Ahmed Mohamed El Hassan FRCP FTWAS ( ar, أحمد محمد الحسن; 10 April 1930 – 10 November 2022) was a Sudanese professor of pathology. El Hassan was born and reared in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. He received most of his medical training at the University of Khartoum before completing a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

at the University of Edinburgh in 1965. Upon his return to Sudan, he led the Department of Pathology (1966–1969) and the

Faculty of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

(1969–1971) before briefly heading the (1971–1972). He became the president of the Medical Research Council (1972–1977), while helping establish the Department of Pathology at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia and the Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology, Sudan. In addition, El Hassan was the Founding Director of the Institute of Endemic Diseases (1993–2000), the

Sudanese National Academy of Sciences Sudanese or Sudanic may refer to: *pertaining to the country of Sudan **the people of Sudan, see Demographics of Sudan *pertaining to Sudan (region) **Sudanic languages **Sudanic race, subtype of the Africoid racial category See also *Sudanese Civ ...

(SNAS) (2005–2011) and the Sudanese Cancer Society (2008–2009). El Hassan focused on epidemiology and the immunopathology of tropical and infectious diseases. As a result, Sudan bestowed upon him the highest orders of merit, and the Sudanese state of

Al Qadarif El-Gadarif ( ar, القضارف '), also spelt ''Gedaref'' or ''Gedarif'', is the capital of the state of Al Qadarif in Sudan. It lies on the road that connects Khartoum with Gallabat on the Ethiopian border, about from the capital. Overview ...

's tropical medicine centre was named after him. In addition, he received WHO's 1987

Shousha Prize World Health Organization Prizes and Awards are given to recognise major achievements in public health. The candidates are nominated and recommended by each prize and award selection panel. The WHO Executive Board selects the winners, which are pre ...

RSTMH The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, more commonly known by its acronym RSTMH, was founded in 1907 by Sir James Cantlie and George Carmichael Low. Sir Patrick Manson, the Society's first President (1907–1909), was recognised as "th ...

's 1996

Donald Mackay Medal Dr. Donald Mackay was deputy Director of the Ross Institute at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He worked for many years in tropical occupational health, especially on the tea plantations of South Asia. He died in 1981. Dona ...

, and the 2017–2018 Sheikh

Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 14 November 1982) has been Crown Prince of Dubai since 2008. He previously served as Deputy Ruler of Dubai from 2006 to 2008. He is popularly known as Fazza ( ar, فزاع), the name under ...

award.

Life and career

Early life and education

El Hassan was born in Berber, Sudan, on 10 April 1930. Like many at that time, he started his education at a Quranic school ('' Khalwa'') before joining Berber Intermediate School. He later moved to Khartoum to join

Omdurman Omdurman (standard ar, أم درمان ''Umm Durmān'') is a city in Sudan. It is the most populated city in the country, and thus also in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the ...

Secondary School in 1945. El Hassan attended the

Kitchener School of Medicine The Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum (established 1924 as Kitchener School of Medicine), located in Khartoum, Sudan, is the oldest medical school in Sudan. It was opened in 1924 by Sir Lee Stack, Governor-General of Sudan and Sirdar ...

(now Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum). He graduated with a distinction in Medicine and Surgery in 1955 while winning the

Kitchener Kitchener may refer to: People * Earl Kitchener, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom ** Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850–1916), British Field Marshal and 1st Earl Kitchener ** Henry Kitchener, 2nd Earl Kitchener (1846–1937) ...

Memorial prize for best graduate. He joined the Sudanese Ministry of Health to train, starting as a houseman between 1955 and 1957, and a medical officer from 1957 to 1958 in different locations in Khartoum, Omdurman and Northern State. He then returned to the Pathology Department, University of Khartoum as a research assistant. El Hassan continued his training at the University of London and obtained a Diploma in Clinical Pathology (DCP) in 1961. He returned to the University of Khartoum for a short period (1962–1963) as a lecturer before starting a doctor of philosophy in Immunology at the University of Edinburgh, which he completed in 1965.

Career

Ahmed_Mohamed_El_Hassan_and_Mohamed_Hamad_Satti

El Hassan returned to the Department of Pathology, University of Khartoum as a senior lecturer before becoming a professor and department head in 1966. In 1969, El Hassan was made the Faculty of Medicine's dean and the university's deputy vice-chancellor. El Hassan was the founding minister of higher education and scientific research, Sudan, between 1971 and 1972, after which he became the president of the Medical Research Council (1972–1977). El Hassan then joined King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, as a professor in 1977 and helped establish the Department of Pathology before leaving in 1979, to return in 1981 as the director of research until 1987. Between 1979–1980, El Hassan was in Sudan as the director of the Tropical Diseases Institute, and he established the Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology. Upon his return from Saudi Arabia in 1988, he continued working at the department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum. El Hassan was the founding director of the Institute of Endemic Diseases between 1993 and 2000, and continued his affiliation with the institute as an Emeritus Professor of Pathology until his death in 2022. El Hassan was the Founding President of the

(SNAS) in 2005, and was the president of the Sudanese Cancer Society between 2008 and 2009. El Hassan was a visiting professor at the University of London, University of Copenhagen, Ahfad University for Women, and

October 6 University October 6 University (O6U) is a private university located in Giza, 6th of October City, Egypt. It was established by the Republican Decree no. 243 in 1996. O6U is in the 6th of October City, 32 km from downtown Cairo. The campus consists o ...

. He was a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO), and a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee of Tropical Disease Research, WHO.

Personal life and death

El Hassan married Amal Galal Mohamed in 1959 and had four daughters. He had a keen interest in photography and music. He established the first medical photography and

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

unit in Sudan. He learned to play the oud and published his book ''Writings on Medicine, Music and Literature'' in 2017''.'' El Hassan died on 10 November 2022 in his house in Al Riyadh, Khartoum from natural causes.

Research

El Hassan focused on epidemiology and immunopathology of tropical and infectious diseases, especially

leishmaniasis Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by parasites of the trypanosome genus ''Leishmania''. It is generally spread through the bite of phlebotomine sandflies, ''Phlebotomus'' and ''Lutzomyia'', and occurs most freq ...

and mycetoma, including diagnosis, therapy, and vaccines. His research also investigated leprosy and malaria, and after 2005, he shifted his focus to nasopharyngeal cancer. He received research grants from the World Health Organization's Tropical Disease Research, the Wellcome Trust, Danish International Development Agency, and The World Academy of Sciences.

Awards and honours

The Government of Sudan awarded El Hassan the Gold Medal for Research and Science in 1977, El Neelain Order (First Class) in 1979, and the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

(First Class) in 1995. He received an

Honorary Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

from the Ahfad University for Women in 2006. Professor Ahmed Mohamed El-Hassan Center for Tropical Medicine in Doka,

State, and EL Hassan Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases Clinical Trials Research in Soba, Khartoum were named after him in 2010 and 2016, respectively. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, London (FRCPath) in 1964, a Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians, London The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

(FRCP) in 1974, and a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (FTWAS) in 1996. He received the

from the World Health Organization in 1987,

from the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 1996, and Sheikh

Award for medical sciences in 2017–2018.