Selwa Al-Hazzaa

Selwa Al-Hazzaa (Arabic: سلوى الهزّاع) is a Saudi ophthalmologist and head of the ophthalmology department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital.[1] She served as the personal ophthalmologist for the late King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.[2] She is one of the first Saudi women to achieve international success academically and professionally. On January 11, 2013, per a Royal Decree from King Abdullah, Al-Hazzaa became one of the first ever female members of the Saudi Arabia Shoura Council.[3]

Education and professional life

At a young age she moved with her family from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to Tucson, Arizona. She studied at Tucson High, then moved back with her family to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to complete high school studies.

She later enrolled at King Saud University to study medicine. At the time she finished medical school, ophthalmology was the only accredited residency program in Saudi Arabia, so that is what she studied.[4] After completing her residency, she began to work at King Faisal Specialist Hospital, and was also visiting professor at Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 2003 to 2009.[5][1]

She has authored and co-authored many research papers,[6] as well as a chapter on genetically inherited eye diseases in Saudi Arabia, which was the first contribution by a Saudi to the Duane Ophthalmology Medical Reference Series.[5] In 1997, she became the first female department head in King Faisal Specialist Hospital, as she became the head of the ophthalmology department.[7][8] She has also served on the Executive Council of the International Council of Ophthalmology.[9][10]

Public life

In 2004 Saudi Arabia’s (then all-male) Shoura Council appointed three women as advisors for the first time, of whom Al-Hazzaa was one.[1][7] In 2013 a decree from King Abdullah required Saudi Arabia to include women as members of the Shoura Council for the first time.[11] Dr. Al-Hazaa was chosen, making her the first ophthalmologist to serve on the legislative body.

Between 2004 and 2008 she also served for a time as Chair of Board of Friends of Saudi Arabia, an advocacy organisation based in the United States which was close to the Saudi regime.[12][13]

References
  1. Bowers, Faye (13 January 2004). "Saudi women, long silent, gain a quiet voice". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  2. Elliot House, Karen (7 April 2007). "For Saudi Women, A Whiff of Change". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  3. http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/01/11/259881.html
  4. "Your Meeting Story: Selwa Al-Hazzaa". American Academy of Ophthalmology. New York Chiropractc College Library.
  5. Khan, M. Ghazanfer Ali (27 November 2004). "Eyes of the World on Saudi Ophthalmologist". Arab News. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  6. "Selwa Al-Hazzaa". experts.scival.com. Johns Hopkins University. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  7. "Saudi Women Challenge Traditional Barriers in Male-Dominated Society". VOA News. 9 January 2004. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  8. Pilkington, Edward (6 July 2002). "The women that time forgot". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  9. "Letter from the President" (PDF). who.int. World Health Organisation. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  10. "Prof. Selwa Al-Hazzaa". kfas.org.kw. Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  11. "Saudi Arabia Will Finally Let Divorced Women, Widows Manage Family Affairs Without Men". Huffington Post. Reuters. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  12. Gehrke, Joel (2 June 2015). "The Clinton Foundation Took Money from Saudi Propagandists". National Review. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  13. Al Muhaini, Mamduh (10 February 2006). "الدكتورة سلوى الهزاع..عندما ينبثق تطور المرأة من الروح المحافظة للمجتمع السعودي". Al Riyadh Newspaper. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
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