Edmond Shwayri, MD
February 7, 1922 - January 26, 2017
With a heavy heart and much regret, we inform the AUB community of the sad news of the passing of Dr. Edmond Shwayri, emeritus professor of medicine and former chairman of the department of Internal Medicine at AUB. Dr. Shwayri died on January 26, 2017 in the US surrounded by his family. He was to be 95 years of age on February 7. Funeral services are planned in Durham, North Carolina on Thursday, February 2, 2017.
Associated closely with AUB for more than half of its time in existence, he was the preeminent nephrologist and pathologist and the foremost educator, mentor and leader for multiple generations of physicians, many of whom became leaders in their fields. By all accounts, Dr. Shwayri was a giant of a man and a pillar of AUB, its hospital and, especially, his beloved department. His influence, impact and legacy are tremendous and overarching, and they live on vigorously in countless students and mentees here and across the globe.
Edmond Iskandar Shwayri was born in Hadath, Lebanon on February 7, 1922. He received his B.A. degree in 1942 and M.D. degree in 1946 from AUB. He completed internships in Pathology and Surgery at AUB (1946-1948), then traveled to the US to do his fellowship in Pathology at Yale University (1949-1950). He returned to AUB as a junior faculty member in Pathology and Medicine in the 1950's, during which he also completed advanced fellowship training in Medicine at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital of Harvard University in Boston (1955-1956). At AUB, he was promoted to associate professor of medicine in 1959 and to professor of medicine in 1964. He is credited with performing in 1960 the first dialysis in Lebanon with his team at AUB. He ably and admirably served as chairman of the department of Internal Medicine during two of the most crucial periods of the war in Lebanon (1977–1980 and 1987-1990). In 1992, he became emeritus professor and continued to be active in teaching and clinical service, including becoming the first chairman of the institutional review board (IRB) at AUB in 1994.
Dr. Shwayri was member of many professional societies, such as Sigma Xi and Alpha Omega Alpha - Honor Medical Society. He is recipient of the Lebanese Order of the Cedars - officer grade; the Order of St. Marc - grand officer; the Gold Medal Award from the AUB Medical Alumni (1993), and most recently (2013) the merit award for life-long outstanding teaching from AUB's department of Internal Medicine. One of the many memorable moments in celebrating his rich career was in 1995 when nearly 20 Lebanese American nephrologists in academia assembled in San Diego during the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology to pay tribute to their 'master teacher'. In October 2016, the Lebanese Society of Nephrology and Hypertension, which he co-founded in 1973, also paid tribute to Dr. Shwayri with an opening-ceremony symposium to recognize his ground-breaking achievements in Nephrology teaching and clinical care at AUB and in the country.
Dr Shwayri is credited with the introduction of problem-oriented medical records and teaching methodologies to the department of Internal Medicine and then to the institution at large. His teaching skills, inquisitive spirit, and his clearly sincere dedication to the education and well-being of students and residents are Dr. Shwayri's most enduring legacy.
We at AUB, especially in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension - which he founded, the Department of Internal Medicine, and the Medical Center, have lost one of the most illustrious figures in the history of this institution, a preeminent teacher, a superb mentor, a master clinician, and a noble human being.
The late Dr. Shwayri is survived by his wife Irene and son Edmond, Jr.
Fuad Ziyadeh, MD (Chairperson, Department of Internal Medicine)
Kamal Badr, MD (Associate Dean for Medical Education)
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