The mission of the Infectious Diseases (ID) Division is to provide state of the art medical care and specialized infectious disease consultations to patients from Lebanon and the Middle East. The division is headed by Dr Souha Kanj and includes six full-time clinical faculty members, one part-time faculty member and an Associate faculty member for teaching. Most of them are trained in the USA. Our physicians balance clinical practice and research activities in addition to their contribution to the education of medical students, resident Housestaff and the Infectious Disease fellows in training. The Infectious Disease Fellowship Program is composed of four fellows who provide treatment for patients with infectious diseases, including critically-ill patients and immune-compromised patients.
SUB-SPECIALTIES
The Division of Infectious Disease at the AUBMC is comprised of talented faculty with different areas of expertise and interests. The general infectious diseases service provides consultation to all AUBMC inpatient medical and surgical services as well as the Emergency Department and the Out-Patient Clinics.
Transplant ID/immunocompromised hosts
The patients include those who are immunocompromised (including HIV-infected patients , patients on immunomodulators, solid tumor and hematological malignancies patients as well as Hematopoietic stem cell recipients )
Inpatient Infectious Disease consultations
The patient mix includes the entire spectrum of adult patients including those in the medical and surgical ward, intensive care unit (neurology, cardiothoracic, surgical, and medical) .Inpatient consultations are performed under the supervision of the attending physician. Teaching is integrated with patient case discussions.
Ambulatory Infectious disease services
- General ID clinic
- HIV and AIDS Medicine services
- Travel Medicine services
- Sexually transmitted disease services
Patients present with a variety of infectious diseases, ranging from complex surgical and orthopedic infections, HIV infection, tropical/travel medicine, and zoonoses and other general infectious diseases. The patients receiving outpatient antibiotics are also followed through the ID continuity clinic, adult vaccinations are provided as well as travel advice.
The AUBMC provides exposure to common as well as tertiary/quaternary ID problems. AUBMC is a leader medical center in the region. As a hospital, the largest in Lebanon, it enjoys a solid reputation both nationally and in the Middle East as trusted referral center.
AUBMC serves a large catchment area for Lebanon and the Middle East for various medical problems. The Medical and Surgical services are the busiest in the nation.
AUBMC offers several specific services
- Medical and Surgical ICU’s
- Medical and Surgical floors
- Obstetrics and Gynecology unit
- Bone Marrow transplant unit, a liver transplant unit, a large kidney transplant service.
- Cardiology Unit
- Neurosurgical ICU as well as a Neurology service
- Respiratory Care Unit
- Sub-specialty out-patient clinics
Additionally, AUBMC is a major trauma center nationally recognized.
HOSPITAL PROGRAMS
INFECTION CONTROL AND PREVENTION PROGRAM (ICPP)
The ultimate goal of the ICPP is to prevent the acquisition and transmission of hospital acquired infections and multidrug resistant organisms. It operates as per the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. This is achieved by systematically identifying infection risks and designing preventive strategies. The team is directed by Dr Souha Kanj and consists of 5 specialized members, many are board certified, all are expert in the field in addition to a hospital epidemiologist. The program is the FIRST in the country and among the most comprehensive programs in the region and is commanded by the joint commission international as an advanced program and is soon expected to receive the status of hand hygiene center of excellence by WHO.
ANTIMICROBIAL STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM
AUBMC was the FIRST medical center in Lebanon to start antimicrobial stewardship efforts in 2007 with multifaceted strategies for the prudent use of antimicrobial agents. In compliance with the Joint Commission International Standards, the AUBMC launched the official Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) in 2017 with a full time dedicated clinical pharmacist and a director of the program with the following goals
- Primary Goals
- Optimize clinical outcomes
- Minimize unintended consequences of antimicrobial use (toxicity, selection of pathogenic organisms, emergence of resistance)
- Secondary Goal
- Reduce healthcare costs without adversely affecting the quality of care
The work is done in very close collaboration with the infectious diseases division, and the ICPP.