Celebrating the Ties That Bind Alumni Medical Professionals to AUB

Spring 2023

Seventy-four AUB alumni medical professionals working in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Ohio were honored by their alma mater, their colleagues, and by other AUB alumni during a tribute and fundraising gala that was hosted by the WAAAUB Houston Chapter in Texas on March 18, 2023. The event took place at the InterContinental Hotel at the Texas Medical Center, which is owned and was developed by longtime AUB supporter Monzer Hourani. President Fadlo R. Khuri, Vice President and Dean Raymond Sawaya, Senior Vice President Imad B. Baalbaki, Trustees William and Huda Zoghbi, and Dr. Stephen B. L. Penrose (whose father, Stephen B. L. Penrose Jr., was president of AUB between 1948 and 1954) were among the distinguished guests who attended “Excellence through Adversity: A Tribute to AUB Medical Professionals in Texas and Louisiana, in Support of Medical Students and the Medical Center at AUB.”

The 74 medical alumni who were honored work in research, private practice, and at renowned institutions including Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). They included Hanna J. Abu-Nassar and Jamil T. Azzam (both members of the MD Class of 1958) and 15 alumni who earned their MD degrees in 2021 and 2022. During her tribute, Lina Jazi (BS ’89), associate vice president for alumni relations in North America and general secretary of WAAAUB, AUB’s global alumni association, described the honorees as “medicine’s moral compass, who continue to excel, even through adversity.” She continued, “Your strength lies not only in your expertise but also in your values. These are the same values that define our university and its medical center, and that we, as alumni, uphold and cherish.”

One of the goals of the March 18 gala was to raise funds for priorities at the medical center and to provide support for current AUB medical students. Johnny (Bravo) Holloway led the live—and lively—fundraising appeal, which attracted 127 donations ranging from $100 to $25,000. The total raised during the appeal, including a $100,000 donation from Colonel Don Mafrige, was $269,000. More than $1.5 million was received or pledged in the days leading up to the event and at the dinner itself—“an extraordinary accomplishment for which we should all be very proud,” said Jazi.

• 74 Alumni honored
• $1.5 million+ raised
• 127 donations during the live appeal