The Faculty of Arts at Beirut Arab University organized an International Conference entitled “Health and Illness: A Psychological Perspective”. The conference was held on the 3rd of March 2015 in the presence of Prof. Dr. Amr Galal El Adawi, President of BAU, Mr. Toufic Houri, President of the Waqf El Bir wal Ihsan Society, Mr. Issam Houri, Secretary General of BAU and  a large crowd of students, guests and interested people. The conference hosted a number of speakers from Lebanon, as well as Arab and foreign countries.

The two-day conference aimed at exploring aspects of health and illness and offering recommendations that would enhance health in our societies. Moreover, it highlighted the different personality traits and their relationship with health and illness, the problems of psychotherapy in the Arab world, and the role of media in building health awareness in the society.

Members of the Faculty of Pharmacy were among the effective participants  in the conference. Prof. Abdalla El Lakany, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, was the Chair of the session entitled ‘Health & Illness: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective’ which took place on the 2nd day of the conference.

Prof. Maha Aboul Ela, Head of Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, delivered an informative presentation entitled ‘Drugs: Culture and Society’ in that successful session. During her presentation, Prof. Maha Aboul Ela highlighted the significance and implication of herbal drugs in the field of psychology. She put special emphasis on women’s health and natural remedies. Moreover, she pointed out the cultural perspective in using sedative herbal drugs supported by evidence-based medicine.