Zeina El-Hoss, Office of Communications, communications@aub.edu.lb
Aiming to bridge the gap in preventive respiratory health and give back to the Lebanese Civil Defense firefighters, the Care Clinic at the AUB Faculty of Medicine held two pulmonology screenings on November 1 and 15, 2025, just days prior to the clinic's fourth anniversary. Founded in 2021, this student-led initiative has been providing sustainable primary healthcare services, including medication consultations and provision, chronic disease screenings, laboratory and imaging support, as well as health education for underprivileged Lebanese citizens, all free of charge or at a reduced cost.
Pulmonology screenings are particularly important for firefighters, who often endure hazardous work conditions and are chronically exposed to potentially harmful substances, such as smoke and toxins, in the course of performing their duties. Moreover, firefighters in Lebanon typically lack access to routine pulmonary care due to financial constraints. Following a structured patient flow, the pulmonology screenings admitted 50 firefighters and were conducted by volunteer medical students who recorded the patients' full history, addressed their chief complaints, then presented their cases to a resident or attending physician to finalize the treatment plan. Finally, AUBMC's Chief Medical Officer Salah Zeineddine, who is a pulmonologist and critical care physician coordinating both clinics, co-signed the plans and recommended pulmonary function tests (PFTs) based on each patient's history. At the second clinic on November 15, the students and AUBMC team were honored to welcome General Imad Khraich, director of the Lebanese Civil Defense.
In addition, the firefighters were seen by the Health Education Team who coached them on workplace safety, proper personal protective equipment (PPE) use, and healthier lifestyle practices. Most screened firefighters were generally healthy, although some presented with symptoms of chronic respiratory illnesses, such as undiagnosed or poorly controlled asthma, cough and airway irritation, smoking-related respiratory risks, and even reduced respiratory function—all aggravated by long-term occupational smoke exposure.
Operating at the Family Medicine Clinics in the Wassef and Souad Sawwaf Building, the Care Clinic has so far organized 40 primary care clinics supporting over 650 patients, in addition to multiple themed clinics targeting specific populations, such as colorectal cancer screening, breast cancer screening for women, osteoporosis screening for older adults, and cardiac screening for taxi drivers.
As part of its mission to alleviate economic pressures, the Care Clinic covered all lab and imaging expenses and administered medications to the examined firefighters. In a joint testimony, Care Clinic President Lynn Moghrabi and Vice President Reem Faraj, both medical students, said, “We were grateful for the chance to support firefighters who risk their lives for all of us. Being able to give back to them, even in a small way, was a meaningful reminder of why we do this work."
Apart from helping disadvantaged patients, the Care Clinic offers an excellent learning opportunity for students who get to work in interdisciplinary teams while contributing to their community. The clinic currently has more than 130 active student volunteers, including medical, premedical, and nursing students, and is supported by volunteer residents, fellows, and attending physicians. On this initiative's educational relevance, Dr. Zeineddine said, “Students learn the science of making the correct diagnosis and prescribing medications. This is the easy part of learning medicine. What we see today is how our students acquire and build on the art of care and the art of being humane. They connect with the challenged communities with humility."
All Care Clinic activities are sustained by the ongoing efforts of the Care Fundraising Team, which organizes multiple fundraising events throughout the year in collaboration with various programs across AUB. The clinic also relies on donations from partners and members of the AUB community. Its upcoming fundraiser is a Christmas concert by Carla Chamoun which will be held in Assembly Hall on December 18, 2025.
Follow the Care Clinic on Instagram for more information on their previous and upcoming activities.