With President John Waterbury and VP Nadim Cortas among onlookers, Mrs. Terry Aboukhater unveils  the dedication plaque of the Pierre Y. Aboukhater center.

Three years ago, Pierre Youssef Aboukhater, Chairman and CEO of the Globe Group of Companies, pledged $ 2 million toward the complete rehabilitation of AUB's former Out-Patient Department (OPD) and for the establishment of a Wound Care Center in the rehabilitated area. Expressing the University's gratitude, President John Waterbury said "Pierre Aboukhater has again demonstrated his commitment to philanthropy by this wonderful pledge. He has given generously and widely to educational and cultural institutions in Lebanon and abroad. AUB is privileged to count itself among his beneficiaries."

Pierre Aboukhater's gift meant that the restructured OPD building will be a state-of-the-art clinical outpatient facility allowing a clinical faculty to serve its patients according to the highest standards and with the most advanced equipment. President Waterbury said that the new facility will be crucial to greatly expanding outpatient treatment and ambulatory surgery.

Tragically, Pierre Youssef Aboukhater died shortly after making his pledge. His gift, however, survived.

On January 31, AUBMC and the Faculty of Medicine held a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of the OPD rehabilitation effort.

The ceremony was initiated by a medical symposium in Issam Fares Hall. Dr. Ismail Khalil, professor of surgery and master of ceremonies, was first to speak. He welcomed the audience and introduced the symposium's speakers: Mrs. Terry Aboukhater, widow of the late Pierre Aboukhater; Dr. Thom Rooke, the John and Posy Krehbiel Professor of Vascular Medicine and Head of the Vascular Medicine section at Mayo Clinic; and Mrs. Cindy Felty, Instructor in Medicine and Director of the Vascular Ulcer and wound healing center at Mayo clinic. Dr. Khalil also greeted President John Waterbury and Dr. Nadim Cortas, Vice-president of Medical Affairs and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and the Medical Center, and "last but not least our distinguished mentor and pioneer cardiovascular surgeon Professor Emeritus Dr. Ibrahim Dagher."

Dr. Thom Rooke in front of the Graham and Meredith Rooke Wound Care Center plaque.

VP Nadim Cortas was next to speak. He lauded Pierre Aboukhater's boundless generosity and engaging personality. He said he wanted others to have and enjoy the same opportunities that he had. He recalled Aboukhater telling him "I want to help you develop an ambulatory care center, like in the Mayo Clinic, to provide convenient one-stop same day medical care to patients, and within it a wound care center." He recalled him saying also: "Without the wound care center at the Mayo clinic, others and I would have been without a limb or even two! There should be one in Lebanon too. "

VP Cortas described Aboukhater as extremely creative and unassuming, yet unrelenting in the pursuit of his dreams and causes.  He related mile stones of his career, from humble beginnings  as a delivery boy with bicycle to establishing Global Express, an international company.

"Wherever he set foot," he said, "Pierre Aboukhater gave work and livelihood to people whether in Lebanon, China or America. He catalyzed formation of growing networks of people and multilateral flow of goods. In China he also established a school for girls. He made it bigger in China where he found his lifelong partner. We are honored that Terry is with us today."

VP Cortas said that at AUB, Pierre Aboukhater contributed much and in many ways. "Although he was a successful businessman, he did not want to enjoy the fruits of his success alone....It is ironic that today we are breaking the ground for the Pierre Aboukhater Ambulatory Care Center and the Graham and Meredith Rooke Wound Care Center without him. ... With the energy that he instilled in us, we are happy to realize his dreams for AUB."

Professor Emeritus Ibrahim Dagher, a pioneer surgeon and teacher who established cardiac and vascular surgery in the Middle East as early as 1948 spoke next. He related the history of surgery at AUBMC, highlighting a few milestones such as:

•        1948: The establishment of the graded residency training program (the first of its kind).

•        1956: The American Board of Surgery's permission for residents to be fully trained at AUB and to sit for the General surgery Board examination.

•        1958: The establishment of the American Board Certification at AUB as an honorable assessment.

•        1959-60: The performance of the first Open Heart surgeries with the use of an oxygenator conceived and manufactured at AUB.

•        In later years: The advancement in neurosurgery; organ transplants; cardiac and radiological invasive techniques; endoscopic and endovascular interventions; the Children's Cancer Center.

•        The management of large numbers of casualties, such as the burn calamity of 1955 (300 cases) and the war in Lebanon (thousands of cases).

Professor Dagher said that the establishment of the Pierre Aboukhater Ambulatory Care Center and the Graham and Meredith Rooke Wound Care Center is a new milestone added to AUB's prestigious edifice. He concluded by thanking all those involved, particularly Mrs. Terry Aboukhater,  VP Nadim Cortas and President John Waterbury. The president, he said, matched the Aboukhater gift from the budget of AUB, reviving the unforgettable spirits of its founders.

Dr. Thom Rooke was next to speak. A well known researcher  in the cardiovascular field through his numerous publications, Dr. Rooke contributed significantly to understanding the pathophysiology of lymphatic, arterial and venous disorders, as well as thrombophilia and wound healing.

Dr. Rooke addressed the possibilities and challenges facing wound care in 2004, focusing on the current approach to leg ulcers. He said this  involves four steps:

1. Identify the type of ulcer, i.e. of vascular or non-vascular etiology.

2. Treat the underlying etiology of the ulcer. Once a diagnosis has been made as to the cause of an ulcer, efforts should be made to eliminate the underlying problem.

3. Create the proper environment for wound healing to occur. Ulcers should be cleaned and then provided with an appropriate environment.

4. Resort to aggressive adjunct measures when necessary. Most ulcers will heal if the steps above are followed. When healing does not occur, it may be necessary to resort to "aggressive adjunct measures". These include hyperbaric oxygen, electrical wound stimulation, platelet-derived growth factor, intermittent pneumatic compression, and others.

Mrs. Cindy Felty, the Director of the Vascular Ulcer and Wound Healing Center at Mayo Medical Center, was next to speak. She addressed issues relating to the actual layout, staffing, and training aspects of the wound clinic.

A certified wound specialist and supervisor of the thrombophilia clinic as well, Mrs. Felty has assisted in the development, opening, and continued successful operation of the Healing Center, which is based upon a multi-interdisciplinary approach to treating non-healing chronic vascular cutaneous ulcerations. 

The symposium concluded with President Waterbury's closing remarks. "Pierre Aboukhater," he said, "did not work to accumulate money, but to use it to help those in need."

The symposium was followed by the groundbreaking ceremony and the unveiling of plaques, on site of the Pierre Aboukhater Ambulatory care center building on Clemenceau street, facing the entrance to the Children's Cancer Center.

The building was dedicated to Pierre Y. Aboukhater (Fahed), and the Wound Care Center was dedicated to Graham (11/10/87-1/11/98) and Meredith Rooke (10/02/90-1/11/98).

Henry Matthews