Faculty of Medicine Honors First Graduate Doctors and Organizes a Scientific Day of Learning on Autoimmune Diseases

 The Faculty of Medicine at Damascus University honored 320 doctors-the top three graduate students from each department and in all years. With the participation of professors, the ceremony was followed by a scientific symposium targeting graduate students. The symposium included lectures on a number of autoimmune diseases.

President of the University, Prof. Muhammad Osama Al-Jabban, congratulated the honored students who made a great effort to reach the first ranks, wishing them continuous success. He also stressed that Damascus University has been a source of excellence and creativity.

In his opening speech, Dr. Raed Abu Harb, Dean of the Faculty, praised the students’ efforts and dedication to working within educational hospitals, wishing them a bright future on the scientific, personal and career levels.

The scientific symposium began with a lecture by Dr. Salwa Al-Sheikh, in which she discussed a new mechanism for understanding atherosclerosis, and heart and brain clots that occur not only due to hyperlipidemia, but also due to inflammation.

Dr. Raed Abu Harb’s lecture focused on celiac disease, the pathogenic mechanism, and extracts that open new horizon for finding a cure for this intractable disease. Dr. Mohamad Shehadeh Agha shed light on immune vasculitis, which is considered one of the common diseases that affects the body in general and sometimes the brain, lungs, chest and skin. Moreover, Dr. Asad Ibrahim spoke on the role of autoimmunity in thyroid disorders, adrenal insufficiency, Addison's disease, and multiple endocrine diseases which are shared by the same person or among family members.

Other lectures include Dr. Basheer Khalil’s discussion of Mediterranean fever, Dr. Marwan Al-Halabi’s lecture on immunological causes of implantation failure and recurrent miscarriages, and Dr. Kinda Al Shawa discussion of alopecia areata (alopecia) as an autoimmune disease. In addition, Dr. Barakat Shahin’s lecture focused on the pathophysiology of autoimmune. Finally, Dr. Abdul Majeed Yousfan explained in his lecture about the importance of the clinical manifestations of autoimmune diseases in the head and neck.