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Lihadh Al-Ghazali is a leading Iraqi geneticist and professor of Clinical Genetics and Pediatrics at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) University. Her work has uncovered genetic disorders unknown to the medical field, including several disorders unique to the Persian Gulf nation. In 2009, she ranked 45th on the Power 100 list of The World's Most Influential Arabs.
Early Life
Lihadh Al-Ghazali was born and raised in Iraq. Her father was an Army judge and her mother was an "educationalist" who stressed the importance of learning to her children. As a result, Al-Ghazali and her siblings were top students in their class. Lihadh and her brother went on to become doctors, while her sister chose another technical route. "Back in our day, if you were clever and intelligent, all that you hoped to be was a doctor or an engineer, which is what my other sister became eventually," she said.
Getting Started
Al-Ghazali left Iraq with her husband and child in 1976 to complete her studies in London. She credits life in Iraq as influencing her career choices. "I came from Baghdad, Iraq. When I was there, I noticed the children seem to have illnesses that no one can detect, so I became interested in genetic technology and studied it in England." Al-Ghazali lived in the UK for 14 years while training in pediatrics and specializing in clinical genetics.
Al-Ghazali went to the UAE in 1990 after signing a four-year contract with the Department of Pediatrics. At that point, the UAE was still in the early stages of development, so patient services lagged behind. There was also little awareness about genetic disorders either, which meant that Al-Ghazali had to start from scratch. After numerous lectures, seminars and television appearances, Al-Ghazali helped people develop a better understanding of inherited genetic disorders.
Achievements
Throughout her career, Lihadh Al-Ghazali has pioneered genetic research in the UAE. She has defined several new symptoms of inherited disorders, and contributed to the molecular characterization of many new disorders and syndromes that affect people of the Persian Gulf nation. In 1994, she discovered a new genomic syndrome that has since been named in her honor – Al-Ghazali syndrome.
With an international research team, Al-Ghazali helped identify fifteen recessive genes and mapped seven genes. She was also a key player in establishing a registry for monitoring birth defects in the UAE. This became the first registry from an Arab country to gain membership into the International Clearinghouse of Birth Defects in Rome.
Lihadh Al-Ghazali also established a Clinical Genetics Services, which is supported by cytogenetic and DBA laboratories and offers counseling, education, and support for families affected by genetics diseases. Additionally, she also took part in founding the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies in Duabi, along with other genetic institutions.
Awards
In 2003, Lihadh Al-Ghazali received the Distinguished Performance Award in Research and Clinical Services from UAE University. Three years later, she was profiled and praised in the UK Medical Journal, The Lancet, for her contributions to Clinical Genetics and Research in the Middle East.
In 2008, she was honored with an L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science in the African-Arab States for the "characterization of new hereditary diseases." The annual award is given to women who've helped advance science in some way. Each year, five laureates are named from Asia-Pacific, Africa-Arab, Europe, Latin America, and North America. When Al-Ghazali received the award, it marked the first time a geneticist from the UAE was honored.
Future Plans
Professor Lihadh Al-Ghazali hopes to continue to make strides in the field of genetics for a long time. In an interview, she shared her hopes for genetics research in the UAE. "According to a survey by March of Dimes statistics, the UAE ranks sixth out of 193 countries in the prevalence of birth defects – mainly due to genetic causes. Before I retire, I hope to see a full-fledged centre here dedicated to all areas related to genetics – education, research and patient service. After that, I want to go back to my hometown in Iraq to help children of my beautiful, strife-torn country," she said.
Resources:
http://www.islamonline.net/English/In_Depth/IOLMuslimStars/topic_08/03.shtml
http://gulfnews.com/life-style/people/lihadh-al-ghazali-on-genetics-1.25648
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