Salib became a doctor in 1985 and earned a master���s degree in surgery in Egypt in 1990. He later lived in England and earned a degree in surgery there in 2000. He served as a cancer surgeon and traveled to different areas doing his work. He had the opportunity to move to the United States in 2011 and decided to settle here where he believes his two daughters, now ages 25 and 15, will be able to have bright futures. When he came to the United States, he would have had to earn medical degrees again so he opted to teach instead.

For the past five years, Salib has served as a medical instructor at Eastwick College in Nutley. He joined NCCTI in March as the Patient Care Technician instructor after his colleague, Dr. Mamdouh Sorial, who teaches the Clinical Medical Assistant program at NCCTI and serves as an instructor at Eastwick College, told Salib about the opportunity. Salib continues to teach at Eastwick College in the evenings after classes at NCCTI end.

While he said he would rather be performing surgery, Salib enjoys being able to pass medical knowledge to new groups of students and finds it fulfilling when they are successful. He recalled seeing three of his students employed at a hospital where he was a patient.

���I was very delighted to see them having a career and that they succeeded,��� he said.

Having served as a hands-on medical professional and an instructor has made the transition to NCCTI smooth.

���Dr. Salib has been a welcomed addition to the NCCTI family,��� said NCCTI Director Dr. Sylvia McCray. ���We are glad to be able to bring an experienced medical professional and educator to our allied health team.���

Salib teaches students how to interact with and care for patients, including how to transfer them from a wheelchair to a bed or a bed to a wheelchair. He also teaches anatomy of the human body and medical skills, including how to draw blood and how to perform an EKG. The instruction he provides prepares students to take the certification exam.

He enjoys the atmosphere at NCCTI.

���It���s a very comfortable environment. We sit with Dr. McCray to discuss any problems. We will solve them together,��� Salib said. ���And the students are really good.���

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business & Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

���NCCTI is pleased to have Dr. Sorial and Mr. Awich join our team. Both come with industry-specific skills and teaching experience,��� said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. ���Our students will benefit greatly from their knowledge and will certainly be well prepared to enter the workforce from a theoretical and practical perspective.���

Awich graduated from the school���s Building Trades Specialist program in 2017 and after graduation started his own general construction business. Before enrolling at NCCTI, he was a New York City school teacher for about 10 years, teaching biology and sciences.

After William Robinson, who served as his Building Trades Specialist instructor, retired, Awich decided to go back to teaching in his new field.

���I saw the training that I got and I thought it would be a good time to come back and provide the same training that I got,��� Awich said. ���And also being that I���m a former teacher, I said this is another good way of giving back and combining skills.���

He started teaching NCCTI���s Building Trades students in September and enjoys the position. He still has his construction business for weekend projects, but he is now concentrating on his full-time role as an educator.

Sorial has an extensive background in the medical field. He worked in neuropsychiatry in his home country of Egypt before moving to the United States in 1997. When he came to this country, he was unable to find a residency so he decided to become a medical instructor. He has worked in many institutes of higher learning including Eastwick College in Nutley and National Career Institute in East Orange.

He knew his predecessor, Dr. Seham Abouelhassan, as well as NCCTI���s Patient Care Technician instructor Dr. Maha Koltowski, before coming on board which helped the transition go smoothly. He began teaching CMA students in December.

Sorial stresses the importance of students getting a certification instead of working jobs without room for growth.

���It is very good that we get people certified so they can have a real career,��� he said. ���It will open a lot of doors for work or for other education.���

Sorial feels comfortable at NCCTI and is happy to work with his colleagues and students.

���It���s a very nice place with very nice people,��� he said. ���I like this environment.���

Both instructors started working at NCCTI in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made some changes to instruction. Students and staff members are required to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. Because of class size, Sorial���s students come in person two days per week and he provides assignments for them to complete on the three days they stay home. Sorial said the split schedule can be a challenge, but he and the students are making it work.

Several of Sorial���s students have accepted temporary positions at University Hospital where they administer COVID-19 vaccines at the hospital���s Ambulatory Care Center.

Awich said all the programs at NCCTI help students establish a successful career.

���These types of skills really will set them up for jobs,��� he said.

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business and Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.