Robert Joseph Shalhoub, MD
January 26, 1931 ~ October 17, 2021
ROBERT JOSEPH SHALHOUB, MD
1931 – 2021
Robert Joseph Shalhoub, MD, beloved, respected and dedicated physician, practicing internal medicine with a specialty in nephrology, active member of his Church, avid traveler, fisherman and gardener, generous friend and neighbor, reposed in the Lord on Sunday, October 17, 2021.
Dr. Shalhoub was born January 26, 1931 in Bayonne, New Jersey. He graduated as valedictorian from both St. Peter’s Prep (1948) and St. Peter’s College (1952), where he learned to embody the Ignatian ideal of “A Man For Others.” In 1956 he earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, graduating Magna Cum Laude and delivering the valedictory address.
Dr. Shalhoub did his internship at Georgetown Hospital, followed by his residency, first at Georgetown (1958-59) then as senior resident at the Jersey City Medical Center, NJ. He next completed a research fellowship at Cornell University Medical Center in New York, NY (1960).
From there, he served two years as physician and captain in the U. S. Air Force (1961-63), stationed at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama. Notably, he was placed on alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In calmer times, he would routinely hop on C-130s whenever a pilot asked to have a physician join the crew. These short trips took him to all the major capitals of the world and instilled a love of travel which he would later indulge as a civilian.
Dr. Shalhoub returned to Washington, DC to become Chief of Renal Services at the Veterans Administration Hospital, where he treated patients in the dialysis unit with the highest degree of care, compassion and professionalism. While there, as Associate Professor of Medicine at Georgetown, he regularly took medical students on his rounds. A consummate scholar and academician, he authored and presented several research papers, including a pioneering work published in 1974 in The Lancet, a peer-reviewed British medical journal, which became known as the “Shalhoub Hypothesis” and is authoritatively cited in current publications.
In the early 1970s, Dr. Shalhoub completed two rotations on the hospital ship, S.S. Hope, one to Tunisia in 1971, and the other to Brazil in 1973. The S.S. Hope’s mission was to train doctors from disadvantaged countries by having them observe U.S. doctors treating patients onboard.
Overseas travels continued during his vacations and were often filled with adventure. A favorite trip was on a camera safari to several big game preserves in Africa, returning with close-ups of lions and cheetahs. A less favorite trip was to Peru where, hiking on a trail to Machu Picchu, he was relieved of his camera, wallet and valuables at knifepoint. On one of his tours to the Middle East, he was blessed to find the church in Damascus where his father had been baptized some seventy years earlier.
Upon his retirement from the V.A. Hospital in 1995, “Dr. Bob,” as he affectionately came to be known, began volunteering on a regular basis to diagnose and treat indigent patients at the Spanish Catholic Center, a medical clinic for the underserved in Washington, DC. He maintained this charitable work for approximately the next ten years.
Following his investiture as a Knight of Malta in 1995, Bob made monthly visits on Saturdays to residents at a nursing home in Arlington, VA. He also participated in the Order of Malta’s annual pilgrimages to Lourdes, France, escorting seriously and terminally ill patients praying for a cure. He was a generous donor to an annual fundraiser for a Catholic orphanage and school in Haiti. Monies raised enabled the school to remain open during the summer, thereby providing regular meals and a safe haven for its students from the crime-ridden streets of the city.
In addition to his professional duties, Bob was intimately involved in the establishment of Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek Catholic Church, from its humble beginnings in a converted garage on the Catholic University campus, to a larger venue at an antebellum chapel in Vienna, VA, to its current location in McLean, VA. He served in many capacities, welcoming new members and sharing with them the rich Melkite tradition and liturgy, as well as acting as an acolyte and reader. Bob delighted in helping out at the Church’s Annual Middle Eastern Food Festival on Labor Day Weekend.
At home, Bob enjoyed working in his yard, cultivating roses in two kidney-shaped flower beds. As an avid fisherman, he loved surf fishing in New Jersey while staying at the family home near the Jersey Shore.
Bob lived an uncompromising life of simplicity, generosity, and personal integrity. He was preceded in death by his parents, Olga and Elias, a sister, Dolores, a brother, Gerald, and a nephew, Paul. He is survived by two sisters, Paulette and Jeanette, and a brother, Donald, as well as nieces Nancy and Jane, and a nephew, Robert.
Visitation will be held at Money and King Funeral Home, Vienna, VA on Monday, October 25 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. and Tuesday, October 26 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek Catholic Church, McLean, Virginia, on Wednesday, October 27 at 11 a.m. with the Meal of Mercy to follow in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his name to Holy Transfiguration Church. Remembrances and tributes can be left on Bob’s memorial page, https://www.moneyandking.com/obituaries/Robert-Joseph-Shalhoub-MD?obId=22704038#/obituaryInfo
1931 – 2021
Robert Joseph Shalhoub, MD, beloved, respected and dedicated physician, practicing internal medicine with a specialty in nephrology, active member of his Church, avid traveler, fisherman and gardener, generous friend and neighbor, reposed in the Lord on Sunday, October 17, 2021.
Dr. Shalhoub was born January 26, 1931 in Bayonne, New Jersey. He graduated as valedictorian from both St. Peter’s Prep (1948) and St. Peter’s College (1952), where he learned to embody the Ignatian ideal of “A Man For Others.” In 1956 he earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, graduating Magna Cum Laude and delivering the valedictory address.
Dr. Shalhoub did his internship at Georgetown Hospital, followed by his residency, first at Georgetown (1958-59) then as senior resident at the Jersey City Medical Center, NJ. He next completed a research fellowship at Cornell University Medical Center in New York, NY (1960).
From there, he served two years as physician and captain in the U. S. Air Force (1961-63), stationed at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama. Notably, he was placed on alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In calmer times, he would routinely hop on C-130s whenever a pilot asked to have a physician join the crew. These short trips took him to all the major capitals of the world and instilled a love of travel which he would later indulge as a civilian.
Dr. Shalhoub returned to Washington, DC to become Chief of Renal Services at the Veterans Administration Hospital, where he treated patients in the dialysis unit with the highest degree of care, compassion and professionalism. While there, as Associate Professor of Medicine at Georgetown, he regularly took medical students on his rounds. A consummate scholar and academician, he authored and presented several research papers, including a pioneering work published in 1974 in The Lancet, a peer-reviewed British medical journal, which became known as the “Shalhoub Hypothesis” and is authoritatively cited in current publications.
In the early 1970s, Dr. Shalhoub completed two rotations on the hospital ship, S.S. Hope, one to Tunisia in 1971, and the other to Brazil in 1973. The S.S. Hope’s mission was to train doctors from disadvantaged countries by having them observe U.S. doctors treating patients onboard.
Overseas travels continued during his vacations and were often filled with adventure. A favorite trip was on a camera safari to several big game preserves in Africa, returning with close-ups of lions and cheetahs. A less favorite trip was to Peru where, hiking on a trail to Machu Picchu, he was relieved of his camera, wallet and valuables at knifepoint. On one of his tours to the Middle East, he was blessed to find the church in Damascus where his father had been baptized some seventy years earlier.
Upon his retirement from the V.A. Hospital in 1995, “Dr. Bob,” as he affectionately came to be known, began volunteering on a regular basis to diagnose and treat indigent patients at the Spanish Catholic Center, a medical clinic for the underserved in Washington, DC. He maintained this charitable work for approximately the next ten years.
Following his investiture as a Knight of Malta in 1995, Bob made monthly visits on Saturdays to residents at a nursing home in Arlington, VA. He also participated in the Order of Malta’s annual pilgrimages to Lourdes, France, escorting seriously and terminally ill patients praying for a cure. He was a generous donor to an annual fundraiser for a Catholic orphanage and school in Haiti. Monies raised enabled the school to remain open during the summer, thereby providing regular meals and a safe haven for its students from the crime-ridden streets of the city.
In addition to his professional duties, Bob was intimately involved in the establishment of Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek Catholic Church, from its humble beginnings in a converted garage on the Catholic University campus, to a larger venue at an antebellum chapel in Vienna, VA, to its current location in McLean, VA. He served in many capacities, welcoming new members and sharing with them the rich Melkite tradition and liturgy, as well as acting as an acolyte and reader. Bob delighted in helping out at the Church’s Annual Middle Eastern Food Festival on Labor Day Weekend.
At home, Bob enjoyed working in his yard, cultivating roses in two kidney-shaped flower beds. As an avid fisherman, he loved surf fishing in New Jersey while staying at the family home near the Jersey Shore.
Bob lived an uncompromising life of simplicity, generosity, and personal integrity. He was preceded in death by his parents, Olga and Elias, a sister, Dolores, a brother, Gerald, and a nephew, Paul. He is survived by two sisters, Paulette and Jeanette, and a brother, Donald, as well as nieces Nancy and Jane, and a nephew, Robert.
Visitation will be held at Money and King Funeral Home, Vienna, VA on Monday, October 25 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. and Tuesday, October 26 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek Catholic Church, McLean, Virginia, on Wednesday, October 27 at 11 a.m. with the Meal of Mercy to follow in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his name to Holy Transfiguration Church. Remembrances and tributes can be left on Bob’s memorial page, https://www.moneyandking.com/obituaries/Robert-Joseph-Shalhoub-MD?obId=22704038#/obituaryInfo
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“Dr. Bob” was a wonderful member of the Shouse Village community. He was kind and generous to my children. When I got to visit his home, his love of travel and his strong faith were evident. He will be missed.
As a neighbor on Sibelius Dr., I am very sorry for the loss to his family and also to our community. May he rest in peace. Chris Betsold (9334)
Dear Don, Paulette, Jeanette and all the Shalhoub family, We send our heartfelt condolences to all of you. I loved Bob. I didn’t get to see him much, but he was always there for me when I would reach out for medical advice or anything else I may have asked of him. He never failed to call and check on our safety in the event of weather emergencies that affected our area. Bob’s was the very first call I got at 7:30am in October of 1987 when Raleigh was hit by a hurricane. I truly believe that Bob was the kindest and most giving human being I have had the privilege of knowing. In the last few years, as Bob’s health was failing, I did not call or connect with him much but depended on news about him I got from Jeff. I wish that could have been different. I have no doubt that Bob is now in the arms of our Father in heaven surrounded by his parents, siblings and other friends and family that preceded him there. We live in hope of that we will all someday be with him in that heavenly realm. Much love, Roz & Greg Egan