Since I keep sharing news about Lebanese shining abroad, I thought it’s about time I brag about my own brother, Dr. Zahi Mitri who was awarded The 2016 Young Investigator Award by the Conquer Cancer Foundation in the United States. “The Young Investigator Award (YIA) provides funding to promising investigators to encourage and promote quality research in clinical oncology”.

My younger brother has always been the family genius. He was always at the top of his class in school, he was always in the top 5 in his biology years at AUB, he aced all his Medicine tests, ranked top 5 in all his Med years, graduated with honors, won the Pen Rose Award at the American University of Beirut, matched with his first choice (Emory University Hospital) where he completed his residency, then moved to MD Anderson, widely regarded as one of the best cancer hospitals in the United States and the World where he completed his fellowship.

What I love about my brother is that he makes all these achievements look so easy. He used to go out all the time, party, drink, exercise and then come back home and read 500 pages to prepare for his next exam. Even when abroad, he always has time for family and used to look after all of us. He’s also very modest and doesn’t brag about what he does. Aside from being a doctor, he’s also a loving husband and a proud father.

My brother has always been into research since his AUB medicine years and has chosen a difficult field (oncology) that could help improve the lives of millions of people around the world. The CCF Young Investigator Award is aimed to help promising young investigators and some of the brightest minds in clinical and translational cancer research and I’m proud, even though not surprised, to see my brother on that list.

We are all proud of him. My dad was very proud of him and he’d tell everyone about his achievements 🙂

The Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) was founded by the foremost cancer doctors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to seek dramatic advances in the prevention, treatment and cures of all types of cancer. CCF works to conquer this disease by funding breakthrough cancer research and sharing cutting-edge knowledge with patients and physicians worldwide, by improving quality of and access to care, and by enhancing quality of life for all who are touched by cancer.