In a testament to his deep commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence, and freedom, Dr. Philip A. Salem recently made a significant donation to the Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) to support the establishment of a center for studies and research. In recognition of this generous contribution, the University decided to name the facility the Philip Salem Center for Lebanese Political Studies. Dedicated to exploring Lebanon’s rich heritage and addressing pressing social and political challenges, the center is currently under construction, with its doors set to open by the end of 2025. This center will serve as a lasting legacy of Dr. Salem’s lifelong devotion to his homeland, reinforcing Lebanon’s stability and strengthening USJ’s mission of empowering future generations through education and research.

Dr. Salem’s commitment to advancing knowledge and fostering innovation extends far beyond his philanthropic contributions. As an eminent physician, researcher, educator, and oncologist, his distinguished career reflects a lifelong dedication to improving healthcare and making significant strides in cancer medicine. He currently serves as Director Emeritus of Cancer Research at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and is the President of the Salem Oncology Center. His career also includes a tenure as a professor of cancer medicine and research at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Salem is an alumnus of the American University of Beirut, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. In March 2010, Baylor St. Luke’s honored Dr. Salem’s contributions by establishing a Cancer Research Chair in his name, and in 2017, launched the Philip Salem Annual Oncology Lecture as a lasting tribute to his contributions to oncology.

Dr. Salem has earned numerous international awards for his contributions to cancer research. His groundbreaking research in the early 1970s demonstrated the connection between chronic infections in the small intestine and cancer development. This work laid the foundation for understanding infections as a cause of cancer. His pioneering studies on Immunoproliferative Small Intestinal Disease, which is a type of cancer, and the infection-cancer relationship are now central to modern medical literature. In 2005, Drs. Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for research that built upon Dr. Salem’s work by identifying Helicobacter pylori as a cause of stomach cancer.

More recently, Dr. Salem developed an innovative advanced-cancer treatment approach called “ICTriplex,” combining immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy, which has shown notable effectiveness in patients with advanced-stage cancers who have exhausted other treatment options. His achievements were celebrated at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago (May 1 – June 3, 2024), where The ASCO Post, ASCO’s official publication, featured him as one of the top 10 leaders in U.S. cancer research. His work was also highlighted as a breakthrough in cancer treatment at ASCO’s Breakthrough meeting in Japan in August 2024.

Beyond his medical contributions, Dr. Salem has played a significant role in America and globally. He has served on healthcare advisory committees to Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton and has been honored with the Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom (1994) and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1998) for his humanitarian and medical contributions. He is also a strong advocate for humanizing cancer medicine in America and is championing a revision to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to prioritize the right to life, emphasizing that healthcare access is foundational to all other human rights.

A Renaissance intellectual, Dr. Salem has written extensively on Lebanese and Arab affairs and received numerous accolades, including the Kahlil Gibran International Award from the Arabic Hertigae League in Sydney in 2000. He holds honorary doctorates in Humane Letters from the Lebanese American University, the Lebanese University, and Notre Dame University in Lebanon. Dr. Salem has been the subject of eight books and has authored six of his own.