Dr. Joseph B Touma was born in Syria and has practiced in Huntington as an ear specialist since 1971. He made numerous contributions to the otolaryngological field of medicine including the invention of several surgical tools specific to ear surgery.
He is known as a teacher and lecturer throughout the United States, North Africa and in the Middle East. He served as a president of several local, state and national medical organizations and as a clinical professor of Marshall University School of Medicine, also serving on the board of the Marshall Foundation. He created two separate, nonprofit foundations that fund scholarships and financial assistance to the hearing impaired and created a historic library and a medical museum. The Touma Foundation created the Touma Family Scholarship with the Marshall University School of Medicine, funding a full four-year scholarship each year for a minority medical student.
Outside the medical field, Dr. Touma played an important role in the Huntington business community. Dr. Touma was a vital force in the rebirth of the central downtown area. He had the foresight and faith to invest money in structures left vacant by the mass exodus of retail from the downtown area in the late 1970s and 1980s. The Town Center building located on the southwest corner of Third Avenue and Tenth Street, the Century Building on 9th Street and many other structures throughout Huntington are examples of his dedication to the city's rebirth.
