Dr Adil Haider, a Pakistani-American doctor, has been selected to received the Ellis Island Medal of Honour, one of the the highest civilian awards for US immigrants.
The award is gifted to a select few individuals for excelling in their field and inspiring others.
Haider, who is currently Kessler Director of Center for Surgery and Public Health, collaborative initiative of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, spent early life in Pakistan.
Dr Haider went to Saint Patrick’s High School in Karachi and then completed his medical education from the Aga Khan Hospital University in 1998.
In 2000, he received MPH from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Later, he became a trauma and critical care surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
“I am very humbled to have been bestowed this honour,” he wrote in a Facebook post, adding “Two things are for sure: 1) There are certainly many others who deserve this far more than me and I am just lucky to have been recognised. 2) Only in America is this possible. Sue Baker gave me a job at Hopkins the day I came from Aga Khan. Since then I have been blessed with amazing mentors and teammates at work and the worlds most supporting and caring family and friends at home.”
“This medal reminds us that the American Dream is alive ….. its our job to protect it and ensure that it remains for all to come, generation after generation,” he added.
Dr Haider is accredited with establishing the field of trauma disparities research and uncovering impact of racial disparities after traumatic injuries. He hopes to eradicate the disparities in healthcare in the US.
The other recipients of the award include five Indian Americans including PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, author Fareed Zakaria, Harman International Industries chairman CEO Dinesh Paliwal, Dr Annapoorna S Kini, Yashvant Patel and Mohan H Patel.
The recipients will be awarded in a ceremony on Ellis Island, New York, on May 13.
List of other recipients can be viewed here.
