Sarah Rahman, Dr. Mahboob Rahman, Uzma Rahman and Farah Rahman

The Kidney Foundation of Ohio’s 31st Annual Gala brought more than 225 guests to the Marriott Downtown to enjoy an evening of dining and dancing.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of the Person of the Year award to Dr. Mahboob Rahman, Chair of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at University Hospitals. Dr. Rahman is also a tenured Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, and serves as Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine and as a staff nephrologist at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. He has received multiple awards recognizing his clinical expertise, including the University Hospitals Distinguished Physician award and

Dr. Michael Hanna, Dr. Haifa Hanna, Mirela Dobre and Andrei Brateanu

Master Clinician in the Department of Medicine award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Dr. Haifa Hanna. Born and raised in Idlib, Syria, she went to medical school at the University of Damascus. She moved to Cleveland to complete her training in internal medicine. Dr. Hanna retired in 2018 after 47 years in practice. She has been a member of the Kidney Foundation of Ohio Medical Advisory for more than 25 years and serves on the foundation’s Educational Scholarship Committee. Dr. Hanna and her husband, Dr. Michael Hanna have two sons, who are also both physicians.
This year’s gala raised more than $173,000 to benefit patients with kidney disease through the foundation’s assistance programs, which provide transportation, medication and emergency assistance to dialysis and transplant patients. Party-goers enjoyed a silent auction and musical entertainment by The Adjustments. Caricature drawings were provided for guests by Adam from Speed Sketchers Caricatures. Sandy Temple served as gala committee chairwoman. STORY BY CYNTHIA SCHUSTER EAKIN/PHOTOGRAPHS BY ERIC EAKIN