Impact Stories

George Georges (BS Biology ’86, MD ’90) heard a lot about AUB – from his mother, Suhayla Harami Georges (Dipl Nursing ’56), who graduated from AUB with a degree in nursing, and his father who had gotten to know AUB – and gained a deep appreciation for its medical graduates – while working at the Aramco Hospital in Saudi Arabia where Suhayla was also working. “AUB is all my parents spoke about when I was growing up,” remembers Georges.

After meeting in Saudi Arabia, Georges’ parents decided to return to Lebanon and settle in Tripoli where Suhayla was the head nurse at the maternity hospital in Tripoli for almost 20 years. Georges was fascinated by medicine – and by biology, which was his first love – from an early age. His parents were determined that he would study medicine at AUB and confident that he would be able to manage the rigorous academic program there. Not everyone shared their confidence. “When my mother told some of the AUB doctors who worked at the Tripoli hospital that her son was interested in studying medicine at AUB, they told her that he had ‘no chance’ to get in,” he says. They were wrong. “My mom was so proud when I was accepted to AUB. My father was so grateful that he gave the mailman, who made a special trip on his yellow bicycle to deliver the letter from AUB, a bonus.” Georges’ parents were also confident that he would do well at AUB – and he did. It wasn’t easy though. “I felt the pressure to succeed,” he says.

Looking back, Georges is grateful to the Hariri Foundation, which provided critical financial support that enabled him to attend AUB, and also to AUB “for the education and for the life it’s given me.” Georges points out that this is “a testament to the university’s mission that is engraved above the AUB main gate: ‘That they may have life, and have it more abundantly.’” Now vice president and head of the Respiratory Unit, Global Clinical Development at Chiesi USA, Inc. in Cary, North Carolina, Georges is a long-time supporter of his alma mater. “It was a great pleasure to meet Dr. Georges during my recent visit to North Carolina and to hear about his AUB journey. He has been a loyal supporter of his alma mater for many years. We are very grateful for his continued support and for his recent gift to establish the Suhayla Harami Georges (Dipl Nursing 1956) and George Georges (MD 1990) Scholarship,” said Associate Vice President for Development Walid Katergi. “I feel that we should all give back as much as we can,” says Georges.