Faculty Profiles: Dr. Raya Saab

Dr. Raya Saab

The AUB physician Raya Saab always knew she wanted to become a doctor, and in her third year as a medical student, she also knew she would eventually specialize in pediatric medicine.

Her dreams since then have come true. In July 2007, she became an assistant professor in the AUB Department of Pediatrics and the Children's Cancer Center at the AUB Medical Center. An AUB graduate who first joined the University as a chemistry student in 1992, Dr. Saab got her MD in 1999 at AUB. She then spent a year as an intern, continuing her subspecialty training and residency at Duke University Medical Center (2000-03), before getting into a fellowship program in pediatric hematology and oncology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, where she spent four years of training and research. Her latest research has focused on basic science and pediatric translational solid tumor oncology.

Dr. Saab feels genuine enjoyment in her pediatric duties, and her passion for her work grew even stronger during her training, especially with cancer patients. "Children with cancer are very special, even unique. They have an amazing insight and can touch one's heart so deeply that one sees the world in a different way," explains Saab. She says the long periods of treatment get one involved with intimate knowledge of the patients so much so that they become part of a family.

Saab is very interested in investigating how cells become cancerous and the repercussions associated with that process, in order to arrive at effective treatment. Pleased to be able to help children in her home country, she considers it her duty to teach where she was taught. She finds that AUB students have a well-deserved reputation of being highly motivated and hard-working.

Dr. Saab's work at AUB involves clinical care of cancer patients, training and teaching medical students and residents, and working on establishing a basic research program on brain tumors.