I studied medicine at Damascus University School of Medicine, and did my postgraduate surgical training in England. I trained in general surgery at the University of Liverpool, and in cardiothoracic surgery at The University of Bristol. This included serving as a BHF Research Fellow for two years at the Bristol Heart Institute. I became a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons in England, Edinburgh and Ireland, a Fellow of the Intercollegiate Board in Cardiothoracic Surgery, in addition to obtaining a Master of Surgery degree from The University of Bristol. Following completion of my training, I was appointed by The Chinese University of Hong Kong as an Associate Professor and Head of Section of Cardiac Surgery at the Prince of Wales Hospital. During this 3 years appointment, I was able to develop the Section of Cardiac Surgery into a prominent regional academic center, with a large team of reputable scientists. In addition I served as Visiting Associate of Cardiac Surgery at the American University of Beirut. In 1999, I returned to my home country, Syria, where I have been working as a Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Damascus University Cardiac Surgery Hospital. I continue to carry out several research projects, with strong emphasis on developing new techniques for aortic valve repair. For this, I was recently awarded the prestigious Cutlers’ Surgical Prize by The Royal College of Surgeons of England, and I was also ranked as the "1st Syrian Researcher in Health Sciences" by the Erasmus Agency of the European Union for my contribution to science. My academic output includes over 150 peer-reviewed publications, 15 books and several book chapters.

My present research interests include aortic valve repair techniques, surgical management of chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary hypertension, off-pump surgery, interventions to limit vein graft failure and surgical interventions in the treatment of atrial fibrillation.