. I was impressed with its production. I believe many of us can submit articles on various new techniques in different fields of neurosurgery that would benefit everyone in the Arab world and whoever works in the neurosurgical field.

5. We have been trying to establish with Dr. Bejjani our own Web page. Dr. Bejjani and myself have discussed this. I think that he will mention in his note our new address once we have it established so that we will have our own identity and unity so that we can access it easier through the Web.

6. I have been working diligently with our attorneys to establish our association as a registered association in the United States. This will allow us a tax-exempt status. This is crucial in many ways, including fund raising, tax exemption, etc. We have made significant progress last year on this issue. We still need some time before succeeding in our efforts. If anybody can help us in this matter, please fell free to contact me.

7. It is time for us to put our differences aside, to put our personal issues, even if temporarily, away from the directions of this organization. We will be stronger if we work together to resolve some of the conflicts we have had, especially in Lebanon. I will be more than happy during the June meeting to sit down and listen and talk to all parties involved and try to solve the problems rather than patch them. I do need everyone to help and this association does not recognize one group over the other. Everyone is equal and everyone is expected to help in all their capabilities. Everyone is and will be treated on an equal basis. We have no prejudice against any WALN member. We respect all of our colleagues, admire their achievements and applaud their progress and perseverance.

Dear Friends, let us look for the future and plan for the future. We need to have a strategic plan. We need to draw our blue prints for the future and start implementing them. In another year, we will cross the year 2000 and the future and its progress from technology will have to be utilized in the best way possible for the betterment of this association and for the future of the next generation. Whatever we do today good will be good for our families, for ourselves, for our friends and will be remembered, if not by anything, but by the establishment of a solid foundation. This foundation will continue to grow and prosper and stay strong with its roots embedded deep in the soil and its branches resisting the winds like the cedars of Lebanon. Let us all strive to make every effort to secure the success of the meeting in Lebanon and secure a successful and prosperous future for the WALN.

Respectfully yours,

Mokbel K. Chedid, M.D.
President, WALN
Section Chief of Neurosurgery
Genesys Regional Medical Center


Message of the Secretary Treasurer

Dear Friends

I hope this Newsletter finds you all well. WALN has never been in a better shape.

Our funds keep on growing, thanks to the regularly paid dues and generous donations from of our members. Our running costs are low thanks to the “volunteerism” of our officers, who are providing their own time and resources to support various WALN activities, publications and expenses.

Our Second WALN Homecoming Congress is a soon to be Reality. Our Directory is out and most of you have received it already. Our Newsletter keeps on growing richer and stronger thanks to the support of all the members worldwide. I would like to extend a special thank you to our President, Dr. Mokbel Chedid, for his leadership and his unlimited support of WALN.

You will receive with this issue the 1999 invoices. As you may notice the yearly dues were raised to 50$ after a unanimous decision made last year. These dues are symbolic. We appreciate your continuous support of WALN.

I hope to see as many of you as possible in New Orleans at our bi-yearly business reunion, and in Beirut, in June 1999.

With best regards,

Kamel Muakkassa, MD


Message of the Newsletter Editor: Y2K and WALN

Dear Friends

I am happier and prouder than ever to be member of the WALN, and to be its Newsletter Editor. As I prepare this fifth issue for print, I remember various milestones in the history of the WALN. 1973, 1993, 1997 and now 1999: these are crucial years in the life of the WALN. From the day the concept of WALN was entertained, to the founding meeting, and to the first Homecoming Congress, major steps were made to make from WALN what it is now.

Again, as we approach the year 2000, comes the test of time. Will we be Y2K ready? Will the bug of time make us stronger or disrupts us? Where will we be in the third millenium?

The answer is one: we will be wherever and whatever we want to be. The decision is all ours, and we have the resources to make it happen, and we should make it happen. We want from the Second WALN Homecoming Congress to be the planing ground for WALN of the third millenium. We all have to bring along our contribution to the success of WALN, but first and foremost, it is the “determination” that each should bring to the upcoming Homecoming Congress. The determination to make us stronger and better, so we can achieve the goal we have set up, helping each other so we can help those around us that need us most, i.e. patients here and in the homeland, in need of our skills and expertise.

We need ideas and contributions from everybody. What can we offer? What should we offer? And how should we offer it? Most of the progress made by WALN over the past years has been because of the suggestions of our members and their contributions. The officers were just the organizing body. And I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank our President for his wise leadership and his determination to make WALN succeed. He has been working arduously and diligently with everybody here and overseas to make sure that WALN will remain unified and strong. He has been supporting WALN from his personal resources and giving a significant share of his time to ensure that WALN will continue to grow.

On the practical level we need your participation in the meeting. We need you to share with everybody else the latest innovations in all neurosurgical fields. We need you to come and discuss various topics. We want everybody to get acquainted. WALN is a big family. We want your presence with us. We want to be gathered around “Mezza and Arak”. We want to see all of you visiting Byblos, Tyr , Baalbek and Sidon. We want to enjoy the warm summer and the sunny beaches together.

Some other minor issues are evolving. We are working on changing the webpage address so it will be www.waln.org, and we are changing and updating the format of the webpages. I hope that these changes will be on the web by the time this issue reaches you. As always we encourage members correspondence and news. The number of letters of support and encouragement from members has been increasing. I would like to ask all of you to bring a photograph to the meeting in Beirut or to mail so we may incorporate it in the upcoming WALN Directory. I will be updating the database during the meeting so please inform me of any changes or errors in the information we have.

I am confident in our future. We will be Y2K ready.

Hope to see you all in New Orleans and in Beirut.

Ghassan K. Bejjani, MD


The Second WALN Homecoming Congress: 2nd Announcement

The second WALN homecoming meeting will be held at the Riviera Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon, on June 20-23, 1998. This meeting promises to be as successful as the first Homecoming meeting of the WALN held in July 1997 whether from the quality of the scientific presentations, or the variety of the social program.

As the 1997 program, the program this year will entail morning scientific sessions and afternoon social activities. In addition, two courses were added on the day before the scientific sessions start. The headquarter hotel is the Riviera Hotel, located next to famous rocks of “Al Raouche”. Special packages -including airfare and hotel accomodations- have been arranged for attendees traveling from the USA. Our designated travel agency is MIDEAST TOURS. Call 1-800-395-4441 or 860-482-5575 and ask for Mary or Jean Harb. The special airfare is US$ 975 for flights departing from New York, and subject to seat availability. This is a very busy travel season so please make you reservation AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. For travel originating in other cities additional charges apply. Children under 12 years of age get a discounted rate. Please remember seat availability is limited so hurry up with reservations.They also offer additional tours before or after the meeting. You can contact them also via email: harbj@ct1.nai.net or Fax : 860-489-1187. The local organizing company is INFOMED email:medinfi@cyberia.net.lb/Fax: 961-4-404225. We look forward to seeing you all in our sunny country.

The program will be as follows:

Sunday June 20, 1999:
8 AM-12 Noon:
Intracranial Neurosurgery Course, Surgical Anatomy and Approaches, Neuronavigation and Neuroendoscopy, Directors: Youssef Comair, MD, Ghassan K. Bejjani, MD, Ali Krisht, MD

Sunday June 20, 1999:
1PM-5PM: Spinal Neurosurgery, Hands-on Course, Directors: Nabil Okais, MD, Mokbel Chedid, MD, Patrick Hitchon ,MD

Sunday June 20, 1999:
7 PM: Opening reception.

Monday June 21 through Wednesday June 23, 1999:
8:30 AM-12 Noon: Free papers by topic: Cerebrovascular, Neuro-oncology, Pediatrics, Functional, Spine, etc.
Dr. Fady Charbel is the President of the Scientific Program Committee.
Afternoon: Social Program with visits to various historical sites in all corners of Lebanon.
The general Assembly will be held on Wednesday, June 23, 1999.

Registration fee : 250 $/person.

Advance Registration ends on May 15, 1999.

On-site Preregistration opens on June 19, 1999.

The deadline for abstract submisions is April 15, 1999.

Abstracts are to be submitted either by letter, Fax or email to any of the following addresses:

Ghassan K. Bejjani, MD
WALN Newsletter Editor
420 East North Avenue, Suite # 302
Pittsburgh PA 15212
Phone : 412-359-6200
Fax: 412-359-6615
Email: gbejjani@aherf.edu

Youssef Comair, MD
Department of Neurosurgery,
American University of Beirut,
P.O. Box 113-6044
Beirut, Lebanon
Phone: 961-1-812-059
email:ycomair@aub.edu.lb


Medicine in Lebanon in the XIXth century

By Ghassan K. Bejjani, MD

It is in the XIXth century that the first Lebanese physicians holding official degrees began practicing in Lebanon. Although Medicine in the Arab world was more advanced than Medicine in Europe during the dark ages, it is in Europe that Medical education became popular and organized in official bodies or universities. After the French invasion of Egypt, Mehemet Ali, sensing the need for medical professionals, asked France to help establish modern medical institutions. Dr. Clot was asked in 1825 to head that effort. He founded in 1827 a teaching hospital and a Medical School in Abou-Zaabel, south of Cairo, that he later moved inside Cairo where it became known as “Kasr El-Aini”. The hospital was big enough for 1000 patients and 200 students were enrolled in the Medical School.

In 1837, Dr. Clot, who was visiting Beirut, was asked by Prince Bechir of Lebanon to take with him some young Lebanese individuals to study Medicine. The Prince and various notables of Mount Lebanon provided the necessary financial aid. The first to graduate was Ibrahim Najjar, who finished his studies in June 1842, however he spent additional training time in Constantinople and France before returning to Lebanon in 1849. He was famous for the major surgeries he performed, without general anesthesia, but died at age 42. The first Lebanese to hold a medical degree and practice in Lebanon was Dr. Yousef Jalkh. He was born in 1821 in Deir El-Kamar, and graduated From Kasr El Aini in November 1842. One year later he returned to practice in Lebanon. He died in 1869, at age 48. More Lebanese Physicians were trained abroad in the following years.

Local formal training started more than twenty years later. In 1867, the Syrian Protestant College (AUB) opened its Medical School, and its first graduates obtained their MD in1871. The Saint Joseph University opened its Medical School in 1883 and the first class graduated in 1887.

In parallel to these formally trained physicians, a larger number of more “traditionally trained” physicians were practicing. These physicians, sometimes called “Moghrabi” when of North African origin, had their knowledge based on old traditional Arab medical books and on various regional remedies transmitted between generations. Their healing power was based on their observational skills and their power to influence patients. For these healers, it was experience that counted and not the knowledge acquired by studying books. Their remedies were variables. Some were based on herbs like the red poppy (rheadine) for diarrhea, quinquina bark (quinine) for recurrent fever, willow leaves (salicine) for fever, liquorice juice for whooping cough, wild cucumber juice (Elaterine) for jaundice, among others. Purgatives were also widely precribed as well as blood-letting. Cauterisation was used for animal bites, and even for sciatica, with reported good results. The latter were probably due to the two weeks bed rest imposed after cauterizing the foot. Some would perform more invasive procedures like urethral dilatation, evacuation of urolithiasis, or lens subluxation for cataract.

Reviewing these historical notes brings in those of us who were raised in the mother land some memories of remedies encountered during our childhood. However they also illustrate the major advancements accomplished from Lebanese Medicine of those days to Lebanese Medicine today, where we have one of the highest concentrations of formally trained physicians in the world. We face the same issues as we get ready to enter the XXIst century, to make sure that our practice of Medicine in Lebanon keeps up with the challenge of progress and evolution.

References
- Haddad Farid: Le Docteur Youcif Bichara Jalkh et la Medecine au Liban a son Epoque. Journal Medical Libanais. 1963, 16,pp 102-115
- Haddad Farid: Le Docteur Ibrahim Najjar , premier Medecin diplome au Liban a son Epoque. Journal Medical Libanais. 1968, 21,pp 299-314
- Robert Khouri: La Medecine au Liban: De La phenicie a nos jours. Editions ABCD


The PANS meeting in Sharm El Sheikh

By Ghassan K. Bejjani, MD

The Second Biannual meeting of the Pan Arab Neurosurgical Society was held on October 28 through the 31st at the Pyramisa Resort, in Sharm-El Sheikh, Egypt. The presentations were variable in nature, ranging from “how to write a scientific paper” to radiosurgery for AVM and endovascular therapy for angiomas. Topics were presented in every aspect of neurosurgery: education, spine, pediatric, vascular, functional, skull base, endovascular neurosurgery, radiosurgery, etc. Eminent International, European and Arab speakers were comprised in the faculty like Professors A. Hakuba, M. Samii and S. Calliauw. The meeting was well attended with participants from “the Gulf to the Ocean.” (i.e Arabic Gulf to Atlantic Ocean). Numerous WALN members from Beirut were present at the meeting, including Dr. Afif Alwan, the Past President of the Lebanese Neurosurgical Society, Dr. Antoine Nachanakian, Dr. Maarouf Hammoud, and Dr Abou Dieh. The topics were distributed in ten scientific sessions, starting on Wednesday evening, at 6PM, and ending Saturday morning. A total of 56 lectures were given, some in Arabic, in addition to a few videos. An exhibition of various medical equipment, supplies and pharmaceutical products was held in parallel to the meeting.

Official business was conducted, with revisions and approval of the Bylaws, as well as elections of the new Board of Officers of the PANS. Dr. Ghassan K. Bejjani, the Newsletter Editor, represented WALN during these meetings. Dr. Nachanakian, a WALN member, was elected President of the PANS. He will take office in the year 2000. In the meantime he is the chairman of the Third Biannual meeting of the Pan Arab Neurosurgical Society to be held in Beirut, Lebanon in the summer of the year 2000. The location of the 2005 meeting of the WFNS was also discussed. As some of you may know already, our Moroccan colleagues want to host this meeting in Marrakesh. There was a unanimous agreement to support the Moroccan candidature. The PANS Journal was again the subject of discussion. The Saudi commitment to support this promising publication was acknowledged.

The social program was rich, with an opening ceremony, and a gala dinner on Friday. During that dinner, various medals and awards were presented by Dr. Al-Motaery, Past-President of the PANS. The participation of WALN in the Congress was gracefully recognized. The chairman of the meeting, Dr. Sherif Ezzat, from Egypt, took over the presidency for the upcoming two years. Dr. Nachanakian thanked the PANS for their vote of confidence. Live traditional Arabic music was played during dinner, enriching the already exotic atmosphere of Sharm-El-Sheikh by night.

In addition, participants were able to engage in individual activities like swimming, banana boats and air balloons, activities for which Sharm-El-Sheikh is famous. Those fans of snorkeling and diving were able to enjoy the coral reef of the Red Sea, quoted among the most exquisite coral reefs worldwide. Even party lovers were able to enjoy Holloween in the resort night club!!

In summary, between science and leisure, the Second Biannual meeting of the Pan Arab Neurosurgical Society was a true success. We look forward to an equally successful meeting in Beirut in the year 2000.


Upcoming events

- The Arab American Medical Association (AAMA) will hold its yearly meeting abroad in Lebanon starting July 4th 1999.

- The Second Homecoming Congress of the WALN meeting will be held in the Riviera Hotel in Beirut on July 20-23, 1999. See the special section devoted to the event in this issue for more information.

- The 67th annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons will be held in New Orleans on April 24-29, 1999. The parallel reunion of WALN will take place at Byblos Restaurant on Tuesday, April 27, 1999. The restaurant is located at 1501 Metairie Road, Metairie, LA 7000,1approximately 15 minutes away from the Convention Center. The restaurant‘s telephone number is (504) 834-9773. We will meet at the Hilton Lobby at 6: 30 PM and go from there to the restaurant. Dinner will start at 7PM and will be followed by the business meeting. The main topic on the agenda will be the Second WALN Homecoming Meeting. Please confirm attendance by faxing or emailing any of the officers.

- Dr. Ali Krisht is directing two courses on Pituitary disorders in Saint Louis: a workshop on Sellar and Parasellar Pituitary tumors on September 27-29, 1999, and a course on Recent Advances in Pituitary Tumors Management on September 30, and October 1st, 1999.

- The second Cerebro-vascular Conference will be held at the NYU Medical center on May 6-7, 1999. It is directed by Dr. Jafar Jafar. For more information call the NYU Post-Graduate Medical School at 212-263-5295.

- The Third Bi-annual Meeting of the Pan Arab Neurosurgical Society (PANS) will be held in Beirut in the summer of the Year 2000. Dr Antoine Nachanakian from Saint Georges Hospital, Beirut, is the meeting Chairman.

- The annual spring meeting of the “Societe de Neurochirurgie de Langue Francaise” will be held in Montreal, June 27-30, 1999. Please contact Dr. Claude Mercier at chirhsj@point-net.com for further information.


Letters to the Editor

- Dear Ghassan, Congratulations! Congratulations for your new position and for the excellent WALN News Letters. I am indeed very proud of the excellent work Issam Awad and you have performed in giving our Association its permanent basis and that of Mokbel Chedid in perpetuating the functions of WALN and spreading it outside the boundaries of Lebanon and the USA into Brazil. Our colleagues in Brazil have been performing a wonderful job. It would be a good idea to have a Homecoming WALN meeting every other year alternating with one full meeting in each of the three other regions, namely, North America, South America and Europe. About the Newsletter, it would be interesting to place captions under the photos. Congratulations for a job well done.

- We all enjoy your news.

- I am interested in joining the WALN. I did not know such an organization existed, and I would be happy to become a member.


Member News

- Dr. Joseph C. Marroon was recently given the Heindl endowed chair of Neurosurgery at Allegheny General Hospital.

- Associate Professor Ali Krisht from the University of Arkansas for the Medical Sciences in Little Rock was recently appointed Editor of Contemporary Neurosurgery. Congratulations from WALN to Dr. Krisht. He also the senior Editor of “Pituitary Disorders, Comprehensive Management”, an encyclopedic reference on Pituitary Disorders published on January 15, 1999.

- Drs Ibrahim Saikali and Ghassan Skaff returned to Beirut after finishing their training in Canada. Good luck for both of them.

- Dr. Issam Awad is the chairman of the upcoming annual meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons to be held in Boston October 30 through November 4, 1999.

- For the second year in a row Dr. Ghassan K. Bejjani won the El-Razi award of the AAMA.

- Dr. Ronald Moussa is spending 6 months as a visiting fellow with Dr. Awad at the Yale University in New Haven.

- We have also learned that Dr. Benjamin F. Haddad of Grosse Pointe, MI, died on 3-21-97.

- Professor Antoine Nachanakian was elected president of the Pan Arab Neurosurgical Society, starting the year 2000 (details in the PANS article). Dr. Nachanakian was born in 1947 in Beirut, Lebanon. He obtained his MD from the Saint Joseph University in 1973, then left for Paris where he trained in Neurosurgery at the Hopital Pitie-Salpetriere, under Professeur Philippon. In 1981 he returned to Lebanon where he presently heads the department of Neurosurgery at the Hopital Saint Georges. He holds an academic teaching title at the Lebanese University. He obtained additional training at the Cleveland Clinic and at Wayne State University in the USA. He is member of the Editorial Board of Acta Neurochirurgica. Dr. Nachanakian is an active member of WALN, the Lebanese Neurosurgical Society and the Societe Des Neurochirurgiens De Langue Francaise. Professor Nachankian is married and has one daughter. Congratulations!


Quotes of the Issue

- Nature, Time, and Patience are three great Physicians.

- God heals and the Doctor takes the fees (Benjamin Franklin).

- Medicine is the only Profession that labors to destroy the reason for its own existence (James Bryce).


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