DR. WHO
As new arrivals in California, the Hattabs found solace in the mental stimulation of
their studies and new friends. “We were served by the era we lived there,” Dr. Hattab ex-
plained. “1999 to 2001 was the boom of the software/technology era. The person sitting
to your right or left at a restaurant might have their own start-up. They may have exciting
new ideas. Even casual conversation became very interesting because there was so much
to talk about.”
For a brief moment, it seemed that California may become the Hattab family’s perma-
nent home. “We thought we would never leave California, and our friends there indicated
the Midwest was akin to a third world country,” Dr. Hattab laughed. “But we soon found
that was not the case at all. We’ve loved each and every state we’ve lived in.”
The family moved to St. Louis for a year as Dr. Hattab was accepted into an onco-
logical surgical pathology fellowship at Washington University Medical Center. Shortly
thereafter, he was offered a job as an assistant professor of pathology at Indiana University
School of Medicine (IU). He would later become vice chair of the department.
“I knew I wanted to go to an academic place, and one in which I could grow and
contribute. IU was a great opportunity. For me to stay at a job, I need two things to be
true: ‘I need to make a measurable impact, and I need to continue to learn,’” Dr. Hattab
explained. He found the university to be a perfect fit and would stay there for 13 years. In
that time, he became director of the Pathology Residency Program and the Immunohis-
tochemistry Laboratory.
“I looked at my time there as being used to acquire a number of skills. I wanted to be
a department chair, but to do so, you need the right talents to execute the job successfully.
Number one, you must be a competent physician. You can’t be a lousy doctor and lead
others. You also must be a decent teacher and a decent researcher. A department chair
must have credibility and leadership.”
Dr. Hattab was determined to set himself up for success. He planned his career in
five-year increments to learn, grow and lead others. He also knew that a department chair
position required financial acumen that he had yet to develop. With that in mind, he went
back to the classroom to earn his MBA and graduated once more in 2015.
Less than one year later, Dr. Hattab was offered the position of UofL Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine Department Chair and graciously accepted.
“In the last three years, I believe I’ve only scratched the surface of what this depart-
ment will be able to achieve. The chair position provided me with a great challenge and
learning opportunity. I still want us to grow further, increase the number of sub-special-
ties we offer and continue to train exceptional physicians,” Dr. Hattab said, explaining the
balancing act each department chair must face.
“You are expected to promote the institution, but you also must be a good leader to
your faculty. You must uphold their goals and rally them to the institution. I have advised
my fellow chairs that ‘You must be comfortable doing the uncomfortable.’ Indecision can
make or break a leadership role.”
As his children have grown, they’ve all begun to take interesting life paths. Dr. Hat-
tab proudly explained that Isabelle is a freshman and collegiate swimmer at American
University. Kinsey is a senior and swimmer at Carmel High School. She will be attending
UofL to become a teacher. Sami is in eighth grade and is an impressive cross-country and
track runner.
Outside of the office, Dr. Hattab has taken on running as a hobby. “Running a few rac-
es has given me goals to consider. How fast can I go? How can I better myself in the next
race?” He’s also a part time stamp collector, specifically those of his home country, Jordan.
Dr. Hattab estimates that he has every single Jordanian stamp from 1950 to the present
day. His continued interest in collecting lies mostly in the early years when the country
was known as Transjordan while under a British mandate (1921-1946).
(continued on page 40)
JULY 2019
39