The Impact of Civil Disturbances on the Migration of Physicians: The Case of Lebanon

This report examines the impact of war on the migratory patterns of physicians in Lebanon, a country with ever-raging civil disturbances for the past 15 years. The data base included two cohorts of medical graduates of the American University of Beirut: the 1960 through 1969 cohort, whose education and training were completed before the onset of the civil war, and the 1970 through 1979 cohort, who was exposed to the turmoil in Lebanon during either their study or their residency training. Between- and within-cohort comparison of their locations 5 years after graduation was made. Findings suggest that there is an association between civil instability and migration. This relationship could not be explained by possible confounders like nationality, training abroad, and board certification. On the contrary, factors that potentiated migration in the earlier cohort before the onset of the war were less frequent in the latter cohort with the increased tendency to migrate.