Honoring a personal hero, supporting AUB medical students
January 24, 2022
“I’ve had many chances in my life that I would not have had without AUB,” explains Dr. Mouhamad Abdallah (BS ’99, MD ’03). “I wanted to do what I could to make sure that others have the same opportunities.” Abdallah recently established the Hasan Said Abdallah Scholarship to provide that helping hand to current AUB medical students. The scholarship is named for his father, “a self-made man,” who grew up in very modest circumstances and who Abdallah credits for much of his success. “His father died when he was only seven years old. He had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. He had to make his own way – and he did. He would wake up early and work in the fields before going to school, eventually becoming a lawyer,” remembers Abdallah. “He is my personal hero.” Abdallah credits his father for pushing him and his brother to pursue their educations. “For him, it was the key to everything.”
Both Abdallah and his wife, Yasmeen Hassoun (BS ’08, MD ’12), deeply appreciate their AUB education. Abdallah is also grateful for the exceptional medical care that patients receive at the AUB Medical Center. “My father died of lung cancer at AUB in 2017,” he remembers. “I visited him often during his final days. As a doctor, I knew that my father was receiving the very best care that was possible from Dr. Arafat Tfayli and his team. They were amazing.”
Abdallah speaks passionately and eloquently about the important role that AUB plays in Lebanon – and the need to support it at this time. “AUB has been there a long time – and must continue to be there,” he says. He notes that AUB does much more than educate students and care for patients. “It also promotes cross-cultural communication. We need to keep that connection alive,” he says. Abdallah recognizes though that people have many priorities especially during these challenging times. “When the going gets tough, it is too easy to get focused on other things and to forget to support a place like AUB that has always been there, building and caring for people,” he says. “We need to all find ways to help AUB now – when we are needed. We need to be proactive.”
“It is always especially gratifying to meet with alumni like Dr. Mohamad who has such a deep appreciation for AUB and is eager to give back,” says Associate Vice President for Development Walid Katergi.