A Wayne State University School of Medicine physician will use his experience helping Syrian refugees in Turkey to chair a national medical conference.

Abdul Ghani Sankri-Tarbichi, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Internal Medicine and a physician at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, has been selected to chair the "Medical Care and Humanitarianism During Times of Crisis" conference, set for Feb. 18-20 in Orlando, Fla. The conference, sponsored by the Syrian American Medical Society, will offer Continuing Medical Education credits.

"It is an honor to be selected by the president and the board of directors of the society to chair the national conference," said Dr. Sankri-Tarbichi, who practices in the Division of Pulmonary - Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Sankri-Tarbichi recently assisted in organizing a medical mission to Turkey's Hatay province to treat refugees from the uprisings and related violence in Syria. That project, under the auspices of the Syrian American Medical Society, is ongoing, and allowed him to treat and speak with the Syrian refugees.

He also was elected a director at large for the SAMS national office, which represents thousands of American physicians and health care workers of Syrian descent.

The target audience for the conference includes practicing physicians, medical trainees and students, nurses, clinical pharmacists and humanitarian activists. "We hope that they learn the concepts of humanitarian and refuges medicine, the role of humanitarian organizations, and specific medical and surgical care needed during and after a crisis," he said.

Hasan Shanawani, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of Internal Medicine for Wayne State University and a physician at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, is scheduled to present "Refugees Medical Care" at the conference.

The target audience for the conference includes practicing physicians, medical trainees and students, nurses, clinical pharmacists and humanitarian activists. "We hope that they learn the concepts of humanitarian and refuges medicine, the role of humanitarian organizations, and specific medical and surgical care needed during and after a crisis," he said.

The deadline to register for the conference is Jan. 15. For more information and to register, visit https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=edwzsghab&oeidk=a07e5g9n43y5321a4db&oseq=a0144grpjwf8p.