Penn State physicians join American medical community in Iraq

Hershey, Pa. -- When he left Iraq in 1980, Hamid A. Al-Mondhiry vowed he would not go back while "Saddam and his thugs" were in power. Twenty-four years later, he returned to help his colleagues rebuild the Iraqi medical system.

A specialist in hematology and internal medicine with Penn State College of Medicine, Al-Mondhiry began working with the Iraqi medical community six months before the war started, at the request of the U.S. Department of State. When Iraqi physicians arranged a medical conference, in collaboration with American military physicians, Al-Mondhiry was "happy and eager to go."

With the sounds of gunfire and bombs exploding nearby, Al-Mondhiry and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center colleague C. James Holliman presented papers at the Iraqi Medical Specialty Forum, held in Baghdad. Al-Mondhiry discussed blood diseases and internal medicine topics at the forum, while Holliman, a specialist in emergency medicine, lectured on chest trauma, international emergency medicine and the future of emergency medical services. Gunfights near the conference site and terrorist threats failed to deter 30 invited American physicians and more than 300 Iraqi physicians from participating in the conference.

Assessing Needs of Iraq’s Medical Schools

When the conference ended, Al-Mondhiry spent 10 days as a visiting professor at two Baghdad medical schools, making teaching rounds with students, staff and hematologists. He also worked with the dean of Baghdad University College of Medicine to assess the needs of the city’s medical schools. When he returned to the Hershey Medical Center, he contacted the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Hematology and other medical groups to seek assistance for Iraq.

"Under Saddam, physicians were totally isolated," Al-Mondhiry said. "They were not permitted to travel, and they had no access to medical journals. I am trying to facilitate the transmission of information to Iraqi physicians."

Holliman also is seeking funding from American medical associations to enable young Iraqi physicians to receive training in emergency medicine in neighboring countries. And in September, he joined members of the international medical community and the federal government at a conference in Washington, D.C., to discuss how to provide additional assistance to the medical community in Iraq.

Al-Mondhiry said he will return to Iraq "when the security situation improves." Holliman is planning a trip this February.