• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
• Multiple Myeloma

I chose to specialize in hematology and oncology because both fields can impact people’s lives. At Perlmutter Cancer Center, I treat people who have cancers of the blood, primarily focusing on blood and bone marrow transplants.

Additionally, I conduct research on how to decrease the potential side effects of transplants. I study ways to prevent graft-versus-host disease, in which the transplanted blood or bone marrow cells attack the recipient’s tissues. I have developed innovative ways to prevent this complication and have published on the topic extensively.

My origins and multicultural background have shaped the way I practice medicine. Born and raised in Damascus, Syria, I later lived and studied in France. It was there that I met my wife, who is Mexican, and where we had our first two children. We have now lived in the United States for more than 25 years, and had our third child here. Because of my own and my family’s diverse identity, I appreciate and understand people from many different cultures.

To borrow a line from the Syrian poet Kahlil Gibran, to me, the practice of medicine is “love made visible.” I look beyond the disease and see persons, not patients, in the people I serve.