AUB@Work

AUB@Work | The Audio Read

Is another global pandemic inevitable? And if we can't prevent the next outbreak, can we at least stop it from becoming a worldwide catastrophe?

Salim Adib, professor of public health practice at the American University of Beirut (AUB), examines why infectious diseases can spread across borders faster than ever—and what governments, researchers, and public health institutions can do to stay ahead of emerging threats.

Drawing on lessons from COVID-19 and advances in disease surveillance, Adib explains how early detection, international information-sharing, and new technologies could help identify outbreaks before they spiral out of control.

He also explores how faster vaccine development and more coordinated public health responses could dramatically reduce the human toll of future pandemics.

The message is clear: We may not be able to prevent the next pandemic, but how quickly we recognize and respond to it could make all the difference.

Read the full article: Can We Prevent the Next Pandemic? — AUB@Work

The Audio Read brings stories from AUB@Work to life in audio format, exploring the research, ideas, and expertise of American University of Beirut faculty and experts.

Keywords: Pandemic preparedness, infectious diseases, epidemiology, Salim Adib, American University of Beirut, AUB, public health, disease surveillance, global health, World Health Organization, COVID-19, early detection, outbreak prevention, vaccine development, health emergencies.

AUB@Work | The Audio Read

How much control do we really have over the choices that shape our health? And how do the companies behind everyday products, advertising, and information influence what we consider healthy, necessary, or desirable?

Jihad (Judy) Makhoul, professor of public health at the American University of Beirut (AUB), explores the commercial determinants of health—the ways corporate practices, financial interests, and industry influence can shape our well-being, often without us realizing it.

Drawing on her research into corporate funding, humanitarian aid, and the broader forces shaping public health, Makhoul offers five practical ways to recognize and question commercial influences in everyday life.

From looking beyond product labels and following corporate money to scrutinizing the information we consume, she explains why making informed choices matters—and why protecting public health ultimately requires more than individual responsibility.

Read the full article: The Hidden Forces Shaping Our Health — AUB@Work

The Audio Read brings stories from AUB@Work to life in audio format, exploring the research, ideas, and expertise of American University of Beirut faculty and experts.

Keywords: Public health, commercial determinants of health, Jihad Makhoul, Judy Makhoul, American University of Beirut, AUB, corporate influence, consumer behavior, health misinformation, corporate social responsibility, conflicts of interest, health equity, public health policy.

AUB@Work | The Audio Read

What happens when a physical illness causes a sudden psychiatric crisis? And can treating the underlying medical condition help patients recover their sense of self?

Rita Khoury, a psychiatrist at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), studies how infections, strokes, surgical complications, and other serious medical conditions can trigger delirium, catatonia, or both—dramatically altering patients' behavior, awareness, and responsiveness.

Her research focuses on DeliCat syndrome, the simultaneous occurrence of delirium and catatonia, and its potential connections to medical vulnerability and patient outcomes. Her work recently earned her the Intissar Ahdab Award for Women's Excellence and Impact in Research.

Khoury explains how psychiatric symptoms can offer important clues about a patient's physical condition, why treating overlapping psychiatric disorders requires particular care, and how patients experiencing profound changes in behavior can sometimes make remarkable recoveries as their underlying illnesses improve.

Read the full article: Reversing a Psychiatric Crisis — AUB@Work

The Audio Read brings stories from AUB@Work to life in audio format, exploring the research, ideas, and expertise of American University of Beirut faculty and experts.

Keywords: Psychiatry, delirium, catatonia, DeliCat syndrome, Rita Khoury, American University of Beirut, AUBMC, mental health, medical research, patient recovery, brain health.

AUB@Work | The Audio Read

What role should universities play beyond the classroom? And how can they prepare students to tackle real-world challenges while making a meaningful difference in their communities?

Rabih Shibli, executive director of the Center for Community Engagement at the American University of Beirut (AUB), discusses how AUB is rethinking community engagement by making it a core part of the undergraduate experience.

Through a mandatory general education course, students connect theory with practice, learning from their peers and working directly with communities to address pressing social challenges.

Shibli explains what makes AUB's approach distinctive, why community engagement must respond to local needs, and how experiential learning can change the way students understand their role in the world.

Read the full article: What Makes a University Relevant?

About The Audio Read

The Audio Read brings stories from AUB@Work to life in audio format, exploring the research, ideas, and expertise of American University of Beirut faculty and experts.

Keywords: Higher education, community engagement, experiential learning, service learning, Rabih Shibli, American University of Beirut, AUB, student engagement, social impact.

Iranian cinema has become a major presence in the international art-house world, earning acclaim at film festivals and reaching audiences far beyond Iran. But which films travel—and why—can shape how viewers understand the country itself.

In this audio article, Blake Atwood, a scholar of media studies at the American University of Beirut, explores the global appeal of Iranian cinema and the complicated dynamics behind its international success.

Atwood examines why Iranian films have resonated so strongly with American and European audiences, how cinema can offer a more intimate view of a country often encountered through news of conflict and crisis, and why the films that reach international screens are not necessarily representative of the full breadth of Iranian filmmaking.

The episode also considers how festivals, distributors, geopolitical events, and audience expectations influence which stories circulate globally—and how even acclaimed films can sometimes reinforce familiar narratives about Iran and the wider Middle East.

• Why Iranian cinema has developed such a strong international following
• How Iranian filmmaking differs from mainstream Hollywood storytelling
• Why only a small portion of Iran’s film output reaches American audiences
• How festivals and distributors influence which Iranian films travel
• The tension between offering a more human view of Iran and reinforcing existing assumptions
• How geopolitical crises can change international interest in Iranian films
• Why no single film should be treated as a definitive window onto a country or culture

Iranian cinema can reveal dimensions of life that rarely appear in international headlines. But understanding these films also means asking why certain stories reach global audiences while others do not—and what those choices shape our understanding of Iran.

Digital transformation needs a strategy—but following the plan too rigidly can sometimes create more risk than changing course.

In this audio article, the American University of Beirut’s chief information officer and chief innovation and transformation officer reflects on a technology project that challenged some of her own longstanding principles about institutional change.

Faced with an aging system, a difficult interim replacement, and an increasingly viable long-term solution, she had to decide whether to cut losses or continue down a seemingly less efficient path. The experience revealed an important distinction: strategy should define the destination, not dictate every step of the journey.

Using the idea of strategy as a destination and implementation as the route, the article explores how leaders can remain committed to long-term goals while adapting to changing technologies, budgets, regulations, risks, and institutional needs.

It also considers how rapid developments in artificial intelligence are making that kind of adaptability increasingly important.

• Why a sound strategy sometimes requires departing from the original plan
• The difference between strategic direction and implementation
• How leaders can distinguish thoughtful flexibility from indecision
• Why changing circumstances can alter the risk of staying the course
• The particular challenges of digital transformation in universities
• How rapidly evolving technologies such as AI complicate long-term planning
• Why the strength of a strategy may be measured by how useful it remains when circumstances change

A strategy tells an institution where it is going. An implementation plan describes how it expects to get there. When conditions change, altering the route may sometimes be the best way to preserve the destination.

For decades, women’s reproductive health and cardiovascular health were often treated as separate areas of medicine. New clinical guidelines are beginning to change that.

Pregnancy complications, early menopause, endometriosis, and other reproductive conditions can provide important clues about a woman’s future risk of heart disease and stroke. In this episode, Faysal El Kak, associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health Program at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), explains why a woman’s reproductive history should also be considered part of her cardiovascular history.

El Kak explores how experiences such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes can reveal underlying vascular and metabolic risks, why early menopause and certain reproductive conditions may warrant earlier cardiovascular monitoring, and how new guidelines from leading medical organizations are changing the way clinicians assess women’s long-term heart health.

You’ll also hear what women should make sure their doctors know, what clinicians should be asking, and how recognizing these risk factors earlier can create new opportunities for prevention.

• Why reproductive history can provide valuable information about cardiovascular risk
• What pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes, may reveal about future health?
• How early menopause, endometriosis, and PMOS can affect long-term cardiovascular risk?
• Why traditional cardiovascular assessments may underestimate risk in some women
• How new guidelines are changing prevention and cholesterol management
• When additional testing, including ApoB, Lp(a), or coronary artery calcium screening, may be considered
• What women can do to make sure their reproductive history becomes part of their cardiovascular care

Faysal El Kak is associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health Program at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. He is also president of the World Association for Sexual Health.

Do E-bikes Deliver Enough Value to Justify Their Cost?

A good e-bike can cost around $2,000 before maintenance, safety equipment, insurance, and charging. So is the investment actually worth it?

In this episode, AUB’s Nabil Nehme looks beyond the upfront price tag to examine the broader economic value of e-bikes. Drawing on research into their costs and benefits over a seven-year life cycle, he explains how e-bikes can save riders money, reduce emissions and air pollution, ease congestion, and make everyday transportation more efficient.

He also explores what cities need to do to make those benefits possible—from protected cycling routes and better transit connections to subsidies and policies that lower the cost of adoption.

About the expert

Nabil Nehme is a senior lecturer in industrial engineering and management at AUB’s Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. His research focuses on sustainable transportation and green investment.

In this episode:

• Why the true value of an e-bike goes beyond its purchase price
• How e-bikes compare with cars and conventional bicycles
• The economic value of reduced emissions, pollution, and congestion
• Why infrastructure and public policy matter for e-bike adoption
• What widespread e-bike use could mean globally by 2030

Learn more about research and expertise from the American University of Beirut at AUB@Work.

Episode Title: Lebanese Founders Are Turning Constraints Into a Start-Up Advantage

Episode Description:

Lebanon’s start-up founders face limited capital, ongoing instability, and a small domestic market. But at a New York Tech Week event cohosted by AUB’s Talal and Madiha Zein Innovation Park, known as iPark, and Impersonas, Lebanese founders and innovation leaders argued that those same pressures have helped create an entrepreneurial edge.

This episode explores how diaspora networks, crisis-tested adaptability, deep talent, and institutional support are helping Lebanese entrepreneurs build global companies far beyond Lebanon.

In This Episode:

We look at four advantages Lebanese founders can build on now:

Diaspora reach: how Lebanese entrepreneurs draw on global networks of capital, mentors, operators, and technologists.

Crisis-tested adaptability: why navigating instability can sharpen the problem-solving skills start-ups need.

Existing strengths: how sectors such as health care, higher education, technology, and the creative industries offer foundations for innovation.

Institutional support: how iPark helps turn talent, resilience, and ideas into scalable ventures.

Featured Voices:

Kamal S. Shehadi, Lebanon’s minister of state for technology and artificial intelligence, and minister of the displaced

Rich Ziade, CEO of Aboard

Khaled Kteily, CEO of Legacy

Michele Haddad, CCO at Synova Life Sciences and entrepreneur-in-residence for one of iPark’s flagship programs

Maha Zouwayed, director of iPark

Key Quotes:

“The diaspora has been a source of capital, ideas, and volunteers.” — Kamal S. Shehadi

“We flourish wherever you drop us.” — Rich Ziade

“The second you define yourself as a victim is the second you lose.” — Khaled Kteily

“The willingness to adapt your thinking and to navigate change is a Lebanese skill that can become a business advantage.” — Rich Ziade

“At iPark, we focus on collaboration rather than competition. And it works.” — Maha Zouwayed

Why It Matters:

The episode reframes Lebanon’s start-up story around possibility rather than limitation. The country’s challenges remain real, but its founders are showing how constraints can produce adaptability, global ambition, and a distinctive way of building companies.

Listen to learn:

How Lebanon’s diaspora strengthens its start-up ecosystem

Why adaptability is a practical business advantage

Where Lebanese founders may have the strongest competitive edge

How iPark is helping make entrepreneurial success more repeatable

Why Lebanon’s next innovation challenge is not only producing exceptional founders, but building systems that help them scale

Why the Same Workout Works Differently for Different Bodies

Why do some people burn more energy doing the same activity, while others seem to conserve it? In this episode of AUB at Work, sports nutrition researcher Elie-Jacques Fares explains why the same workout, diet, or supplement plan can produce very different results from one person to another.

Fares, assistant professor of clinical and sports nutrition in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut, studies how bodies burn and conserve energy. His research looks at exercise efficiency, body composition, and the tools scientists use to better understand how each person’s body responds to movement, training, nutrition, and supplementation.

The conversation begins with a surprising finding from one of Fares’s studies: when participants were compared while sitting and standing, only about 20 percent burned more energy while standing. The rest were “energy savers,” whose bodies performed the same task without spending more calories.

That finding opens up a broader discussion about why energy expenditure is more complex than we often assume. Two people can appear to be doing the same exercise or movement, but internally, their bodies may be doing very different amounts of work.

Fares also explains why exercise efficiency is not inherently good or bad. For endurance athletes, becoming more efficient can help conserve energy during long events. But for people trying to lose weight, too much adaptation to the same workout may reduce how much energy the body burns over time.

He also discusses why nutrition and exercise plans should be tested individually, why athletes experiment with diet and supplements before major competitions, and why everyday exercisers should change one variable at a time when trying something new.

The episode also explores body composition tools, including machines such as InBody, Tanita, and Seca, as well as bioelectrical impedance vector analysis, or BIVA. Fares explains how BIVA looks beyond basic estimates of fat mass and muscle mass to examine raw electrical values that can offer insight into hydration, cellular health, and how the body changes over time.

Finally, Fares discusses where his research is headed next, including projects using stable isotopes to measure energy expenditure and body composition with greater precision, and studies examining how metabolism, fat mass, muscle mass, and activity patterns may interact with long-term health risks such as cardiovascular disease.

In this episode:

Why standing does not necessarily burn more energy than sitting

What it means to be an “energy spender” or an “energy saver”

Why two people doing the same workout may burn different amounts of energy

How exercise efficiency can help endurance athletes but complicate weight-loss efforts

Why nutrition and supplement plans should be tested individually

How to track whether a new diet, exercise routine, or supplement is working

What body composition tools can and cannot tell us

How BIVA may offer a more precise picture of hydration, body composition, and cellular health

How Fares’s research could lead to more personalized nutrition, exercise, and health recommendations

Featured expert:

Elie-Jacques Fares

Assistant Professor of Clinical and Sports Nutrition

Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences

American University of Beirut

Listen to learn why there may be no such thing as a one-size-fits-all workout—and why understanding how your own body uses energy could shape the future of exercise, nutrition, and health.