Celebrating Dr. Saniya Habboub

Google Dooles 10.06.2022 04:45  Date: June 10, 2022 Today’s Doodle celebrates the life of Dr. Saniya Habboub, a medical pioneer and amongst the first female doctors from Lebanon to study medicine abroad in the United States. Upon her arrival back to Beirut, she opened her own practice and inspired countless other Lebanese girls and women to seek an education. We celebrate Dr. Saniya today to commemorate her graduation from medical school on this day in 1931. In 1926, Habboub was one of the first three to graduate from the American Junior College for Women in Beirut . She then went on to study at the American University of Beirut . When she heard of a doctor from Damascus who went to study medicine in the United States and came back to open their own clinic, Habboub’s sights were set. She traveled to America and received her medical degree in gynecology and obstetrics from the Women’s Medical College in Pennsylvania in 1931. On her graduation day, in tribute to her success, the school invited a Lebanese historian and professor from Princeton University to give the commencement speech. Habboub showed her gratitude to the college by providing future students with a scholarship in her name. In 1933, she returned to Beirut and started a practice in her neighborhood, Bab Idriss. Her clients thought she was just a midwife at first, but they grew to acknowledge her as a skilled doctor. Habboub co-founded the Lebanese Red Cross Association and served as a board member for the Muslim Orphan’s Home, the Young Women’s Muslim Association and Maqassed Hospital. Dr. Saniya was an inspiring figure who paved the way for future generations of women to come. After 50 years of devoted medical service, the Lebanese government honored her with a Health Medal of Merit in 1982. There is also a street in Beirut named after her. Location: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Tags: , , , ,