The Lebanese Physicians' Podcast

2025 Year in Review – Reflections, Stories, and What’s Next | The Lebanese Physicians Podcast

What a year it has been. In this special Year in Review 2025 episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, Khalil Diab and MohammadAli Jardaly look back at a remarkable year of conversations that went far beyond medicine.

From artificial intelligence and innovation to humanities, storytelling, identity, and reinvention, 2025 revealed a powerful shift in how we talk about healthcare, careers, and purpose. We revisited unforgettable episodes featuring physicians, scientists, writers, entrepreneurs, and leaders from Lebanon and the diaspora voices that challenged assumptions, changed perspectives, and reminded us that medicine is as human as it is scientific.

This episode reflects on:

The growing role of AI in healthcare and beyond

The return of humanities, books, and personal journeys to medical dialogue

Powerful stories of career reinvention, entrepreneurship, and finding purpose

Highlighting Lebanese and regional talent making a global impact

Why you are never stuck—in medicine or in life

Lessons learned from guests who reshaped how we think about success, risk, and fulfillment

We also discuss how the podcast itself is evolving embracing video, reaching new audiences, and expanding its mission as an open platform for meaningful conversations. You don’t have to be a physician to be part of this dialogue—if you have a story worth sharing, this space is for you.

🔔 If you’ve enjoyed these conversations, please subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform.

Subscribing helps us grow, improve our production, and continue bringing you thoughtful, high-quality content from voices that matter.

✨ As we look ahead to 2026, we remain committed to curiosity, honesty, and storytelling—especially during challenging times. We hope for a peaceful, healthy year ahead for everyone, and especially for Lebanon.

👉 Subscribe, share, and stay with us—your support truly makes a difference.

🔖 Hashtags #LebanesePhysiciansPodcast #YearInReview2025 #MedicineAndHumanities #PhysiciansBeyondMedicine #AIinHealthcare #MedicalPodcast #HealthcareInnovation #PhysicianStories #CareerReinvention #EntrepreneurshipInMedicine #LebaneseDiaspora #ArabVoices #PersonalJourneys #GlobalHealth #SubscribeNow

Weaving a Life Across Continents: Medicine, Humanities, and Home with Dr. Nancy Chedid

In this deeply personal and inspiring episode, Dr. Nancy Chedid—surgeon, educator, writer, musician, and cultural bridge—shares the extraordinary journey that shaped her life across the United States and Lebanon.

From training at Yale, Johns Hopkins, NYU, and Harvard to rebuilding a life in Beirut after loss, Dr. Chedid reflects on identity, purpose, and the power of weaving medicine with the humanities. She discusses her memoir Snow on the Barbecue, her transformative years at LAU, the creation of humanities-in-medicine programs, and the profound impact of mentorship and community.

We explore themes of home, displacement, grief, belonging, and reinvention. This episode is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit and to the many ways one can build a meaningful life across continents. 

#LebanesePhysiciansPodcast #NancyChedid #HumanitiesInMedicine #MedicineAndHumanities #MedicalEducation #PhysicianStories #WomenInMedicine #LebaneseDiaspora #ArabAmericanVoices #Lebanon #Beirut #DiasporaStories #Memoir #LifeTransitions #Resilience #Healing #HomeAndBelonging #IdentityAndCulture #StorytellingInMedicine #MentorshipMatters #AcademicMedicine #ArtsInMedicine #CreativeWritingInMedicine #GlobalMedicine #CrossCulturalJourneys #Reinvention #GriefAndHealing #BeirutPortExplosion #SnowOnTheBarbecue #LebaneseWriters #ArabDiaspora

Episode also on YouTube

 

 

The Hidden Roots of Our Tongue: Levantine Arabic and Phoenician Echoes with Dr. Jamil Bayram

In this fascinating episode, we sit down with Dr. Jamil Bayram, an ER physician, who has researched the origins of Levantine dialects, to uncover the deep historical layers embedded in the way we speak today. From the ancient shores of the Phoenicians to the bustling streets of Beirut, Damascus, Haifa, and Amman, our modern Levantine dialect carries echoes of civilizations that shaped the identity, culture, and sound of the region.

Together, we explore:

- What the Phoenician language really was and what we actually know about it

- How Levantine dialect evolved and why it differs so markedly from other Arabic dialects

- Words, expressions, and grammatical structures that may have Phoenician roots

- How linguists reconstruct ancient languages and detect “linguistic DNA”

- The core arguments and surprising findings from Dr. Bayram’s upcoming book

This episode is a deep dive into history, linguistics, identity, and culture, an exploration of how a language can carry the memory of thousands of years.

🎧 Tune in to discover the hidden stories our tongue still whispers.

#LevantineArabic #Phoenician #LebaneseIdentity #SemiticLanguages #Linguistics #Lebanon #MiddleEastHistory #Canaanite #LanguageEvolution #LebaneseCulture #PhoenicianRoots #LebanesePodcast #TheLebanesePhysiciansPodcast #JamilBayram #ArabicDialects #CulturalHeritage

To see the slides, the episode is also on YouTube

 

note in the context of the inscription from Saida it is around 2600 years ago or 600 BC 

The Global Cancer Divide: What the Data Reveal About Lebanon and Low-Resource Countries

In this episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, we dive deep into one of the most important public-health conversations of our time: the widening global cancer divide.

Using insights from the latest Lancet and GBD 2023 data, we explore why cancer has become the second leading cause of death worldwide and what this means for health systems especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Our guest breaks down global patterns, regional disparities, and the unique challenges facing Lebanon, with tobacco use being the greatest modifiable risk factor. We discuss which cancers are rising fastest locally, Lebanon’s data, and why nearly two-thirds of cancer deaths occur in lower-resource settings.

Finally, we look ahead: What will cancer care look like in 2050 in a country with constrained resources? And what can Lebanese physicians, researchers, and diaspora communities do to help shape a sustainable cancer-control strategy?

This is an essential conversation for clinicians, policymakers, public-health professionals, and anyone concerned about the future of cancer care in Lebanon and the broader region#CancerCare #GlobalCancerDivide #LebanonHealth #GBD2023 #LancetStudy #PublicHealth #CancerControl #LebanesePhysiciansPodcast #CancerEpidemiology #HealthcareInequity #LMICHealth #CancerBurden #SmokingAndCancer #MiddleEastHealth #HealthPolicy #MedicalPodcast #CancerAwareness #GlobalHealth #LebanonCrisis #DiasporaPhysicians

Also on YouTube

 

From Pain to Purpose: Joumana Mansour on Wellness, Coaching, and Her New Book

In this inspiring episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, we sit down with Joumana Mansour, personal growth expert, wellness specialist, and founder of Journey of You, a bilingual (Arabic/English) platform transforming how individuals, medical students, and physicians understand emotional wellness. Joumana shares the deeply personal story behind her 17-year journey in the United States, the pain that pushed her toward healing, and the experiences that led her to build an entire ecosystem dedicated to personal development:

✔️ Her new book "Be Your Own Coach", written in both Arabic and English

✔️ The Journey of You platform and Moodle-based online programs

✔️ The Joy Certified Coach (JCC) training

✔️ Her free bilingual mobile app, JOY Journal, offering guided breathing and reflective tools

✔️ Her mission to bring emotional literacy, boundaries, coaching, and self-care into homes, hospitals, and medical schools

Together, we discuss: Why physicians and trainees are uniquely vulnerable to burnout The problem of emotional suppression in medical training Boundaries, codependency, empathy vs. sympathy, and the “victim–rescuer–persecutor” trap How mindful breathing, intentional habit formation, and self-coaching can reset the nervous system The secret behind “caring for the physician”—and in turn caring for the patient Why every healthcare system needs wellness coaches as part of the care team How Journey of You is expanding across Lebanon, the region, and the world Whether you are a physician, student, parent, or simply someone seeking emotional balance, this conversation offers practical tools for reclaiming your power, breaking long-standing patterns, and building a sustainable, fulfilling life.

Listeners can explore programs, the book, and the mobile app on: journey-of-you.com

Use code LPP10 to receive 10% off the online course.

#JourneyOfYou #JoumanaMansour #LebanesePhysiciansPodcast #WellnessInMedicine #BeYourOwnCoach #EmotionalIntelligence #BurnoutPrevention #MedicalStudentSupport #PhysicianWellness #PersonalGrowth #SelfCareJourney #MindfulLiving #HolisticHealing #ArabWomenLeaders #MentalHealthMatters #CoachingInMedicine #JoyCertifiedCoach #MENAHealth #WellbeingRevolution #BoundariesMatter

Available on YouTube:https://youtu.be/CJpBDDweMcg

And on all podcast apps

East Meets Middle East: Global Healthcare Strategy & Innovation with Dr. Firas Mahdi

In this episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, co-hosts Dr. Khalil Diab and Dr. Mohammad Ali sit down with Dr. Firas Mahdi, Partner at LEK Consulting in Singapore, to explore the intersection of strategy, technology, and innovation in healthcare across Asia and the Middle East. From his beginnings in clinical medicine at AUBMC to leadership roles at GE Healthcare, Medtronic, and now LEK, Dr. Mahdi shares a remarkable global journey spanning Lebanon, the Gulf, and Southeast Asia.

We discuss: How Singapore’s hybrid public–private healthcare model achieves world-class outcomes Lessons for Middle Eastern health systems in value-based care and operational excellence The evolving role of MedTech and AI in shaping the future of healthcare Building purpose-driven careers and navigating non-clinical paths in medicine A rich conversation about healthcare transformation, professional reinvention, and the future of global health strategy — where East truly meets Middle East.

 

🎧 Available on all podcast platforms.

 

📍 The Lebanese Physicians Podcast — Conversations that bridge innovation, identity, and medicine.

#HealthcareInnovation #MedTech #AIinHealthcare #GlobalHealth #SingaporeHealthcare #LebanesePhysiciansPodcast #ProfessionalDevelopment #HealthcareStrategy #ConsultingInMedicine #ValueBasedCare #EastMeetsMiddleEast #LEKConsulting

Food and Water in Lebanon: Can We Still Trust Them?الأكل والمَيّ بلبنان: فينا نوسق فين بعد؟

In this episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, Dr. Khalil Diab speaks with Christelle Bachi, food safety expert and founder of Yes You Can Clinic, about the alarming state of food and water contamination in Lebanon.

Where is the pollution coming from — water, storage, farming, or lack of restaurant hygiene? How has the economic crisis affected public health oversight, and what can individuals do to stay safe?

A candid discussion about what’s really happening behind Lebanon’s food safety crisis — and what urgent steps are needed to rebuild trust.

 Hosted by: Khalil Diab

 Guest: Christelle Bachi

#Lebanon #FoodSafety #WaterPollution #PublicHealth #TheLebanesePhysiciansPodcast

Clinic، عن أزمة التلوّث بلبنان — من المَيّ اللي منشربها، للأكل اللي مناكله، ولغياب الرقابة يلي زاد مع الأزمة الاقتصادية.

من وين جاي التلوّث؟ وشو فينا نعمل لنحمي حالنا وعيلتنا؟

حديث صريح وواقعي عن وضع سلامة الأكل والمَيّ اليوم، وعن الخطوات اللي لازم تنعمل فوراً لتصحيح المسار.

 

 إعداد وتقديم: د. خليل دياب

 ضيفة الحلقة: كريستيل باشي

#لبنان #سلامة_الغذاء #تلوّث #TheLebanesePhysiciansPodcast #صحة

 

Unraveling the Causes of Autism: Genetics, Environment, and Beyond with Dr. Rose Mary Boustany

In this thought-provoking episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Rose Mary Boustany, Professor of Pediatrics and Biochemistry at the American University of Beirut, and a pioneering figure in neurogenetics and autism research.

Together, we explore the complex roots of autism from genetic and epigenetic influences to environmental and neurobiological factors and discuss how these discoveries are transforming both research and care.

Dr. Boustany reflects on her decades-long journey in pediatric neurology, the evolution of autism understanding worldwide, and the pressing need for global collaboration to bridge scientific gaps. The conversation also tackles common myths about autism’s causes, and how deeper scientific insights can enhance early diagnosis, intervention, and compassionate care for families.

Join us as we go beyond the headlines to unpack the science, the challenges, and the promise of future breakthroughs in autism research

 

#AutismResearch #Neurogenetics #LebanesePhysiciansPodcast #GeneticsAndEnvironment #Epigenetics #PediatricNeurology #AutismAwareness #GlobalHealth #Neuroscience #MedicalInnovation #LebanesePhysicians #HealthPodcast

Available on all podcast apps and on YouTube

Beyond Minoxidil: Exploring Alternative Therapies for Hair Loss with Dr. William Abou Shahla

In this episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, I speak with Dr. William Abou Shahla, a resident in dermatology, about emerging and alternative therapies for hair loss that go beyond traditional treatments like minoxidil and finasteride.

Together, they dive into the evidence behind stem cell–based therapies, low-level laser therapy (LLLT), and natural oils and plant-derived compounds—while also debunking common myths and misconceptions surrounding these increasingly popular treatments. The discussion separates scientific facts from marketing hype, explores the real risks and benefits of these therapies, and offers practical guidance for patients seeking effective, evidence-based solutions.

Dr. Abou Shahla also shares his vision for the future of regenerative medicine and technology in hair restoration, and how innovation is reshaping the field. If you’re curious about what truly works and what doesn’t in the evolving world of hair loss treatments, this episode offers clarity, science, and insight.

#HairLoss #HairRestoration #Alopecia #StemCellTherapy #RegenerativeMedicine #Dermatology #LLLT #LaserTherapy #MedicalInnovation #HealthTech #IntegrativeMedicine #Trichology #ScalpHealth #Wellness #Minoxidil #AlternativeMedicine #FutureOfMedicine #LebanesePhysiciansPodcast #WilliamAbouShahla #KhalilDiab #HealthPodcast #HairGrowth #MedicalResearch #ClinicalDermatology #ScienceAndHealth #BeyondMinoxidil

Health Leadership in Times of Turmoil: A Conversation with Dr. Firass Abiad

In this episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Firass Abiad, Lebanon’s Minister of Public Health and author of Standing Firm During the Storm, for a candid discussion on leading through crisis.

Dr. Abiad reflects on his journey navigating Lebanon’s most turbulent years from managing the COVID-19 pandemic as CEO of Rafik Hariri University Hospital to steering the Ministry of Health through economic collapse, political paralysis, and systemic strain.

We explore the personal and professional challenges of crisis leadership, lessons learned from the pandemic, creative solutions to sustain healthcare delivery under immense pressure, and the pivotal role of the Lebanese diaspora and international organizations in maintaining hope and functionality during this unprecedented strain.

Finally, Dr. Abiad shares insights from his new book written in Arabic to directly speak to the Lebanese public and offers his vision for rebuilding a resilient, equitable health system grounded in integrity and trust.

🎙️ Key Themes:

• Health leadership under crisis

• COVID-19 response and lessons learned

• Resilience and innovation in Lebanon’s health system

• Public trust, communication, and transparency

• The human side of decision-making in times of turmoil

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms.

#TheLebanesePhysiciansPodcast #HealthLeadership #PublicHealth #ResilientHealthSystems #LeadershipInCrisis #Lebanon #HealthcareInnovation #StandingFirmDuringTheStorm #Resilience #CrisisManagement #GlobalHealth #MedicalLeadership #LebaneseDoctors #Inspiration #HealthcareRefor

القيادة الصحية في زمن الأزمات: حوار مع الدكتور فراس الأبيض

من قيادة مستشفى رفيق الحريري خلال جائحة كورونا إلى تولّي وزارة الصحة في خضم الانهيار الاقتصادي والاضطراب السياسي، واجه الدكتور فراس الأبيض تحديات غير مسبوقة في تاريخ لبنان الحديث.

في هذه الحلقة من بودكاست الأطباء اللبنانيين، يتحدث الدكتور الأبيض بصراحة عن أصعب القرارات التي اتخذها، والدروس التي تعلمها حول القيادة، التواصل، والصلابة في وجه الانهيار. كما يناقش كتابه الجديد «الثبات في وجه العاصفة» الذي كتبَه باللغة العربية ليخاطب اللبنانيين مباشرة بلغتهم وتجربتهم.

حلقة ملهمة حول القيادة، الصمود، والأمل في بناء نظام صحي أكثر عدلاً وثقة في لبنان.

🎧 استمعوا الآن على YouTube، Spotify، وApple Podcasts.

#لبنان #القيادة_الصحية #الصحة_العامة #القيادة_في_الأزمات #الصمود #الأطباء_اللبنانيون #الثبات_في_وجه_العاصفة #بودكاست_الأطباء_اللبنانيين #النظام_الصحي #الصحة #الأمل #الابتكار_الصحي #قيادة_ملهمة