Izzeldin Abuelaish

Research Synopsis

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish is a Palestinian-Canadian medical doctor; born and raised in the Jabalia Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. Dr. Abuelaish studied medicine in Cairo, Egypt and received a diploma in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of London, UK. He received his Masters of Public Health from Harvard University in 2004.

Known as “the Gaza doctor,” Dr. Abuelaish is the first Palestinian doctor to receive a staff position at an Israeli hospital. His medical work and personal journey prompted him to write the best-selling I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity. Dr. Abuelaish has been an important figure in Israeli-Palestinian relations for years, working in Israeli hospitals and treating Israeli and Palestinian patients with the full belief that health is an engine for the journey to peace. He has received numerous awards and accolades, including 14 honorary degrees and 5 Nobel Peace Prize nominations.

He is currently an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health in the University of Toronto. In the past 10 years Dr. Abuelaish has published on a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from medicine, mental health and psychology, to the determinants of health. He is particularly interested in health as a determinant of peace, hatred as a public health epidemic, and the role women play as influential brokers of health and peace.