Dr. Youssef Fares is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of Al-Zahraa Hospital University Medical Center (ZHUMC). Before his appointment in August 2016, he served as a member of the hospital’s Executive Board between 2015 and 2016.

In his capacity as CEO/Chairman, Dr. Fares oversees and directs both the hospital and its nursing institute. Upon his appointment, he embarked on an ambitious project to overhaul the hospital’s infrastructure, facilities, services, image and affiliations. His vision is for ZHUMC to become an academic medical center that provides the highest standards of care to patients across Lebanon and the region.

Dr. Fares is a Professor and the Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Lebanese University, where he holds the position of Associate Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. He is the Founding Director of the Neuroscience Research Center at the Lebanese University and the Founding President of the Lebanese Association of Spine Surgery. He is also the Senior Executive Vice President of the World Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chairman of its national council in Lebanon.

Dr. Fares earned his MD from the University of Granada, Spain, in 1987. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at the Autonomous University of Madrid and attained his Board Certification as a Specialist in Neurosurgery from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science in 1993. Dr. Fares completed his PhD in Medicine and Surgery at the Autonomous University of Madrid, obtaining highest qualifications (Apto Cum Laude) by unanimous decision. He also holds an Executive MBA, with an emphasis on healthcare management, from the American University of Technology. Dr. Fares attained multiple Diplomas in Neuroradiology, Physiology of Sports Medicine and Deontology. He also pursued numerous fellowships and training stints in Neuro-Navigation (France), Epileptic Surgery (UK), Stereotactic Neurosurgery (Spain) and Pediatric Neurosurgery (France).

As a renowned neurosurgeon, academic, and research scholar, Dr. Fares has led many projects and initiatives in Lebanon, the region and worldwide. In parallel, he co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and received numerous honors and awards for his achievements.

Dr. Fares is an International Member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, International College of Surgeons, Illustrious Official College of Physicians of Madrid, and the Illustrious Official College of Physicians of Badajoz. Dr. Fares is also a member of the World Association of Lebanese Neurosurgeons (WALN), the Lebanese Society of Neurosurgery (LSNS), the Spanish Society of Neurosurgery, and the Société de Neurochirurgie de langue Française.