I am a Pediatric Intensivist and Pediatric Cardiac Intensivist with more than ten years of
experience in tertiary pediatric critical care, congenital heart disease, extracorporeal life support
(ECMO), and program development. My career has been dedicated to the care of critically ill
neonates and children, with a particular focus on advanced cardiorespiratory support, mechanical
circulatory support, and the development of high-quality pediatric critical care services.
Following my training in Pediatrics, Neonatology, and Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care in Belgium
and France, I joined the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) as Assistant
Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Critical Care. There, I played a central role in the
development of pediatric and cardiac intensive care services and founded the institution’s ECMO
program, which became the first comprehensive neonatal, pediatric, and adult ECMO program in
Lebanon. I subsequently established the country’s first ECMO retrieval service and led the
development of clinical protocols, multidisciplinary training programs, quality initiatives, and
regional collaborations. I have personally led three intercontinental fixed-wing transports of
critically ill children supported on ECMO, coordinating multidisciplinary teams across
international healthcare systems and transport networks.
My clinical practice encompasses the management of complex congenital and acquired cardiac
disease, postoperative cardiac surgical patients, severe respiratory failure, septic shock, multiple
organ dysfunction, and extracorporeal life support. Throughout my career, I have maintained a
strong commitment to patient safety, quality improvement, simulation-based education, and
evidence-based medicine.
In 2021, I joined the University Hospital of Liège as Chef de Clinique in Pediatrics, where I was
recruited to contribute to the development of a tertiary Pediatric and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
My responsibilities included the expansion of advanced pediatric critical care services, including
ECMO and cardiac critical care activities, while ensuring compliance with international standards
of care, education, and research. In parallel, I completed an Executive Master’s in Management of
Healthcare Institutions at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, graduating
with distinction.