Dr. Khalil Amine El Helou
Dr. Khalil Amine El Helou, born in 1956, holds a Pharm D. from the Saint Joseph University of Beirut (1979), a M.Sc. food technology from the American University of Beirut (1983), a certificate of Nutrition from “Walter Reed Army Medical Center” (Washington DC - 2000) and several certificates related to public health. He served for 28 years in the ranks of the Lebanese army until 2012, as health/medical officer where he was successively: Executive Officer of the Minister of Health Office (1988), Chief Pharmacist of the Central Military Hospital (1992), Chief Pharmacist of the Central Military Pharmacy (1998), Chief Medical Officer of the Army Medical Services in North Lebanon (2000) and in Mount Lebanon (2003), Food Quality Expert of the Central Military Commissariat (1995 – 2012), and Chief Officer of the Medical Unit of the Presidency of the Lebanese Republic (2008). Published and updated the manual of the "Food Standards" of the Lebanese Army the last dating from 2012. He is the founder of the Department of Nutrition at the faculty of Pharmacy at Saint-Joseph University of Beirut in 2002, and since then head of this department. His main research domains are human non communicable diseases, and persistent organic pollutants of the environment. Since 2012, he is the principal investigator of “Nutrition Physical Activity Health and Biomonitoring Study at USJ” research project, better known under the name ENASB-USJ that investigates links between persistent organic pollutants from the environment and metabolic syndrome parameters.
Mark Aoun
Mark Aoun’s passion to hiking in Lebanon can be traced back to 25 years ago. He has studied business and theology. In parallel with his shipping company, he has spent significant time working on his passion to Lebanon in the field of hiking and eco-tourism.
He has an extensive knowledge in ecotourism, ecological best practices, and in Lebanon geography and history, and likes to share with you his love for Lebanon, nature and life, introducing you to the magnificent place which is our home country. That’s why he founded Vamos Todos in 2006, an ecotourism NGO that promotes and encourages the love of nature amongst its members.
VT has grown tremendously since then to become one of the leading NGOs in the ecotourism field in Lebanon
Mark with his previous business approach, tourism experience and beautiful personality, he was able to build a huge connection database in different areas of the country which helped him found Vamos Todos and raise the name of Lebanon very high.
Dr. Nina Brax
Dr. Nina Brax is a family physician graduated from Saint Joseph University. Her higher education includes two Master degrees, in public health from University of Montreal and in medical and biological science from Saint Joseph University. Dr. Brax had also completed courses in epidemiology, research and medical education.
Currently, Dr. Brax is the chairman of the Family Medicine department, and the director of the Family Medicine Center at HDF.
Sandra Eid
Sandra Eid is a dedicated journalist concerned with human issues and
problems of the twenty-first century through the preparation and
presentation of radio programs and academic research. She holds two
Masters’ degrees in Journalism and Philosophy from the Lebanese
University. Sandra is the former head of the General Guidance Department
at the Ministry of Information, where she presented a project to
develop the identity of the Ministry of Information. Currently, Sandra
is preparing a thesis on the philosophy of UNESCO in the twenty-first
century, an enlightenment project prepared by the use of philosophy in
various sections. In 2011, she was nominated as the first radio
presenter in Arabic language from the Civil Service Council at Radio
Liban, and has recently won first prize for the best reportage in a
global competition “the World Radio Day”.
Silvio Chiha
Silvio is a talented athlete with multiple skills. He holds a BS degree in economics from USJ and a Masters in International Business from the HULT Business School, Dubai, UAE and Shanghai China. He’s also a member of Jounieh – municipality. From a young age, he has been winning competitions in various disciplines such as alpine skiing, swimming, sailing, judo, MMA… he is also, a national and Asian water ski champion. He has proudly raised the Lebanese flag on numerous occasions on the international scene. Moreover, he became well-known and loved by all Lebanese people after hosting a prime-time TV show called “Splash” on LBCI, one of the leading TV channels. On top of that, he’s an active contributor to many NGOs among others he’s the ambassador to “Oum El Nour” , an NGO that fights drug addiction and also to “BASSMA” , an organization committed to providing empathetic care and the highest quality of services to children and families in need.
Patricia Nammour
Patricia Nammour graduated from the Lebanese University in 2000 as an actress and stage director. Since then she worked in several T.V series, movies and theater plays.
She co-founded L'atelier du Je with Câline Bernoty - a theater for self-improvement.
Rawane Tahtouh
Ms. Rawane Tahtouh is a brilliant Lebanese actress and a social activist who promotes women empowerment and healthy lifestyle choices. A talented lady who pursued a B.S in nutrition and dietetics from the Lebanese American University, and then completed her masters in food safety and quality management in NDU. Rawane has her own clinic where she helps patients with different health problems and improvetheir lifestyle. Rawane is a Wellness ambassador of the W Hotel in Qatar, where she contributed in implementing the health culture in the chain. She launched the wellness healthy mindset in their restaurants, from grab and go products, to dishes and healthy take away boxes for the fast lane workers.
Yonna Sacre
Ms. Yonna Sacre earned her PhD from Humboldt University in Berlin and her Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from Saint Joseph University Beirut. She is currently the Head of the Human Nutrition and Dietetic department and coordinator for continuing education at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, teaching different human and community nutrition courses.
She has published several articles in scientific journals and act as a reviewer for several reputable public health and nutrition ones. She is a member of the Lebanese National Nutrition Exam Committee and technical nutrition committee at the Lebanese ministry of higher education and a member of the Lebanese Association of Nutrition and Dietetics and European association for atherosclerosis.
Ursula Rizk RN, MPH
Ms. Ursula Rizk is holder of BSN and MPH from AUB. She joined the Lebanese Red Cross in the South from 1973 till 1991. She was the director of the school of nursing, supervisor of the primary health care centers, and head of emergency nursing operations.
In 1991 she joined UNRWA as the Lebanon Field Nursing Officer until 1997.
In 1997 she joined the University of Balamand. She was the first director of the Nursing Program from 1997 till 2018. She is a founding member of the Order of Nurses, elected as the Secretary General from 2003 till 2006, and President of the Order from 2006 till 2009. Currently, she represents Lebanese nursing faculties in The Scientific Society of Arab Nursing Faculties.
This year, Ms. Ursula Rizk has been awarded by the International Committee of the Red Cross the prestigious Florence Nightingale Medal. This medal is given to individuals who have shown “exceptional courage and devotion to victims of armed conflict or natural disaster.” It recognizes leadership and service in the areas of Public Health and Nursing Education.
Dr. Colette Saad Kabrita
Colette Saad Kabrita graduated from Northeastern University, Boston, in 1998 with a PhD in Biology, specializing in developmental neurobiology and circadian rhythms. She also holds a M.Sc. degree in Physiology from the American University of Beirut, where she researched the renal pathophysiological changes in diabetes mellitus. She is currently a full-time Associate Professor in the Department of Sciences at Notre Dame University-Louaize and had served as the department Chairperson for 9 consecutive years (starting fall 2010). Besides her administrative duties, Dr. Kabrita has taught a number of courses in the areas of physiology, neurobiology, and embryology.
Dr. Kabrita’s ongoing research studies encompass circadian rhythms and sleep physiology, focusing on sleep disturbance and associated cardiometabolic derangements. She has communicated her findings at a number of national and international scientific meetings, including the Division of Circadian and Sleep Disorders, Harvard Medical School, and through published journal articles. Dr. Kabrita is a member of the American Sleep Research Society and Society for Neuroscience.
Patricia Eid, PsyD, Ph.D.
Patricia Eid, PsyD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at the Faculty of Humanities and the Director of the Psychology Research Lab at NDU. Her major research interest in social psychology is the understanding of communication dynamics within couples. Her recent projects tackled topics like emotional intelligence, online dating in Lebanon and determinants of singlehood. Last year, she received a CNRS-L grant to fund her work on attitudes toward Intimate Partner Violence in the Lebanese Population. Dr. Eid also works on the adaptation of psychometric tools in clinical settings (resilience, trauma, etc.) as well as in broader contexts (alexithymia).
Dr. Eid is a registered clinical psychologist and delivers adult and couple therapy at her private practice in Jounieh. She also specialized in supervision and supervises practicing psychologist in the Cognitive-Behavioral and Interpersonal Approaches.
Alissar Rady, MD, MSc, MPH
Dr. Alissar Rady occupies the post of senior National Professional Officer at WHO Beirut, head of technical team, and designated as officer in charge of country office in the absence of the representative, since 2005. Dr. Rady started her carreer as Family Physician then shifted to Public health as manager of HIV program in 1994 at WHO, then medical officer at WHO Lebanon for 4 years before moving to work as international expert with several UN agencies, including World Bank, ILO, UNFPA, and UNICEF regional offices. Dr. Rady has several publications in the area of public health, including peer-reviewed articles, and contributed to four national guidebooks development. She is solicited to supervise master students in public health in 3 universities, and offers selected lectures in all public health schools in Lebanon.