There’s no doubt that the Arab world has contributed greatly to the advancement of medical practice the world over. Arabs invented the first surgical implements and pioneered many of the earliest modern surgical techniques, however, to view Arab accomplishments as things of the past would be to ignore the sterling service given to the world by some of the leading Middle Eastern doctors and researchers.
There’s no doubting that the majority of Arab doctors at the top of their profession are drawn from the nebulous Arab diaspora, but surgeons, researchers and doctors closer to home are also making international headlines. For example, in April of this year a team of surgeons at Saudi’s King Abdulaziz Medical Centre separated a pair of conjoined twins, undertaking one of the most demanding surgeries in the world. Below are some of the outstanding medical practitioners hailing from the Middle East.
Mahmoud Fathalla
Dr. Fathalla is a world-renowned professor of gynecology and obstetrics. After studying at the American University of Cairo and Edinburgh University in Scotland, Fathalla returned to Egypt, working in a variety of posts within the UN and other international bodies and founded the Egyptian Fertility Care Society in 1974, one of the first family planning organizations in the Arab world. The winner of several international awards, including a United Nations Population Award in 2009 to celebrate his efforts at promoting women’s reproductive health in Nicaragua, Fathalla continues to work in a regional and international role, advocating the advancement of women’s health programs.
William Zoghbi
Dr. Zoghbi is a renowned cardiovascular specialist focusing on echocardiography and ultrasound technology. Zoghbi’s techniques that, in layman’s terms, allow doctors to take an X-ray of the heart, have allowed doctors to greatly increase their ability to diagnose, and thereby treat, heart diseases before they fully develop. One such example is Zoghbi’s research into 3D imaging, which allows doctors to better understand the condition of complex areas of the patient’s heart, especially the valves, prior to deciding upon treatment. Currently the William Winters Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Imaging at Methodist Hospital, Houston, Zogbhi has sat on a number of American national committees and boards of associations related to cardiovascular issues.
Huda Qattan
Researcher Dr. Huda Qattan is one the world’s top Down’s Syndrome researchers and was the recipient of the World Health Organization’s Down’s Syndrome Prize for the East of the Mediterranean in 2009. The first Saudi to obtain a doctorate in pediatrics from Canada’s University of Ottawa, Qattan returned to The Kingdom and has gone on to play an important role in the understanding of a condition which is becoming markedly more common. Alongside her research, Qattan holds free sessions with children affected by Down’s on a monthly basis. Qattan was also the first chairwoman of the Committee for the Protection of Children’s Rights in the Kingdom and has conducted research into children affected by violence.
Jihad Kaouk
A specialist in the field robotics, Dr. Kaouk is the director of the Center for Advanced Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery at the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Kaouk has pioneered advances in laparoscopy, whereby a tube is inserted through a small incision before the hole is expanded using gas, allowing surgeons to perform complex operations with minimal complications. Kaouk has performed over 120 surgeries, the majority concerning the kidneys and pelvis, using his innovative techniques. Between 2005 and 2007, Kaouk was listed as one of America’s top physicians by the influential Consumer Research Council.
Hrayr Shahinian
Director of L.A.’s Skull Base Institute, Dr. Shahinian is a world-renowned neurosurgeon. A specialist in reconstructive surgery, Shahinian is a trained plastic surgeon and an expert on cranial endoscopic surgery. Shahinian has also worked extensively on hormonal and glandular conditions found within the brain. Following collaboration with NASA on the creation of various miniaturized surgical implements, Shahinian holds several patents on a number of endoscopic instruments related to his field.
Baha Sibai
Dr. Sibai is professor and chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati. Specialising in maternal and fetal medicine, Sibai has written over 350 peer-reviewed articles published in national and international journals. Sibai’s body of work is voluminous, having working on fields as diverse as liver conditions in fetuses to the effects of certain drugs on pregnant women. In particular, his work on hypertensive diseases has resulted in his being recognised internationally as an expert in the various conditions.
