Dr Adil Haider joins the ranks of seven US presidents, several world leaders and two Nobel Prize winners with the award.
A Pakistani-American trauma surgeon in the United States has been awarded one of the country’s most prestigious awards for immigrants “The Ellis Island Medal of Honour” in recognition for his expertise in the field and his service to those “less fortunate”.
The Award “The Ellis Island Medal of Honour” is annually presented to American citizens who have distinguished themselves within their own ethnic groups while exemplifying the values of the American way of life”. The previous award holder includes seven US presidents, several world leaders and two Nobel Prize winners.
Dr Adil Haider is a second generation American. He was born in Zanesville, in a Pakistani family in 1973 who moved to United States during 1960s. Though, his family came back Pakistan in the early 1980s as Haider’s parents wanted to “give back” to the homeland.
Haider, completed his early age education at Karachi and become medical doctor after completing his study from Agha Khan University at 1998. He pursued his master’s degree in public health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Maryland and started a journey there that has seen him become one of the best acute trauma surgeons in his field.
Currently, he is working as the Kessler Director of the Center for Surgery and Public Health at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
He is also the principal investigator on extra-mural grants worth more than $7m and has authored more than 190 peer-reviewed papers.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the award-winning scientist and doctor said he was “humbled” achieving upon the high-status honour, he shared “There are certainly many others who deserve this far more than me and I am just lucky to have been recognized, only in America is this possible”.
Dr, Adil Haider also acknowledged mentors, followers, peers and friends and family at home during this prestigious US award.
While speaking to media Dr. Haider said he spent his formative years, specifically his teenage and early adulthood, in Pakistan where he learned the value of hard work and equality.
“I was privileged enough to attend AKU where at least 20 per cent of the curriculum is focused on community health care,” the surgeon said.
“I realized the importance of public health, we could transform the ideals we learn in clinical medicine and impact a larger number of people,” Haider said.
Sharing a childhood memory, Haider said he was first drawn to the profession when he was six years old.
“I used to watch an American drama series called ‘Trapper John, M.D.’ where the protagonist is a trauma surgeon and treats patients who had just been shot or had got caught in a fire, among other emergency situations,” he added.