A Healer In Search Of Excellence
Dr. Abdul Fattah Elzawi
If you happen to be walking, or driving, along Yonge Street (of Toronto), a little distance north of its intersection with St. Clair Avenue, and more specifically at 1590 Yonge Street, right in what can be described as the “throbbing heart” of the capital city of Ontario, you’ll come across the ELZAWI HEALTH CENTRE signpost. In more ways than one, this centre is the living testament to Dr. Abdul Fattah Elzawi’s remarkable achievements in the noble field of medicine. It is the culmination of an admirable lifelong struggle for knowledge that started in Tripoli, the capital city of Libya, continued in Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city after Cairo, and went on all the way to the University of Toronto’s Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Science Centre, where Dr. Elzawi is currently a staff cardiologist.
Dr. Elzawi was only three-years-old when his homeland, Libya, gained its independence in 1951 and a mere fifteen-year-old high school student when the country’s system was changed from a constitutional monarchy (1951-1969) to a republic in 1969. Perhaps Libya’s republican regime’s major success was a redistribution of wealth to bring the benefits of rising oil revenues to all Libyans. This, coupled with the implementation of a public policy confirming the right to education, enabled the youth of Libya, including Elzawi, to gain access to free education in the country and to obtain a scholarship to study medicine abroad. Good luck, combined with perseverance and the love of knowledge and adventure allowed Dr. Elzawi to obtain his bachelor of medicine at Alexandria University, to practice medical research at Alkhadra University hospital in Tripoli, and to come to Canada in 1986 to begin a new and exciting chapter in his distinguished medical career.
Thanks to Dr. Elzawi’s childhood roots in the rural areas of his homeland, he learned early on in life how to face difficulties and confront challenges within the framework of a social network that values familial bonds and communal relationships. That enduring quality of social interdependence and fellowship proved to be of critical value especially when it came to conducting medical research or working with other professional colleagues to foster patients’ wellness and rehabilitation. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Elzawi’s nostalgia for the purity and inherent sagacity and natural wisdom of rural life, cultivated in him an everlasting love for literature, especially poetry, which he started composing since the early days of elementary school. According to him: “Realistically, the human being is a collection of feelings , and one may find comfort in writing a piece of poetry, a walk by the lake shore, or by sitting in the backyard of one’s home and watch birds flying freely in the sky or jumping from one tree branch to another.”
As a true family man, Dr. Elzawi gives credit to his father for encouraging him to pursue a career in medicine. His father was convinced that aside from the financial rewards and social status commonly associated with medicine, the physical and psychological healing aspects of medicine are no less, if not more, important. According to Dr. Elzawi: “A doctor is essentially a social person before being a professional practitioner.”
Upon receiving his first medical degree from Egypt, Dr. Ezawi went back to Tripoli where he worked as a research associate at Alkhadra University hospital for three years. When he decided to pursue his specializations in medicine, he chose Canada out of many other options, including England and Australia. To use his own words: “I was fascinated by the North American approach to medicine; an approach based on a rigorous and rational balance between research, i.e., intellectual endeavors, and hands-on practice.” At the time, most Arabs, especially in Libya, knew very little about Canada. It was not until members of Dr. Elzawi’s family, including his father, came to visit him in Canada that they realized that in addition to its seemingly unfriendly cold weather, Canada has too many wonderful things to offer, including its striking natural beauty, its great multicultural and democratic values, its vibrant, open, and dynamic society. No wonder it was Dr. Elzawi’s father who advised him to stay in Canada. He has never looked back or regretted his decision to stay. As he succinctly puts it: “I am a proud Canadian, proud of my Arab origin and heritage, and proud of my Muslim faith…There is no contradiction here, all three circles complement and strengthen each other. The human intellect is just like a bird, free in its existence; it knows no border between one country and another. Wherever it sets, it usually tries to find a habitat that encourages innovation and creativity, a place that provides respect and freedom to express one’s self. This is Canada.”
Dr. Elzawi’s advice to the youth is to be focused on what they plan for themselves in the future. Be it a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or garbage man, there is no shame in work, but the most important thing is to set a target and a time limit, and then find the most suitable means that will enable you to achieve your objectives. Having a dream in life is crucial; however, one must be pragmatic and stay the course. He feels that in this respect, family support and being in a suitable environment, can lend support to this process. Further, children usually find in their parents a model to emulate. As a case in point, Dr. Elzawi’s daughter is a chiropractor and two of his sons are in medical school. However, he strongly advises parents not to force their children into a field that does not coincide with the child’s inclination. He also feels that parents should set an ethical example for their children by upholding moral values and being good citizens. In this respect, Dr. Elzawi is a strong believer that religion can act as a deterrent to social problems and vice since religion is essentially an ethical system. He feels that regardless of one’s faith, a person should aspire to upholding its code of ethics.
As for being a Muslim, Dr. Elzawi likes to point out that although he belongs to a religious minority in Toronto, the beauty of Canada is that we have a genuine freedom to practice our different religions the way we wish. He does not believe that faith, any faith, should keep a person from reaching out to the adherents of other faiths. On the contrary, a truly devout person attempts to understand others, reach out and connect with others in the hope of promoting a society of common values and ethics. As he puts it: “We Canadians should consider ourselves fortunate to be living in a country, Canada, in which diversity is not only respected, but also celebrated. We should strive to add to its greatness, not diminish it.” This is precisely what Dr. Elzawi has been doing throughout his life here.
Among Dr. Elzawi’s achievements, contributions, and received awards are the following:
In his ceaseless search for knowledge, his pursuance of excellence, and his multidimensional activities, Dr. Elzawi stands out as the quintessential medical professional for whom the Nobel Prize was invented.