Exporting Expertise: The Emigration of Graduating Radiology Residents From Lebanon Amid Crisis

Background The emigration of highly skilled physicians, or "brain drain," from lower- to higher-income countries poses major health care system challenges, yet data on Middle East radiology residents are limited. Objective To examine the emigration and retention patterns of radiology residents graduating from a large academic institution in Lebanon. Methods We retrospectively examined graduates of the internationally accredited radiology residency program at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon, from 2004 to 2024. Data were collected from departmental records and alumni databases by 2 investigators, supplemented by public sources to corroborate information. For each graduate, we collected sex, nationality, year of graduation, current country of practice, current professional position, and subspecialty training. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate frequencies and percentages, and to examine trends in emigration over time. Results Fifty of the 60 total included radiology graduates (83.3%) left Lebanon post-residency, with most (42 of 60, 70.0%) relocating to the United States. This pattern intensified in recent years, increasing from 55.6% (5 of 9) emigration among the 2004-2008 cohort to 93.3% (14 of 15) and 100% (16 of 16) among the 2017-2020 and 2021-2024 cohorts, respectively. As of 2025, only 10 graduates (16.7%) remained in Lebanon. Conclusions From 2004 to 2024, 83.3% of radiology residency graduates from a major academic program in Lebanon emigrated, with the emigration rate reaching 100% in the most recent cohorts. Most graduates relocated to the United States, and all non-Lebanese graduates also emigrated after completing their training.