AUB inaugurates P. Abou Khater Ambulatory Care Center and first wound care center in Lebanon

The Pierre Y. Abou Khater Ambulatory Care Center and the Graham and Meredith Rooke Wound Care Center will offer sophisticated patient care in a one-stop shop same-day care formula, grouping all specialties, including complex wound treatment. Almost 160 doctors are currently enrolled in the ambulatory care program at the center.

Abou Khater, the Chairman and CEO of the Globe Group of Companies, had been a patient at the Mayo Clinic, where he was being treated by Dr. Thom Rooke—a renowned cardiovascular researcher who founded the Mayo Clinic Wound Care Center—when he felt inspired to establish a similar patient care center in Lebanon. Abou Khater also decided to name the wound care center after Rooke's recently killed 10-year-old Graham and seven-year-old Meredith Rooke, both of whom had died when a truck crashed into the family car, on the way back from the airport.

Not only did the center receive Rooke's name but also his training skills, medical and fundraising expertise which he readily offered to AUB.

Dr. Nadim Cortas, Vice-President of Medical Affairs and the Raja N. Khuri Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, during the unveiling ceremony, said:

"This is a big dream come true. Pierre started from humble beginnings, working as a delivery boy because he loved to ride bicycles but could not afford to buy one for himself."

A self-taught man, Abou Khater was known for his engaging personality and networking skills, which helped him succeed as a businessman in Lebanon, China, and the United States, Cortas added. Abou Khater had also donated to various educational institutions all over Lebanon, including scholarship funds at AUB, and had built a school for girls in China.

"I am honored to... pay tribute to the life of a man whose generosity was boundless," said Cortas. "He wanted others to have and enjoy the same medical opportunities he had."

Pierre Abou Khater's widow, Terry, spoke with emotion about her late husband, saying that he would have been proud to see the patient care centers in operation. "If Pierre were to live longer, he would have done even more," she said. "Giving was a joy to him."

AUB President Peter Dorman also paid tribute to the late donor who "was responsible for shepherding this initiative to a successful conclusion."

Dorman added that not only did Abou Khater's gift permit AUB to renovate the old outpatient department but also to initiate "a new way of offering patient care," by pooling the expertise of different specialists into each medical case.

"I am deeply impressed by the philanthropy and vision of Pierre Abou Khater," said Dorman.

Closing the inauguration ceremony was Dr. Thom Rooke, who said he was deeply moved by the event which meant a lot to him. Rooke then explained the type of wounds that such a care center could treat, including those resulting from modern-day diseases such as diabetes and atherosclerosis. "A wound care center is a place bringing together the right people into the right place for the right purpose," he said.

Following the ceremony, attendees were given a tour of the facility. Among those present were Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh, Pierre Abou Khater's former physician, Drs. Adel Berberi, Samir Alam and Miguel Abboud, and Master of Ceremonies Dr. Ismail Khalil, who heads the division of vascular surgery as well as the new ambulatory care center.