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The American University of Beirut (AUB) inaugurated the Abu Sittah-Gilbert Humanitarian Award on July 9, 2025, in a moving ceremony that honored the courage and sacrifice of healthcare professionals working in conflict zones. The award was established in 2024 to recognize health workers and first responders who risk their lives and livelihoods to protect and care for people facing war, siege, and occupation. The event, which was hosted by the Palestine Land Studies Center at AUB, opened with a minute of silence in respect for all victims of wars and conflicts. The program for the event started with a performance by soprano and educator Ghada Ghanem, who recited short poems by Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha and sang “If I Must Die," by the late Refaat Alareer. Ghanem is a faculty member at AUB and collaborates with the Edward Said Conservatory to bring music to children in Gaza.
Ghanem's powerful performance set the tone for the evening and was followed by a recorded message from Dr. Debarati Guha-Sapir, who is an award-winning expert on the health impacts of disaster and conflicts. “Warring parties are required by law to respect and protect medical personnel. Over the last few years, and as we are seeing Gaza, the complete opposite is happening," said Guha-Sapir. “We are witnessing the attacks that are usually resulting in the casualties among not only medical workers, but health professionals as well. Ambulance drivers, nurses, paramedics, medical assistants, form the foundation of the medical sector, and are the ones who are usually in the frontlines and end up being the victims of such conflicts," she continued. Guha-Sapir's comments were followed by a recorded video that included testimonies from health workers who are on the ground in Gaza, explaining the dire situation there, and a thank you note from Dr. Khamis Elessi.
Dr. Iman Nuwayhid, professor of public health and environmental and occupational health at the Faculty of Health Sciences at AUB, where he served as dean for 12 years (2008-20), also spoke at the event. In his remarks, Nuwayhid spoke about the award's origins and urgency, “The idea of this award was proposed by my colleague, Dr. Bassem Saab, and was inspired by the resilience, endurance, and resistance of the people of Gaza and the courage of two healthcare professionals – Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah and Dr. Mads Gilbert – who risked their lives and professional careers to support the people of Palestine and beyond," he said.
Doctors Ghassan Abu Sittah and Mads Gilbert, after whom the award is named, embody the spirit of humanitarian medicine. Head of the Division of Plastic Surgery and founder of the Conflict Medicine Program at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Abu Sittah is a prominent plastic and reconstructive surgeon and academic who has spent decades treating victims of war – particularly children – in some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, while championing the rights of the injured and displaced. Gilbert is a Norwegian anesthesiologist and emergency medicine specialist who has long stood in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and provided critical medical care in Gaza while advocating globally for justice through his medical and political work. Together, their tireless commitment to ethical care under fire and their refusal to turn away from suffering have become symbols of courage and human dignity in times of war.
Nuwayhid reflected on the violence and horrors that have been inflicted on the people of Gaza for almost two years. He also spoke about the reasons behind the selection committee's selection of “The Health Professionals of Gaza" as the first recipient of the Abu Sittah-Gilbert Humanitarian Award. The decision to honor the healthcare professionals of Gaza came after the committee realized that the award needed to honor all who have contributed to supporting the people of Gaza, “from paramedics, nurses, ambulance drivers, first responders, to the patriarch of a family who sought to salvage everyone from his family who he could reach." Dr. Mohamad Zeyara, who works and lives in Gaza, received the award on behalf of health workers in Gaza. Zeyara is a plastic surgeon who is in Lebanon and receiving further training in reconstructive surgery under the mentorship of Abu Sittah.
Director of the Palestine Land Studies Center and Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Studies and Public Administration at AUB Dr. Zaina Jallad gave a heartfelt speech during the event. She noted that the Abu Sittah-Gilbert Humanitarian Award “is not merely a recognition of courage in the face of danger, it's a recognition of fidelity to life, care, and the irreducible dignity of every human being."
In a panel discussion with Dr. Gilbert, Dr. Ben Thomson, and Dr. Noura Erakat, which followed Jallad's remarks, Abu Sittah spoke about “my role as a physician." He noted that this role had so far resulted in eight lawsuits that were intended “not to silence you, but to paralyze you, to make an example of you, and to drain you economically and mentally where you spend your life defending yourself." Abu Sittah said that dealing with these lawsuits were “nothing compared to the horrors that happened to others who spoke up." In his remarks, Gilbert highlighted the disproportionate number of attacks against the healthcare system. “Healthcare workers in Gaza are 0.9 percent of the population, but they also make up 7 percent of the total casualties. This means that healthcare workers are being killed 8 times more than civilians," he said. He said that “these attacks are taking place to prevent people from helping in this area because healthcare is a form of resistance in areas where such oppression is taking place."
The event concluded with remarks from President Fadlo R. Khuri. He reflected on the emotional weight of the evening, stating, “It's very difficult to find the words to follow what we've heard tonight from the testimonies of the voices that were nearly silenced but found a way through." Drawing from his own background in medicine, he emphasized the deeper purpose of the medical profession, “As someone who spent most of his life in medicine, I believe that this award encapsulates what medicine is supposed to be about. Medicine is not just a science or a service, but a moral commitment to protect life – especially when it's most threatened." Khuri honored the courage and sacrifice of those the award seeks to recognize, “Today we are honoring those who have upheld that commitment and paid the ultimate price and also those who continue to serve under conditions that defy comprehension."