The Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut is pleased to announce the affiliation of two distinguished scholars as Senior Research Affiliates, whose work strengthens its research and policy engagement on health, ethics, and humanitarian action in contexts of conflict and displacement.

Fouad M. Fouad, MD

Fouad M. Fouad is Professor of Social Sciences and Global Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut. His work focuses on migration and health, with particular emphasis on forced displacement, health systems in humanitarian settings, and the political economy of health in protracted crises.

Dr. Fouad has played a leading role in shaping global research and policy agendas through contributions to technical groups at the World Health Organization, including the Global Consultation on the Health of Migrants and Refugees and the Global Research Agenda on Health and Migration. He previously held the IDRC Chair on Forced Displacement and co-directed the Refugee Health Program at the Global Health Institute at the American University of Beirut. He served as a Commissioner on the UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health and currently serves on the Lancet Commission on Health, Conflict, and Forced Migration. Dr. Fouad has authored over 100 publications in leading academic journals and media outlets, and his work has been profiled by The Lancet for its impact on the field of displacement and health.

As part of his affiliation with the Asfari Institute, Dr. Fouad will contribute to the Supporting the Psychosocial and Mental Wellbeing of Displaced Syrian Women Dealing with Ambiguous Loss (SUPPSAL) project. The project examines the intersecting experiences of enforced disappearance, forced displacement, and gender across Northern Syria, Lebanon, and Germany, with a focus on the mental health and psychosocial support needs of displaced Syrian women. SUPPSAL employs participatory, feminist, and inclusive methodologies that center Syrian women as knowledge producers and aims to inform culturally, gender-, and context-sensitive policies and programs addressing ambiguous loss in the Syrian context and beyond.

Lars Christie

Lars Christie is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Law, Philosophy, and International Studies at the University of Inland Norway. His primary area of research is moral and political philosophy. In addition to his academic career, Christie has served as a Norwegian diplomat and is currently a member of the Ethical Council for the Defence Sector in Norway.

During his stay at AUB, Christie will be affiliated with the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship and the Department of Philosophy. He will undertake a research project on ethical priorities in humanitarian aid, drawing on case studies from Lebanon and Syria. The project examines the respective roles of justice and cost-effectiveness in the allocation of humanitarian assistance, as well as the conditions under which breaches of humanitarian principles may be morally acceptable or necessary. The research will involve consultations with humanitarian actors, civil society organizations, and international scholars.

We warmly welcome Dr. Fouad and Dr. Christie and look forward to their contributions to advancing critical, interdisciplinary research and dialogue on health, ethics, and humanitarian action in the region.