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Age: 49
Family: wife, Jane; and sons C.J., 20, Sami, 13
Education: doctor of medicine, University of Aleppo, Syria; pediatric residency at University of Maryland; fellowship in pediatric nephrology, University of Virginia at Charlottesville
Hometown: Aleppo, Syria
Samir El-Dahr's interest in pediatric medicine stretches back to watching his grandfather practice the same specialty in Syria.
"Health care in the developing world was lagging so much behind, and my grandfather was a physician and he was always telling me when I went to his practice how we should improve health care," El-Dahr said. "I like biology so I always felt I could do well with it."
El-Dahr moved to the United States in 1983 and to New Orleans in 1990 after hearing Tulane University School of Medicine was looking for pediatric nephrologists. His...