One of the proudest moments of my life: officially earning my second doctorate — a PhD from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Like my hometown Beirut — a city that continues to rise through hardship with quiet strength, like a Phoenix emerging from the ashes — this journey has been defined by resilience. From Lebanese University @LebaneseUni 🇱🇧 to AUBMC 🇱🇧@AUB_FM @AUBMC_Official , to the labs of Mayo 🇺🇸 @MayoClinicNeuro @MayoGradSchool , and now Johns Hopkins @HopkinsNsurg 🇺🇸 — this journey has been anything but easy. But every setback, every sleepless night, every moment of doubt…built the fire that forged me. This experience taught me that true progress isn’t just about achievement — it’s about humility, gratitude, and the people who walk with you along the way. To my mentors and family, thank you for your relentless support and belief. And to every dreamer crossing oceans, climbing uphill battles, and daring to defy the odds: Stay tuned — the best is yet to come. Most importantly, find true mentors who push you, believe in you, and walk beside you before the world does. This chapter closes, but the work and the learning continues…

Using in vivo two-photon imaging and chemogenetics, we investigated the role of microglial Gi-GPCR signaling in neuronal circuits. Big shoutout to my mentor @LongJun_Wu and co-authors for all the help! science.org/doi/10.1126/scia…