Profiling New & Current Faculty
Dr. Charbel El Bayssari
Assistant professor, Medical Laboratory Sciences program
Dr. Charbel Al Bayssari is an Assistant Professor of Medical Microbiology and Human Pathology, Infectious Diseases at the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences. He received his MSc in Medical Microbiology from the Lebanese University, and his PhD in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the Lebanese University and Aix-Marseille University, France. He joined UOB as a full-time faculty member in August 2022.
Dr. Al Bayssari’s research focuses on clinical and molecular microbiological studies. His research work articulates with the following objectives: The achievement of molecular epidemiological studies on resistant clinical bacterial isolates; the characterization of the genetic determinants of this resistance through molecular biology; the genome analysis of resistant isolates and the identification of mechanisms and genetic supports of this antimicrobial resistance. His research had been published in international peer-reviewed journals and presented at various international conferences (H-index 16). Dr. Al Bayssari is a reviewer for different scholarly journals and a member in several international societies.
Mrs. Hiba Chaktoura
Lecturer, Nursing program
Mrs. Hiba Habib Chakhtoura is a Lecturer at the University of Balamand – Faculty of Health Sciences, Nursing Program. Mrs. Chakhtoura received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Lebanese University – Faculty of Public Health, Nursing Department; and her Masters of Science Degree in Nursing Research at the Faculty of Nursing, Saint-Joseph University, focusing on the Nurses’ Satisfaction and Work Environment. Mrs. Chakhtoura started her work as a Registered Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Saint George Hospital University Medical Center from 1987 to 1991. She started her academic career as instructor at the School of Nursing, Saint George Hospital University Medical Center from 1991 to 2001. In 2001, she joined the University of Balamand where she was appointed as Instructor, and in 2010 she became Lecturer. She participated, as representative of the Nursing Program at University of Balamand in the curriculum committee for the NOD association, to implement a part of a module concerning the “Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation”. She represents the Nursing Program, in the “Primary Colloquium Committee” of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. She was an active member of the Order of Nurses in Lebanon, and was the Editor in Chief of the Lebanese Journal of Nursing for three consecutive years (2013 – 2015). Mrs. Chakhtoura research interests include the Health perception of Nurses, Nurses Job satisfaction, Health Information Technology, Women’s Health, and Ethics in Nursing. She has published in national and international Journals.
Dr. Hala Chamieh
Professor, Medical laboratory Sciences
Dr Hala Chamieh is a visiting professor in molecular biology/biochemistry at the Faculty of Health Sciences - Department of Medical laboratory Sciences since September 2022. After a bachelor’s degree with honors in biology, from the Lebanese University, she earned her master and PhD degrees in molecular and cellular biology/biochemistry in 2005 from the Joseph-Fourier University in Grenoble-France. She joined the center of molecular genetics in Gif-Sur-Yvette-Paris-France as a post-doctoral fellow from 2006-2008. Dr. Chamieh has worked with numerous Lebanese universities since 2008 including USEK, LU and BAU. She joined the Lebanese University in 2014 as an associate professor and has been promoted to professor in 2019.
The main area of research of Dr Chamieh is the development of innovative biotechnological processes in microorganisms. She uses multidisciplinary approaches in bioinformatics, molecular engineering, and structural biology to rewire metabolic pathways in bacteria allowing the setting of novel industrial processes. Her research work was published in many prestigious international journals and a European patent related to the recent invention of a novel biotechnological process to produce glycosaminoglycans in bacteria. Dr Chamieh has been the recipient of several local and international grants and served as a reviewer for several international journals.
Dr. Dominique Dano
Assistant professor, Nutritional Sciences department
Dr. Dominique Dano is an assistant professor at the department of nutritional sciences at the Faculty of Health Sciences. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and a master’s degree in public health, health education and promotion. She pursued a PhD in Health and Life Sciences and her thesis focused on diet therapies for food allergies.
In 2016, she joined the University of Balamand as an assistant Professor. She teaches senior nutrition students’ major courses (pathophysiology, medical nutrition therapy and their labs) as well as follow them during their final research projects. She also teaches MPH students the course on basic theories of health promotion and is an internal preceptor for their practicum course. Her main research interest revolves around food allergies but not exclusively as the nutrition field opens many research opportunities (infant feeding, consumer attitudes towards labelling, etc.).
Dr. Dano is currently working on a research project entitled: "Credibility of Food labels (FL) and Nutrition and Health Claims (NHC) on Lebanese food products: Comparison of consumers' perception of product healthfulness with its actual content". She is also involved in two research projects, one related to sleep pattern and weight and the other one related to women of childbearing age and breastfeeding practices. Dr. Dano serves as a peer reviewer in the leading journal Allergy of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)