Ghassan Abu-Sittah | |
|---|---|
غسان أبو ستة | |
| Born | Ghassan Salman Abu-Sittah 1969 (age 54–55) |
| Other names | Ghassan Abu Sitta |
| Alma mater | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | drghassanabusittah |
Ghassan Salman Abu-Sittah (Arabic: غسان أبو ستة; born 1968/1969)[1] is a British-Palestinian plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He is known for his work in conflict zones and specialises in craniofacial surgery, aesthetic surgery, cleft lip and palate surgery, and trauma related injuries.[2]
Ghassan was born in Kuwait to a Palestinian family who had left their home during 1948 Arab–Israeli War and become refugees in the Gaza Strip. They later moved to Egypt and the UK in the late 1980s.[3] Abu-Sittah studied at the University of Glasgow[4] and completed a postgraduate residency in London. He underwent three fellowships: Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery and Cleft Surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Kids (GOS), and Trauma Reconstruction at the Royal London Hospital.[5]
Abu-Sittah first visited the Gaza Strip as a medical student during the First Intifada in 1989.[4][6] He was inspired to focus on conflict medicine by Ang Swee Chai.[6]
After graduating from university, Abu-Sittah began working for the National Health Service.[7] In July 2005, Abu-Sittah helped treat victims of the London bombings.[7]
Abu-Sittah traveled to Gaza as a member of Medical Aid for Palestinians to provide medical assistance during the Second Intifada, the 2008-2009 Gaza War, the 2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, the 2014 Gaza War, and the 2018 Great March.[8][9] Abu-Sittah has also worked in war zones in Iraq., Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.[4][7]
In January 2011, Abu-Sittah joined the faculty of the American University of Beirut Hospital.[7] He worked as the director of the hospital's Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department from 2012 until September 2020.[4][6][8] In 2015, he also co-founded and co-directed the Conflict Medicine Program at the AUB's Global Health Institute.[6][7] Abu-Sittah also provided remote assistance for surgeons working in the Gaza Strip.[10]
In 2021, Abu-Sittah worked as a lecturer at the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London.[6]
Abu-Sittah returned to Gaza on October 9, 2023 at the onset of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.[11] During the war, Abu-Sittah worked with Doctors Without Borders out of the Al-Shifa Hospital.[4][12][13] He has spoken to news outlets and posted updates on Twitter about the hospital and some of the patients.[13][14][15] On November 18, after 43 days, Abu-Sittah returned to London, where he gave a press conference discussing his experiences.[11][16] During the press conference, he said he treated patients suffering from white phosphorus burns, which the IDF has denied using.[16][17] Abu-Sittah plans to work with the Scotland Yard to share his testimony of the situation in Gaza.[11] In January 2024, he travelled to the Hague to meet with International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators.[18]
Abu-Sittah was an editor and co-author of the book Reconstructing the War Injured Patient.[6] He is a trustee of the Institute for Palestine Studies.[5]
Ghassan moved to Beirut in 2011.[7]
As of 2023, Abu-Sittah lives in East London with his wife Deema[19] and three sons.[4] On 16 October 2023, Abu-Sittah's family in London was questioned by Met Police about Abu-Sittah's work in Gaza.[4][20][3]
