Hub doctor’s award honors American Dream
Weston resident Dr. Adil Haider’s version of the American dream is a constant race against the clock.
It’s saving a woman with a gunshot wound to the heart, and operating on patients who are teetering on the edge of death to hunt for injuries that can’t be seen.
Yesterday, Haider, who works at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as a trauma surgeon, was given the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, one of the nation’s most prestigious awards that honors the work of immigrants and their children, and people who work for the inclusion of marginalized communities. Haider, a Muslim, grew up in the United States, raised by a mother from Pakistan and a father from India.
“There are so many negative images out there, negative images and stereotypes,” Haider said. “But this country’s greatness comes from all over the world.”
Past recipients include former Vice President Joe Biden and civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
Haider’s research is focused on equal treatment of patients — he discovered a decade ago that black trauma victims were 20 percent more likely to die than white patients.
He is now working to develop a new approach to asking patients their gender identity in emergency settings.
Otto Coca, spokesman for the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, said Haider was chosen as someone “who can create a better America for everyone.”
The surgeon said despite racial tension under the new administration, “on the ground locally, I’ve seen people show their support and show their love for one another,” he said. “I get to live my American dream every day.”