Early in September, Dr. Souha Kanj Sharara, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases, has been presented with the prestigious Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers. Dr. Kanj was selected from more than 150 outstanding nominees in the medical and health sciences category.
An international recognized expert in the field of infectious diseases, Dr. Kanj has conducted important research and published on numerous topics in this field, but her main research focus has concentrated on hospital-acquired infection (HAI), and she is considered a global authority on Gram negative resistant pathogens. Dr. Kanj’s work has been of significant impact, tackling the problem of HAI from many angles, from understanding the epidemiology and risk factors, to prevention, and treatment.
Under her leadership, AUBMC has witnessed the development of a state-of- the-art Infection Control and Prevention Program (ICPP) operating in accordance with international standards. The ICPP at AUBMC has focused on protecting patients and healthcare workers from health care-associated infections, including ventilator associated pneumonias, central line associated bloodstream infections, catheter associated urinary tract infections, clostridium difficile colitis, and surgical site infections.
Her research in infection prevention and control has positively impacted hospital mortality, hospital stay, and cost of hospitalization. Such findings promise to increase the quality of medical care and improve patient satisfaction, while decreasing the impact on the overburdened medical system. Dr. Kanj was also asked to lead the work on susceptibility of new antibiotics against multi-drug resistant pathogens in the Middle East and North Africa region, the results of which were published in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.
Dr. Kanj has published more than 124 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and several papers in local journals. She presented more than 70 abstracts at international conferences and was invited to more than 200 national, regional, and international conferences as a keynote speaker. She is a stellar physician, educator, and researcher and most deserving of this distinguished award.
Launched in 1982, the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers was initially designed to encourage young Arabs to conduct scientific research. Now in its 35 th year, this award is presented annually to outstanding young Arab men and women conducting scientific research in order to encourage and support them.
