News Highlights
Author:
Dr. Umaya Musharafieh,
Med IV coordinator,
Associate Professor of Clinical Family Medicine,
um00@aub.edu.lb
 Article published in Medical Student International
Family Medicine news webpage
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Medical students help in the community
 | Majzoub presenting
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"Families of disabled children often worry about what people will think and say and thus prefer to hide their kids, denying them the care and specialized attention they deserve and need," says Fadia Safi, president of the center for Social Service for the Welfare of Lebanese Children (SESOBEL). During the month of November 2009, fourth year medical students rotating in the Family Medicine Department addressed this and other problems in a "community lecture" presented to a large group of people at the SESOBEL center in Ain El Rihani, Kisserwan.
As part of their Family Medicine training, medical students are expected to visit four community centers to acquaint themselves with community resources related to geriatrics, physical therapy, drug addiction, and mental retardation. At each site, students examine the role of the center in the community and the scope of community resources available to help patients. |
 | El Khoury presenting
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This year medical students have sought to realize the need for community awareness and education for parents of disabled children through SESOBEL, a leading NGO devoted to caring for the handicapped in Lebanon since its founding in 1976 at the beginning of the Lebanese civil war.
AUB medical students are working to improve community awareness. One group of students consisting of Carla Abou Fadel, Romy Abou Mrad, Alain Chalhoub, Rayan Saab, Jad Sfeir, Julien Succar, and Anthony Tannous conducted a needs assessment survey in August 2009 and came up with a list of essential topics to help facilitate caring for children with special needs such as Down's syndrome. Parents of children with Down's syndrome were invited to an interactive community session at SESOBEL, where another group of medical students - Joseph El Khoury, Omar Farrukh, Ramzi Khaddaj, Evelyne Khoriaty, Dali Majzoub, and Karim Serhane - presented a one-hour presentation in November 2009 tackling all medical aspects related to Down's syndrome. Parents were encouraged to ask questions about the condition of their children and had the chance to exchange their experiences with the medical students and each other. |
 | Attendees of the community lecture
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Enthusiastic students are willing to continue a series of community lectures as they believe that spreading awareness is within their mission. Earlier in the year, Akl Fahed, a medical student rotating in family medicine, authored a two-page article on SESOBEL in Medical Student International, an international magazine targeting more than a million medical students across the globe. The article focused on the mission of SESOBEL, its struggle for the welfare of children in the region, and the global approach used for caring for the disabled in the Middle East.
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